Chicken and Vegetable Bone Broth
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This is a basic healing food – a chicken bone broth, with vegetables and the pickings of meat from the carcasses. It is a meal in a bowl I often cook for those who need healing, particularly when they don’t feel like eating. Bringing warmth, comfort and nutrition, it is an immune boosting meal that is easy on the digestive system.
serves 6-8
GF
what you need
for broth base:
2 raw chicken carcasses (approx. 1kg)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 onion, halved
6 parsley stalks
1 bay leaf
for broth:
1 onion, finely diced
1 leek, finely sliced
2 carrots, finely diced
4 stalks celery, finely diced
2 large or 4 small potatoes, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
to serve:
chicken meat from the carcass, finely chopped
parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp fine sea salt
ground white pepper, to taste
what you do
1. To make the broth base, place the chicken carcasses into a large pot with 4 litres of water, apple cider vinegar, onion, parsley stalks and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, ladling off the scum as it rises to the top. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours with the lid off. The amount of liquid will gradually reduce. Remove the chicken carcasses from the pot and set aside to cool.
2. For the broth, strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve straight into a large pot. Add the vegetables and garlic.
3. Bring the broth to the boil for 5 minutes, reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid off for 40 minutes, to reduce slightly and intensify the flavour.
4. Meanwhile pick the chicken meat from the carcasses. Finely chop the chicken meat and add that and the parsley to the broth. Cook for a final 5 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
bone broth (or stock) is made by boiling the bones of healthy animals together with vegetables, spices and herbs, producing an infusion rich in minerals. Broth is still widely consumed around the world today, being a cheap food with a high nutrient density. Besides its culinary uses, broth is an excellent source of minerals and trace elements and is known to promote the immune system and help digestion. It is high in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, making it great for tooth and bone health. Bone broth assists the health of joints, skin, nails and hair, due to its high collagen content. Adding a little acid (such as apple cider vinegar or white wine) helps to break down the bone and extract the nutrients.
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