How to make a chicken bone broth

To enhance our digestion and therefore increase energy levels, it is essential repair the lining of the gut. Antibiotics, stress, processed foods, chemicals, pollutants and an impaired micro biome are some of things which lead to a leaky gut. Leaky gut causes inflammation in the body, decreased nutrient absorption and fatigue.

Broths help to repair the lining of the gut as they contain minerals and nutrients which help to seal the lining of your gut such as glycine and gelatine. Broths are very easy to digest so they are great for when your digestive system is sensitive. They help to support the immune system and you can also add ginger, garlic and vegetables to them to add to the nutrients in them.

Broths are a great way to add flavour to your meals. Use them to make soups and sauces or drink it in a cup as a ‘brothee’ (add some lemon or apple cider vinegar and you can also add thyme, sea salt, or grate some ginger or turmeric into it). Yum! You can also use them to cook rice and pasta in. For example, I add broth to bolognese sauce, potato and leek soup or I sauté my vegetables in a bit of broth. Basically, use them as often as you can!

We try to drink a cup of broth at least once a day and use it in our cooking as much as possible. I make ice blocks for my girls that contain broth and spinach and I sweeten it with mango and oranges so they can’t taste the goodness!

My chicken broth recipe is very easy. You can use a whole chicken, a leftover chicken carcass, leftover chicken bones or chicken frames. I always use organic chickens and filtered water to make my chicken broths.

If you are time poor or don't have any veggies on hand just use the chicken, fill the slow cooker with water and don’t worry about adding the garlic and veggies to it. You’ll get the goodness which leeches out of the bones. For extra flavour and to increase the nutrient content of it, add the garlic, spices and veggies to it. Remember, the better quality of your ingredients, the better the quality broth you will make. Use organic where possible.

Every recipe I’ve looked up has different cooking times (some make the broths on the stove and bring it to the boil first or cook it on high in a slow cooker). The cooking times I’ve given here are the ones I’ve found work best for me. The long cooking times mean I can prepare the ingredients in the slow cooker and have it cooking over night.

Chicken Broth Recipe (slow cooker recipe)

Add:

1. 1 Whole Organic chicken or chicken frames or about 2 kg of left over chicken bones

2. Fill the slow cooker with water (about 3 or 4 litres). Make sure the water covers the bones. I have a 6L slow cooker and I don’t measure the water, I just fill it to the top.

3. This step is optional- if you don’t have the supplies available or you are short on time, skip this step and go to step 4.

Add:

2 chopped carrots

2 chopped cloves of garlic

1 onion

handful of spices such as thyme, oregano

4. Turn the slow cooker on low for 12 hours on a low setting.

NOTE: you may slow cook the broth for 24 hours if you like (I sometimes do to leech more minerals from the bones but 12 hours is a sufficient length of time). If you have placed a whole chicken in the slow cooker to poach then remove the meat and set aside. You can place the bones back in for another 12 hours if you want to.

5. After 12 hours (or longer if you’ve chosen)

Strain the broth and discard the bones and veggies

You should have a nice gelatinous top at the top of every jar- that’s full of goodness, don't skim this gelatinous layer off!

Store the liquid in glass jars and place in the cold section of the fridge. It will keep for 1 week. If you want to freeze it, store in glass jars (leave about 3 cm of space at the top of the glass jar as the liquid will expand when frozen). It should last for 6 months. You can also freeze it in ice cubes.

Gut health is where its at and broths are a key part of healing our gut and maintaining it! For more information on how to heal your gut so that you can have more energy, contact Beatrice on beatricepeters01@gmail.com or leave a message on this website.

Take care!

Beatrice Peters