This Mineral Rich Chicken Bone Broth is a staple recipe every cook should have – sip it as is, or use it as a base in soups, sauces and stews.Â
I’ve been making lots of soup this winter, and keeping my freezer and refrigerator full of bone broths. Oftentimes, I have extra chicken bones and vegetable scraps that I throw in the freezer that I can throw into a pot to make chicken broth whenever I feel like it. However, recently, I’ve been been reading about the health benefits of gelatin in bone broth and trying to improve upon my chicken broth to make it even more nutrient rich.
Gelatin supports good digestion, so whether you sip on this Mineral Rich Chicken Bone Broth like tea, or use it as a base for soups, sauces or stews, it’s a great addition to anyone’s kitchen and cooking repertoire. Â I like to make a big pot, divide it among smaller containers and freeze it.
You can see by the pictures that this chicken bone broth has a lot of gelatin in it – it’s nothing like the chicken broth you buy at the supermarket. When heated, it had a sticky mouth feel to it and has some nice body to it – the nutritious gelatin is what gives the broth that quality.
The key is in the bones used. Chicken feet add a lot more gelatin than more other chicken parts. Chinese cooks and restaurants use chicken feet for their broths although most people might not know that. Although wings are also good, you won’t get quite the amount of gelatin as if you use chicken feet. I was able to get chicken feet and chicken necks at a local butcher for 99 cents a pound. If you’re able to find them, I suggest buying as much as you can and keeping it in the freezer so you have a stash.
Steps To Making Mineral Rich Chicken Bone Broth
There are a couple of key components and steps to making a Mineral Rich Chicken Bone Broth:
- Use both bones with a good amount of tendons and cartilage (chicken feet and wings) to give the broth some body (gelatin) and some meat for flavor (chicken thighs, drumsticks, chicken necks, chicken backs)
- Add vegetables as aromatics and additional minerals
- Add vinegar to the broth to help extract minerals from the bones
- Cook the broth at a simmer for 6-8Â hours to extract as much flavor and gelatin from the meat and bones
- Skim off any scum that comes to the surface of the broth
- Add a bunch of parsley towards the end of cooking for added minerals
Be sure to check out this easy and delicious Slow Cooker Lentil Smoked Ham Soup that I made using this Mineral Rich Chicken Bone Broth.
You might also like to see my Mineral Rich Beef Bone Broth recipe.
Chicken Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs on the bone
- 2 pounds chicken feet
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 3 celery stalks roughly chopped
- 1 bunch parsley rinsed well
Instructions
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Place chicken thighs, chicken feet, vinegar, onions, carrots and celery in a large soup pot. Add enough water to cover all the bones. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 6-8 hours, removing scum that floats to the top occasionally. Add parsley and let simmer another 10-15 minutes. Let cool; then strain broth.
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Refrigerate broth. Remove any solidified fat on top.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Weston A. Price
I love the sound of this chicken bone broth! I could feel just how warming and comforting it is. Love the parsley!
Thanks Kelly – it’s a great broth to have on hand – I like to have some in the freezer in case the kids get a cold, perfect for pulling out then.
Hi Jeanette, How would it work to just use chicken feet without other chicken parts. I have an abundance of chicken feet.
Chicken feet add great gelatin to the broth – the only thing is that you probably won’t have as much flavor since there is no meat on the chicken feet. Maybe roast the chicken feet to add flavor.
Very nutritious! And it would be great to use for the juicy Shanghai bun filling.
Yes Angie – I agree. In fact, I was thinking the same thing when I saw how gelatinous the broth was when refrigerated.
Thanks for the great broth idea! I love to have a good broth on hand as well…so comforting!!
Thanks Jenny – there’s nothing like having a stash of good broth in the fridge or freezer 🙂
This is a great idea .. Very nutritious! 🙂
Thanks Linda – great for making a big batch of and freezing. I pull it out whenever one of my kids is feeling a little under the weather.
awesome! didn’t know you could do this with chicken! i’ve never tried bone broth. that must change.
Thanks Lindsay – it’s a great staple to have in the freezer – so much better than store bought.
Should i leave skin on. I have a whole chicken? Thank you
Yes, leave the skin on for flavor. After the soup is done, and the soup is strained, I refrigerate the soup overnight. Any fat will solidify and can be easily removed with a spoon.
In addition, should I use the liver that they include with whole chicken. After the 8 hours, do I keep the chicken with the broth? Do u only use part of to make an individual soup? Do I throw away the carrots and celery and onion that were in broth for the eight hours? Thanks for your help.
I leave the skin on for flavor (then refrigerate overnight so any fat solidifies and can be removed with a spoon). I do not include the liver as that will add a bitter taste to the broth. If you’re using a whole chicken, you can remove the chicken breast from the whole chicken after 1 hour if you want to have some meat for later. I would debone the chicken breast and put the bones and skin back into the broth to continue cooking. The chicken breast meat can be saved for a meal. After the soup is done, strain all the vegetables, bones and meat, and portion out the soup into containers. Let cool to room temperature. Freeze what you will not use, and enjoy the rest. You can either discard the vegetables, puree them into some soup and enjoy, dehydrate (I use this for puppy snacks). Hope that helps.