A Simple Guide to Homemade Bone Broth

For a thousand years or more “chicken soup” has been prescribed by grandmothers all over the world to treat illness. And for good reason! Chicken soup – or a bone broth made from the leftover bones – is highly immune-boosting, soothes and heals the gut, relieves joint pain, reduces inflammation, and nourishes the skin.

Traditional bone broth is made by simmering bones in water for many hours, usually at least 24, but up to as many as several days, slowly releasing minerals, amino acids, and gelatin as it cooks.

* True bone broth is, of course, not to be confused with the broth-like products sold at the grocery store, which are completely lacking in nourishment and usually contain MSG and many other chemical additives.

Starting a pot of broth once a week or so will provide you with a nourishing replacement for water in cooking rice and other grains, as well as for a base in all your soups, stews, and sauces.

And it’s easy! I promise.

Sourcing Quality Bones for Bone Broth

The most difficult part is likely going to be sourcing your bones. It’s important to make sure that the bones you use come from a healthy, pastured animal. Avoid bones from animals raised in confinement, given conventional feed and/or antibiotics, steroids, or hormones. Animals store many toxins in their bones. Make sure to use bones from healthy, organically raised, pastured animals!

You may purchase an entire chicken to cook and then use those bones to make your broth, but if that is cost prohibitive for your family, consider asking your farmer if he sells bones by the bag. This is a very affordable way to get your broth! If you go with this option, simply skip ahead to step 3.

Gelatin

I’ve also had opportunity to purchase chicken feet by the bag!!!

Don’t ever miss an opportunity to buy chicken feet.

EVER.

Just 2-3 feet per batch of broth will give you lots of extra gelatin (that magical, healing nutrient that is so crucial for nutrient absorption, gut health, joint health, and even youthful skin.). I’ve actually made broth on one occasion, by simply simmering 6 feet and nothing else! Turned out fantastic!

I’m sure that if you butcher your own chickens, you would NEVER consider throwing out the feet, right? RIGHT?

Okay good.

Because, seriously.

It’s all about the feet.

Here’s how we make bone broth at our house:

Step #1 – Cook the Chicken

I (almost) always start with a whole, pastured chicken, though occasionally I’ll make a batch using purchased bones as I mentioned above.

I first cook the chicken for my evening meal. Usually this is either:

to make a soup – in which case I would simply pop the frozen bird into a pot of water on the stove, season it (with salt, pepper, and bay leaf), and then allow it to simmer for 2-3 hours.
or slow cook it – nothing special, just set the frozen bird in the slow cooker, season, and turn it on low for several hours until the meat begins to fall off the bones.
* Edited to add* I now use my instant pot for both of the above. I pop in a frozen bird and allow it to cook for about 2 hors until it is completely falling off the bones.

I realize that this isn’t impressive, but it’s EASY (as in, I can do this while simultaneously washing breakfast dishes and checking long division) and it always turns out delicious, if not pretty.

* Feel free to thaw yours properly, slather it in grass-fed butter, and bake it until golden. No problem. You can be fancy like that if you like.

Step #2 – Separate the Meat from the Bones

Once the chicken is fully cooked, I carefully lift it out and pick the meat from the bones. We’ll eat the chicken with roasted veggies and potatoes and drizzle it all over with some of that delicious juice!!

The meat goes into a bowl to be set aside for dinner. The bones, skin, feet, and all other weird bits go right back into the slow cooker (*or instant pot*).

Step #3 – Simmer the Bones

Make sure to add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (to help release the minerals from the bones) and fill with cool water. It’s important that the water warms slowly, so don’t start with hot water.

At this point you can also choose to add veggie scraps (onion ends, carrot tops, etc..). I used to do this, but don’t anymore. I found that the veggies would sit at the top of the pot and become too browned, giving an off-taste to my broth. Probably a frequent stirring would solve this problem, but I choose to feed our scraps to the chickens instead.. meaning we get the veggies in the broth indirectly! 😏

I turn the slow cooker to high only until the broth begins to bubble, usually an hour or two. Then I turn it down to “keep warm”. I find that the “keep warm” setting on my Hamilton Beach 8 Qt. slow cooker is perfect for keeping the broth just barely at a simmer. “Low” may be better on your slow cooker. You’ll have to test it out. You want no more than an occasional bubble. Very hot, without bubbles is okay too.

As the bones continue to simmer for many hours gelatin will begin to cook off of the joints and feet.

I usually let mine simmer at least 48 hours, sometimes up to 72 (though feel free to let it go longer). During that time, I scoop out any broth I may need and simply replace what I’ve used with the same amount of fresh water.

* The instant pot makes this a much easier process! I add the bones, fill with water, and set to pressure cook on high for 2 hours 20 minutes. You can even run it a second time if you like for another 2 hours or so.

By this time, the bones will begin to crack apart and crumble at the ends when pressed, releasing immune-boosting marrow and the last of the minerals into the broth. I take a minute to crush any bits of bone that I can and swirl them around a bit, in hopes of getting all that these bones have to give.

Step #4 Strain the Broth

Now I simply strain the broth and pour into glass jars to be kept in the fridge.

A well-made broth will solidify when cooled in the refrigerator, resembling a golden jello. Don’t be alarmed! That gelatin is so, very good for you and it will liquefy again when heated.

The fat will rise to the top of the jar. You can skim it off after it has cooled if you like. I choose to keep it.

This will last at least a week in the fridge. If you get into the habit of using broth instead of water in your cooking, you’ll find that you have no trouble getting through it in that time, though it can be frozen if needed.

Step #5 Discard the Bones

All the leftover bones and mush can be discarded or given to the barn cats for a delicious feast! They’ll pick those bones totally clean! We choose not to give cooked bones to our dog because of a possible choking hazard, though the bones at this point are so, very soft that it may not be a problem after all. I’ll leave the matter up to you to decide.

* We also add a bit of our DIY parasite-preventative, mineral-mix for pets. Someday I’ll write a post about this, but for now here’s the simple recipe in case you’re curious: 1 part dolomite + 1/4 part kelp +2 parts sulfur + 3 parts food grade diatomaceous earth. I stir it up thoroughly and because the cats can’t resist the chicken, they gobble up the minerals too. So sneaky!

Step #6 – Clean it all up!

Now for the worst part.. wash the slow cooker.

I hate washing the slow cooker.

This little netted dish cloth is helpful for scrubbing off any stuck bits without ruining the ceramic. Still. Not my favorite chore.

* Note – You do not have to use an instant pot or slow cooker to make broth. You can simply put your bones, etc.. into a stockpot on the stove and simmer on low for as long as you like. I choose not to do this for the following reasons:

I’ve already gotten the slow cooker dirty cooking my chicken (the lazy way), so might as well use it again and save washing an extra dish… because like I just mentioned, dishes are not my favorite chore.
My husband is not comfortable leaving the burner on overnight while we’re sleeping. Sheesh. 🙄😄
I like my broth to cook for multiple days, but I don’t want to babysit the stockpot, remember to turn it off when we leave the house, or have to maneuver around it on my little stove when cooking meals.

Does this sound like too much fuss? I promise making your own bone broth is not only easy, it’s SO WORTH your effort! It’s like buying a mineral supplement, collagen supplement, and beauty cream for just pennies!