Homemade bone broth is easy to make, delicious & incredibly nourishing for your gut & overall health. Here you will find a stovetop & crockpot method that yields perfect broth every time!
Easy Homemade Bone Broth
I think homemade bone broth can seem intimidating to do on your own if you have never made it before, but that’s actually not true. While it does require a bit of planning in advance, it’s actually so easy to whip up & provides a great burst of nutrition for you as well!
What makes bone broth such a ‘superfood’
Bone broth that is simmered for at least 12 hours, & that has something acidic like apple cider vinegar & lemon added, is incredibly high in gelatin. The acidity & long simmer time helps break down the bones so that the collagen, amino acids & nutrients can be extracted. The gelatin is what makes a good quality bone broth look ‘jelly’ when its cooled. Don’t worry, when it’s heated it becomes a nice smooth liquid. But if you do have a thick & gel-like bone broth, that is a great sign that it is rich in nourishing gelatin & an excellent batch.
Gelatin is mainly made up of collagen & collagen is one of the main proteins found in human bones & other connective tissues. Gelatin is also rich in amino acids, in particular, proline & glycine, which aid the body in building & repairing its own connective tissues.
I could get into so many more reasons why I love bone broth but for now I have a story saved to my ‘highlights’ on Instagram where I share some of the research behind collagen & why I love it, which you can check out here!
What can you use bone broth for?
You can use bone broth for anything you would use normal chicken stock for such as soups, stews, etc.! I personally love to warm up a cup & sip it in the late morning or afternoon. I find it so comforting & nourishing any time of the day!
I also love sautéed vegetables in broth or using it to make cauliflower puree. So many things you can use it for so I love having it on hand!
How to make bone broth
I am showing you how to make chicken broth today, my personal favourite, but you can make bone broth using any animal bones as well.
Like I have mentioned a few times, it is actually really easy to make bone broth. You are going to bring a large pot filled with all of your ingredients & filtered water to a boil for about 5 minutes. Then you’re going to reduce it to a simmer for 12 hours. You can also make bone broth in the crockpot, both methods which are outlined in detail below.
You can get creative & add any vegetables, herbs or spices into your bone broth but you will need to make sure you add 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar) to help breakdown the bones & actually extract all the nutrients from them.
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Bone Broth: How To
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 hours
- Total Time: 12+ hours
- Yield: 8+ servings 1x
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: broth
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Homemade bone broth is easy to make, delicious & incredibly nourishing for your gut & overall health. Here you will find a stovetop & crockpot method that yields perfect broth every time!
Ingredients
- Chicken bones (we used the leftover bones from one roasted chicken)
- 1/2 a red onion (or white onion), roughly diced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 4–5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 inch piece of ginger, roughly diced
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar will work plus 1/2 a lemon)
- 1/2 tsp pink salt (more or less to taste)
- Black pepper
- Optional add-in’s: fresh turmeric root, fresh lemon juice, spices of choice, etc.
- Filtered water (amount will depend on the size of your pot, you want the water to completely cover all of the ingredients)
Instructions
Stovetop Method:
- Add all your ingredients to a large pot ensuring you cover all of the ingredients in the pot with filtered water until it is an inch or two from the top.
- Bring everything to a boil on the stovetop over medium/high heat for a few minutes.
- Then reduce the heat to low, cover & allow the mixture to simmer for 12 hours.
- After 12 hours remove the chicken bones & vegetables, then strain the mixture into a large dish using a fine mesh sieve. We strained ours 2-3 times to make sure it was smooth & any leftover pieces were removed.
- Pour into a mason jar & store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for several months.
- When you want to enjoy a cup, heat on the stovetop over low heat until warm, enjoy!
Crockpot Method:
- Follow the above steps but instead of using a pot on the stove place everything into the crockpot on low for at least 12 hours.
- Strain & store the same way as above & enjoy!
Notes
***Note: I have found that adding all the ingredients to the pot & leaving it overnight, un-heated, & then cooking it the next morning for at least 12 hours has yielded a really thick & gelatin rich broth.
Keywords: bone broth, broth, chicken broth
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Hi Lauren,
Thank you so much; I plan to use your recipe for broth…….
I hope you love it Nanny! You will have to keep me posted how you get along 🙂
I tried this on the weekend – did the crockpot version – let it cook for 24 hours.
I used it as a delicious base for a very simple chicken soup – just added some chicken pieces, carrots, celery & a brown/wild rice mix. So delicious! Thought I would freeze leftovers but there won’t be any 🙂
★★★★★
I love that you let it simmer for 24 hours! That is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, Deb! I am so glad the recipe was such a hit!