Name: Nourishing Bone Broth
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 d
Total time: 1 d 20 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 4 to 6lb whole young organic chicken; 1 large carrot, whole or chopped to fit; 2 leeks, chopped to fit; 1 large onion; 1 to 2 whole heads of garlic; Fresh or dried herbs; Salt to season

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Last Updated on February 16, 2024 by Kiersten James, BS, RN

Bone broth has been a longtime staple for nutrition, healing, and adding flavor base to recipes. Making bone broth from scratch is very easy and doesn’t require any tools or equipment you don’t already have in your kitchen.

While certainly convenient, conventional store bought broth doesn’t contain all of the health benefits real bone broth is known for.

Not to mention, most homemade broth is also bland, boring, and just…not tasty.

This Bone Broth Recipe is so Easy

With about 20 minutes of hands on cook time, nostalgic aromas will fill your house over the 24 hours of simmering. You’ll also end up with about one gallon of nourishing bone broth.

Very little prep is involved and it tastes so good.

There is no need to peel or chop your vegetables since everything gets discarded at the end of the cook process. Nothing is worth saving because all nutrients are extracted during the long cook process into the broth.

Bone Broth Ingredients

In the summer, we use fresh herbs from the garden. During cold weather months, dried herbs work out just fine.

I use young, fresh, organic free-range chicken and organic vegetables/herbs that we either grow or purchase from a supplier. This is not necessary but will give you the healthiest, purest broth.

Use whatever ingredients you can afford and have access to.

The most important thing here is that you are making it at home and not buying something that required a team of scientists and factories to get it back to you.

Tools You May Need

Large stock pot with lid
Slotted spoon or strainer
Cheesecloth or tea towel
Large bowl for straining
Storage containers

Nourishing Bone Broth Ingredients

Young organic chicken
Filtered water
Leeks
Carrots
Onions
Whole heads of garlic
Herbs
Salt to season after cooking

How to Make Bone Broth at Home

Wash the leeks and carrots.

Place the whole raw chicken in the stock pot and cover with the rest of the ingredients. I put the onions and garlic in the pot whole – skin and all.

I had a tremendous carrot and leeks so I roughly chopped them for the purpose of actually fitting in the pot.

Fill the pot with cold filtered water (about 4 cups) until the water level is about 1 ½ -2 “ above the ingredients.

Bring the water to a low boil.

Simmer uncovered for 24 hours

The simmer should be hot enough that you can see a small bit of steam rising from the pot.

If you notice the water moving around a lot or a line of foam developing, turn the heat down a bit.

I have a gas stove and leave it between Low and 2.

I don’t feel comfortable leaving the burner on when I’m not home or when we’re sleeping so I turn it off, cover it with a lid and store in the refrigerator if it’s longer than 2 hours.

When I return, I bring it back to a low boil, take the cover off, and return to a simmer.

After the 24 hours, the broth should have a layer of fat and other extractions on the top of the water line.

This should be left alone and not skimmed off as it makes up the glycerin and good fats extracted from the bones and marrow.

Strain the Bone Broth to Remove Impurities

Remove the chicken, bones, and vegetables from the pot with either a slotted spoon or a colander.

Cover a large bowl with cheesecloth (I use this one) and put a rubber band around the bowl to hold the cloth in place.

If you don’t have cheesecloth, a paper towel or tea towel can be used instead.

Pour the broth through the cheesecloth or towel to strain out any impurities.

The resulting bone broth will be a deep, beautiful amber like the picture below.

Discard what was strained out onto the cheesecloth and rinse well with cool water.

Dried herbs are tedious to remove but with some patience, it can be done

At the moment, I have a double basin sink. I fill up one side with cool water and mild dish soap and just let the cheesecloth soak for an hour or two.

You can also take a large bowl or container and fill it up to serve the same purpose. I then wash it by hand and hang it over the back of a kitchen chair to dry.

Freezing and Storing Bone Broth

The broth can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 10 days, frozen in batches, or pressure canned for later use. I keep one 32oz mason jar in the fridge and freeze the rest in quart sized containers.

If you’re going to freeze, make sure you leave at least 2” of headspace at the top of each container so you don’t end up with cracked containers and a big mess due to expansion.

Surface Layer of Fat

When this goes into the fridge, the top layer of glycerin will solidify. I just take a spoon and stir it back in. You can also heat the jar a bit to liquify the fat if it bothers you.

Nourishing Bone Broth

Yield: 1 gallon bone broth

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 to 6lb whole young organic chicken
1 large carrot, whole or chopped to fit
2 leeks, chopped to fit
1 large onion
1 to 2 whole heads of garlic
Fresh or dried herbs
Salt to season

Instructions

Wash the leeks and carrots.
Place the whole raw chicken in the stock pot and cover with the rest of the ingredients.
Fill the pot with cold filtered water (about 4 cups) until the water level is about 1 ½ -2 “ above the ingredients.
Bring the water to a low boil.
Simmer uncovered for 24 hours. The simmer should be hot enough that you can see a small bit of steam rising from the pot. If you notice the water moving around a lot or a line of foam developing, turn the heat down a bit. I have a gas stove and leave it between Low and 2.
After the 24 hours, the broth should have a layer of fat and other extractions on the top of the water line. This should be left alone and not skimmed off as it makes up the glycerin and good fats extracted from the bones and marrow.
Remove the chicken, bones, and vegetables from the pot with either a slotted spoon or a colander.
Cover a large bowl with cheesecloth and put a rubber band around the bowl to hold the cloth in place. If you don’t have cheesecloth, a paper towel or tea towel can be used instead.
Pour the broth through the cheesecloth or towel to strain out any impurities. The resulting bone broth will be a deep, beautiful amber.
Season with salt according to your family's preferences.
Discard whatever contents are on the cheesecloth and rinse well with cool water.
The broth can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 10 days, frozen in batches, or pressure canned for later use. I keep a 32oz mason jar in the fridge and freeze the rest in quart sized containers.

Notes

I put the onions and garlic in the pot whole - skin and all. I roughly chop the carrot and leeks for the purpose of fitting in the pot. Otherwise, I would have left them whole.

I don’t feel comfortable leaving the burner on when I’m not home or when we’re sleeping because we have natural gas. If I can't be there to tend to the stove, I turn it off, cover the pot with a lid, and store in the refrigerator if it’s going to be longer than 2 hours. When I return, I bring the broth back to a low boil, take the cover off, and return to a simmer.