We eat chicken soup when we have a cold. And what’s the origination of this? Is it simply because it’s comforting or is there more to it? Bone broth – not to be confused with regular broth or stock – is incredibly healing on so many levels! It’s rich in gelatin and contains an abundance of the proteins glycine, proline and glutamine. These amino acids do such important things in our bodies. Glycine supports our immune system and detoxing; proline supports good skin, cartilage and our joints; and glutamine is fantastic for healing our guts, bolstering our immune systems and building muscle. While bone broth is not a complete protein, it’s supportive (and I’d say essential) to a healthy diet.
And it’s expensive. So I do buy it, but I also make it weekly, and I’m going to tell you how.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole pasture-raised, organic chicken
- Salt and pepper
- Extra chicken bones or chicken feet (optional)
- Carrots, onions, herbs (optional)
First, I roast a whole, pasture-raised organic chicken, in my instant pot. Use the metal trivet in the bottom of your instant pot and add 1 cup water. Stuff the inside of your chicken with onions and lemon (or whatever you have on hand), salt and pepper generously. Set on high for 30 minutes and do a quick release.
Remove the chicken, take all the meat off the carcass, and remove the stuff inside. I set aside all the meat to use in a soup, or salad. Then pound the carcass until it flattens a bit and cover with filtered water (don’t go beyond the 2/3 fill point). I add about 2 teaspoons of salt, and if I have any, veggie trimmings like carrots or onions (I often skip this part). I also add the giblets from the chicken if they came in the cavity, chicken feet, or frozen bones I’ve saved from other chicken I’ve made recently. These are all bonus items – you really only need the chicken carcass, salt and water!
Set on high for 2 hours, and, if you have time, do this a second time. This ensures you’re getting as much gelatin out of the chicken bones as possible.
Strain the broth into lidded jars. A layer of fat will rise to the top of each jar and create a seal. This stores in the fridge up to 2 weeks with the fat layer intact (or 4 days if you’ve disturbed the fat layer).
I often use the broth and chicken right away to make soup for the week, like my chicken vegetable soup, and will also make myself a mug of broth as a snack to sip during these cold, winter days.