You have probably heard of bone broth as a fad diet! Although I do not recommend one live on a diet of only broth, bone broth is thought to be a healthy addition to the diet and is a great ingredient in recipes to boost flavor and nutrients.
What are the suggested health benefits of bone broth?
- Improved digestive health through the amino acid glycine. Glycine is thought to decrease gut inflammation.
- Improved joint health- contains glucosamine and chondroitin
- Contain vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc
- Improved sleep- the amino acid glycine plays another role here
- Provides protein
- Boosts immune system with high mineral concentration
- Improved collagen for improved skin tightness and joint health
Uses for Bone Broth:
- Substitute out milk and cream in a vegetable mash
- Homemade soups and stews
- Sip alone
- Add to rice dishes, vegetable rice
- Cook vegetables with bone broth instead of adding extra oil
- Add flavor to tomato sauce
- Braise meat
I do not purchase special bones for this recipe. Instead, I reuse what would otherwise go in the trash.
To make my homemade chicken broth I collect all the bones, cartilage and meat fragments left over from roasting whole chickens which we do on a weekly basis. As I collect them, I keep them stored in a ziplock freezer bag until the bag is full.
Try the Meredith Chicken recipe and save the bones!
My Homemade Chicken Bone Broth:
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon ziplock of frozen saved chicken scraps
- Filtered water (enough to cover the scraps)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (ACV helps extract the collagen)
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
Directions:
- Add frozen chicken scraps to the Instant Pot and cover with filtered water just to the level where the bones are submerged. The amount of water added will determine how much gelatin material/concentrated broth you will get.
- Add ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
- Add 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- You can also add additional items such as carrots, celery, onions and herbs for an extra flavor if desired. A money saving tip here is to collect all the cuttings from vegetable prep such as ends of carrots, onions etc. and save in the freezer in zip lock freezer bag.
- Once all ingredients are added to the Instant Pot, cover with lid and seal
- Cook on high for 4 hours (soup/broth mode)
- Allow pressure to release naturally
- Once pressure is release, vent and remove lid
- Allow to cool to temperature cool enough to handle
- Strain liquid through colander into a bowl
- Strain one more time using a copper coffee filter over a funnel into a mason jar
- Store in mason jar in the fridge
- You can also place into ice cube trays and freeze for later!
Enjoy!
