Bone Broth Recipe for a Healing Soup
Bone broth is rich in nutrients which support overall healing, and it's wonderful to sip-on by the cup, as you might drink tea when feeling under the weather. It can also be used more generally to support healthy digestion, nails and bones. This broth is the perfect powered-up nutritional base for a traditional soup like chicken noodle, or the lemon lentil soup also in this section. (Tip: a poultry bone broth lends an especially good flavour.)
Bone broth can be made using bones from chicken, turkey, beef and even fish. Using organic/pastured meat or wild fish makes the healthiest broth since you will literally be drawing out, and ultimately ingesting, every element of the animal/fish.
Poultry has the mildest flavour, so that is a good place to start. You can also use whole organic chicken, whole fish (including the head) or fish bones. If you are using a whole raw chicken, simply place the entire chicken into the pot with enough water to cover it entirely and set the stove to simmer. In about 2 hours, the meat should start separating from the bone. At this point, you can remove the chicken from the pot and separate the meat from the bones. (You can later use this meat for stews, tacos, or chicken soup). Then place the bones back in and continue to simmer. You can also use bones from a roasted chicken or turkey to make bone broth. This is both cost-effective and ecologically mindful since you would otherwise throw the bones away once you have used the meat.
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- Place bones in a pot or a slow cooker. Add apple cider vinegar and water (enough to cover the bones), and let the mixture simmer for thirty minutes. This allows the vinegar to bind with minerals from the bones.
- Add vegetables and bring the broth to a boil. Remove the impurities that float to the surface. A foam layer can be easily scooped off with a big spoon and discarded. I typically check-in every twenty minutes or so for two hours to scoop foam from the top.
- After boiling for 2hrs, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for an additional 24 hours (see below). Here's where a slow cooker comes in handy so you can safely leave it overnight. If your slow cooker is not large enough to accommodate this amount, you may start with a stockpot and once it boils down, switch to your smaller slow cooker. Alternately, you may half the recipe.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, throw in some garlic, and/or parsley for added flavour and minerals.
- Remove from heat and let the broth cool. Strain using a fine-meshed sieve or through a coffee filter to remove all the bits of bone from the broth. Add sea salt to taste.
- Drink the broth as is or store in the fridge in glass jars for up to 5–7 days or in the freezer up to 6 months for use in soups or stews.
Note: after cooking, the broth will cool and a layer of fat will harden on top. This layer protects the broth beneath. Remove this layer only when you are about to use the broth. You can use this healthy fat for cooking instead of using seed oils.
Optional: You can also add 2 cloves of garlic, a bunch of parsley, or additional herbs or spices to taste for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
*If you are using raw bones, especially beef bones, it greatly improves the flavour to roast them in the oven first. Place them in a roasting pan and roast at 375°F for 30 minutes.
Simmering Times for Various Bone Sources:
- Beef—48 hrs
- Poultry—24 hrs
- Fish—8 hrs
