When prepared the traditional way, bone broth is like a superfood. Almost every culture throughout history has used bone broth for its nutritional significance. Broth made from the bones of animals has unique and unrivaled health benefits.
Typically made from the bones of chicken or beef, it can also be made from lamb, wild game or fish bones. The cooking water is acidified with a small amount of raw organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar to draw the minerals and other nutrients out of the bones and into the broth while it cooks.
The finished broth contains a vast array of nutrients in an easily absorbable form. It is rich in calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals, and gelatin—a protein substance that has numerous regenerative healing effects.
- 1 roasted chicken carcass, including all the skin and meat that is still clinging to the bones. Make sure to get any broth or gelatin out of the pan you cooked the chicken in and add it to the crock pot.
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half
- 1-2 celery stalks, cut in half
- 1 -2 carrots, cut in half
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon sea salt, or more to taste
- ¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns, optional
- 1 large handful of curly parsley
- Water, enough to cover the bones
- Equipment Needed: 6- to 8-quart crockpot, mesh strainer
- Directions: Place the chicken bones in the bottom of the crockpot. Add in the onion, celery, carrots, and bay leaves. Add enough water to cover everything. Add in the vinegar, salt, and peppercorns. Stir to mix everything and ensure the vinegar is well disbursed. Add more water to bring the level up to within 2 inches of the top of the crockpot. Let everything soak for 30 minutes before turning on the crockpot.
- Set crock pot to Low heat and cook for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours. (You can let it cook overnight and all the next day.)
- About 10 minutes before turning off the heat, add in the fresh parsley for added flavor and additional minerals.
- Let the broth cool, then remove the bones from the crock pot and discard.
- Pass the broth through a fine mesh strainer or a regular strainer that is lined with cheese cloth. Discard the vegetables—there are no more nutrients left in them as they all went into the broth, so there’s no point in saving them.
- Let the broth cool before pouring into quart-size jars or half gallon containers so they won’t break from the heat.
- Refrigerate the broth for up to 5 days or store in the freezer for up to 6 months (see below tips for freezing broth).
- A 6 qt. crock pot makes approximately 3 qts of broth.
