Save chicken bones to make an easy broth at home
Often, when I see chef’s on TV saying, “Oh, just make homemade chicken broth; it’s so easy”, I think, do they have soccer games, birthday parties and laundry to do? But every once in a while, like after I have a rotisserie chicken, I will make my own broth. When it’s all done, I realize it is worth it once in a while for two reasons: flavor and cost.
The flavor of freshly made chicken broth really can’t compare to anything in a carton. It can be used to make chicken or bean soup, risotto, quinoa, rice or gravy. As I type, the house has a delicious smell of chicken wafting through it.
The other big advantage of homemade broth is that it’s so economical. Earlier in the week, I brought home a $10 all-natural, no antibiotics rotisserie chicken. After 20 minutes of cooling, I removed all of the meat. I used the breast for 4 sandwiches over the next 2 days and the rest of the meat for a delicious chicken stew. I had leftover meat that we nibbled on the day after. I saved the carcass and bones to make the broth later. The veggies were cheap and I really look at the bones as being almost free since often they are thrown out anyway.
If you are looking to save some money or get a terrific broth, do like our moms did and make your own once in a while. You’ll be glad you did.
Homemade Chicken Broth
1 chicken carcass (or bones from breast, leg and thigh)
Water to just cover carcass (I used about 12 cups)
2-3 tsp sea salt
1 tsp peppercorns (if you use ground pepper, use 1/2 tsp but your broth will have specks)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 3-4 pieces
2 celery ribs, chopped into 3-4 pieces
1/2 onion, cut into 3-4 chunks
1 bay leaf (I didn’t have one this time but I do prefer to use it; I suppose it makes it optional)
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot on the stove and cover. Heat to medium and cover. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook about 2 hours. Cool 1 hour. Pour through strainer.
Yield 3 quarts (or about 3 containers for which you pay at least $2 each)
Homemade Bone Broth
To make your chicken broth just a little more healthy by extracting the amazing nutrients from the bones, add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the pot and cook 8 hours. You can also make this in a slow cooker by cooking for 12 hours on low. You can also add beef or pork bones to this broth. If you use more bones, your broth will be more gelatinous.
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