How to Make Chicken Bone Broth for Pennies a Jar

How To Make Chicken Bone Broth for Pennies a Jar

I love to make a Simple Roast Chicken. And now, I’m sharing how I make Chicken Bone Broth. And for pennies a jar! How? By simply using the leftover chicken bones and carcass. And a secret ingredient! Or what I like to call the pièce de résistance–otherwise known as chicken feet!  Adding these little gems will make the most gelatinous chicken bone broth.

The Home Cook’s Arsenal of Flavor

I like to make bone broth because it makes me feel virtuous. I basically make use of scraps that many cooks might otherwise throw out. But by harnessing the last bit of goodness from bits and bobs around my kitchen, I can create a delicious broth that is rich in nourishing minerals and gelatin.

Chicken Bone Broth is extremely versatile. It can be enjoyed simply by itself or as a base for tasty soups, stews, gravies, and sauces. It’s quite amazing when you think about it. Nothing more than scraps that virtually can serve as the backbone of a home cook’s arsenal of flavor.

This Bone Broth Recipe is Easy…and Flexible

Although I am providing a “recipe” for this bone broth, this really is the sort of thing for which there isn’t a specific hard and fast recipe. There is a lot of flexibility when it comes to making bone broths of any variety. As to Chicken Bone Broth, how many chicken carcasses you use, and what chicken scraps you throw into your stock pot, can be a bit variable. So by all means, customize this recipe and make it your own.

The Secret to a Rich and Flavorful Broth

And certainly, chicken bone broth can be made from a raw chicken. But when you use the carcass and scraps from a roast chicken, the flavor of the broth will be so much richer. This is my favorite way to make chicken bone broth. Now, that said, I usually use more than one chicken carcass. After each time I roast a chicken, I store the carcass in my freezer in a container that holds about 3 carcasses along with their scraps.

Once the container is full, I make the bone broth and add a few chicken feet to boost the gelatinous consistency of the final product. You can make this with just one carcass, but I suggest that you wait until you have at least two. However, that said, if you have only one carcass but you have some chicken feet, wings, necks, or backs, you can make bone broth with just one carcass.

Add Scraps and Aromatics to Bone Broth

Along with the three carcasses, leftover chicken skin, and scraps, I also like to add various aromatics. These bone broth aromatics include:

• Bay leaves
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onions
• Peppercorns

I use both fresh aromatics and various cooking scraps I have saved over time that I have thrown into a bag in my freezer.

Tips on What to Avoid Adding to Bone Broth

Personally, I recommend not to add garlic. Garlic can leave a bit of an off-putting taste after a long simmer, so it can be best to add garlic later when you use the bone broth for soup or for whatever purpose you choose.

I also avoid adding potatoes or other root vegetables to the stock pot. They can make the bone broth cloudy, and in some cases, depending on the root vegetable used, add a strong flavor. Plus, you should avoid adding any vegetables from the cruciferous family (the brassicas) when making bone broths. They, too, can add unwanted flavor.

Plus, the broth obtained from crucifers contain goitrogens.  You may want to avoid these because of the possible strain they can put on the thyroid gland. (However, that said, goitrogens may offer protection against some cancers. So you can certainly enjoy them cooked.  Just don’t drink the water in which they were steamed or boiled.)

Choose An Acid for Your Bone Broth

Once you have amassed a collection of chicken carcasses, skin, and scraps, you’re ready to make Chicken Bone Broth. All you need now is some aromatics, water, and a small amount of some type of acid.

I like to use white vermouth for the acid as it adds a pleasant flavor to the final product.  But a simple splash of apple cider vinegar will do the trick just fine. Just use one or the other for the acid in your bone broth.

A Simple Six-Hour Simmer is All You Need

Although you may have heard that you need to simmer bone broth for three days on your stovetop, that really isn’t the case. Simmering for about six hours is sufficient to leach the nutrients out of the bones and create a nice gelatinous broth. Excessive simmering can actually “break” the gelatin and make a watery broth.

Plus, bone broth simmered too long can develop an “overcooked” flavor. So make things easy on yourself.  Simmer this bone broth for six hours and then strain it. If after straining it, you think the carcass and scraps may render more bone broth, you can, of course, reuse them to make a second batch.

A Few Final Tips

You can simmer this broth on the stove top or in a slow cooker. However, if you use a slow cooker, you will need one that has a “Keep Warm” setting that heats to 180°F. (You can check the temperature by filling your slow cooker with water, set it on Keep Warm, and test the temperature with a cooking thermometer after a few hours.) The Keep Warm temperature will create the perfect environment for making delicious, gelatinous bone broth.

If your slow cooker does not have a “Keep Warm” setting, you can still use it to make bone broth.  However, you will need to use the low setting and adjust the lid slightly to one side, allowing some heat to escape.  This technique will prevent the broth from boiling.

Learn How to Make Other Bone Broths

Follow my printable recipe to master making Chicken Bone Broth from a Roast Chicken. Afterward, be sure to check out my videos about how to make Beef Bone Broth, as well as fish, turkey, and pork bone broth. You can also learn about the best bones to use to get the richest and most gelatinous broth!

• Slow cooker: How to Make Rich and Gelatinous Beef Bone Broth – Bone Broth Recipe

• Best Bones for Making Beef Bone Broth

• Fish Bone Broth Recipe – Iodine Rich for Good Thyroid Health

• How to Make Turkey Bone Broth in a Slow Cooker

• How to Make Pork Bone Broth in a Slow Cooker

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between broth, stock, and bone broth, check out the following video.

• What is the Difference Between Broth, Stock, and Bone Broth and How to Make Them

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How To Make Roast Chicken Bone Broth for Pennies a Jar

5 from 1 vote

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 6 hours hrs

Total: 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Mary Bryant Shrader

Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved Recipe Rate Recipe

Harness the last bit of goodness from your chicken carcass and from bits and bobs around your kitchen to create a delicious broth that is rich in nourishing minerals and gelatin. Enjoy your chicken bone broth by itself or use it as a base for tasty soups, stews, gravies, and sauces.

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 items chicken carcass From roasted chickens
• ▢ 1 cup White vermouth Optional, if you don't use apple cider vinegar for the acid in your bone broth
• ▢ 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 3 Onions Quartered with skins on
• ▢ 3 Celery stalks
• ▢ 3 Carrots
• ▢ 2 Bay leaves
• ▢ 10 Peppercorns
• ▢ 1 Filtered water Enough to cover all the ingredients
• ▢ 6 Chicken feet Optional
• ▢ 6 Chicken wings Optional
• ▢ 3 Chicken necks Optional
• ▢ 3 Chicken backs Optional

Instructions 

• Place all the ingredients into the slow cooker or stock pot. If you choose to use the white vermouth, you can omit the apple cider vinegar. Add water to the slow cooker or stock pot just to cover all the ingredients.
• If using a slow cooker, turn it to the high setting for one hour, then turn it down to the keep warm setting and allow to simmer on keep warm for six hours. If your slow cooker does not have a keep warm setting, turn it down to the low setting but tilt the slow cooker lid to allow for some of the steam to escape to prevent the broth from boiling.
• If using a stock pot on the stove, bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low and simmer for six hours.
• After six hours, turn off the slow cooker or stove. Allow the broth to cool slightly and then begin to strain ingredients with a slotted spoon. Save the ingredients if you want to reuse them to make a second batch of broth.
• Once all the ingredients have been strained from the broth, line a colander with cheese cloth or a flour sack towel and place over a deep pot. Use a ladle to transfer the broth from the slow cooker or stock pot into the lined colander. The broth will drain through the lined colander into the deep pot.
• Once all the broth has been strained through the lined colander into the deep pot, transfer this pot to the refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and transfer it to a separate container to be used in other recipes. Transfer the broth to one or more containers with a cover that can then be refrigerated or frozen. You can store the broth in multiple smaller containers or one single large container, depending on how you plan to use it. This bone broth will stay fresh for 3-4 days when refrigerated. If frozen in the freezer of a refrigerator, it will stay fresh for 6 months. In a separate freezer that is not opened frequently, it will stay fresh for up to 12 months.

Video

Notes

Save your chicken carcasses to make chicken bone broth. I do this by storing a chicken carcass each time I roast a chicken in a container that holds about 3 carcasses along with their scraps in the freezer. Once the container is full, I make the bone broth and add a few chicken feet to boost the gelatinous consistency of the final product.

Can I make chicken bone broth with just one carcass? Yes, you can though I suggest waiting until you have at least two. However, that said, if you have only one carcass but you have some chicken feet, wings, necks, or backs, you can make bone broth with just one carcass.

Remove the fat from your bone broth using a Fat Separator Device! This saves the time of chilling the bone broth in your refrigerator so the fat rises to the top and congeals.

Cook chicken bone broth on the stove or in a slow cooker. If you’re using a slow cooker make sure it has a warm setting that maintains a temperature of 180 degrees F. You can check the temperature by heating water and checking it with a thermometer.

If you don’t have a warm setting on your crockpot, tilt the lid so steam escapes and lowers the temperature.

Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-roast-chicken-bone-broth-for-pennies-a-jar/

Copyright © 2019 Mary’s Nest, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Course: Soups & Stews

Cuisine: Americana

Keyword: Bone Broth, Chicken Bone Broth

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Favorite Bone Broth Making Supplies

• 8-Quart Duo Plus Instant Pot
• 16-Quart Stock Pot
• 8-Quart Stock Pot
• 7-Quart Slow Cooker
• 8-Quart Slow Cooker
• 10-Quart Slow Cooker
• Fat Separator
• Stainless Steel Strainer
• Flour Sack Towels

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