Chicken Bone Broth - Sally K. Norton

 

Chicken Bone Broth

• Servings: 3 quarts
• Time: prep: 30 minutes; total: 12-24 hours

 

Note: If you have a gas stove, use a 6.5-qt. oblong crock pot to make broth, not the stove top.  If you have an electric stove, you can use a large stainless steel or enamel stock pot.

Ingredients:

1 whole organic free-range chicken, or a combination of saved bones with some meaty pieces such as necks or leg quarters; parts with lots of joints such as wings, necks, and feet. These odd bits add gelatin and nutrients and are recommended.

Filtered water

¼ c apple cider vinegar 

1 bay leaf

1 onion, quartered (optional)

 

Instructions

1. Place the whole chicken in slow cooker or stock pot. If the chicken is too big for your pot, remove it and cut the chicken in half along the back and breastbone.

Chicken in the Broth Pot

·   Add bay leaf and optional seasonings, if desired.

·   Add enough water to cover the chicken, approximately 1-inch below the upper rim of the pot. 

·   Add vinegar.

2. If using a slow cooker, set heat to low. 

3. If using a stock pot, cover and lightly simmer for 4–9 hours. Cooking time is not precise; adjust it to fit your schedule. Check the heat after about 1½ hours to make sure that the simmer is not too strong, and that the water level is okay.

4. Set a large stainless steel colander in a large bowl. Lift the chicken out of the broth into the colander.  The chicken will be falling apart at this stage.

Lifting Cooked Chicken from Broth

5. Use tongs and a fork to remove the meat from the bones. Store the meat immediately in a glass storage container in the refrigerator for later use in soup or chicken salad.

6. Return all bones and cartilage to the broth in the pot, along with the broth that drained through the colander. Add an additional 1 tbsp vinegar and resume a gentle simmer for an additional 6 – 12 hours, as convenient.

Chicken Bones Cooking after Meat is Removed

 

7. Remove the bones from the stock and place in a large stainless steel colander sitting in a large bowl. Put the liquid from the bowl back in the broth. Discard the bones once they are cool.

8. Carefully pour hot broth through a mesh strainer into 3 clean 1-quart canning jars using a metal canning funnel. Seal at once with clean tight-sealing lids.

9. Wipe any spills off the outside of the jars. Allow jars to cool for about an hour. Write the date and “chicken broth” on masking tape placed on the lids, transfer to the refrigerator for storage. Note that this is not canning; the broth MUST be refrigerated.

NOTE: If the broth is very hot when poured into jars it keeps a long time unopened in the refrigerator (six weeks or even more). If the broth is allowed to cool before pouring into jars, or if you open it and only use part of the jar, it will only keep for about 5 -7 days.