My first memory of my bone broth recipe is the delicious smell in our house the day after Thanksgiving. Every year as soon as the family left and the house was quiet, my dad would be in the kitchen throwing what was left of the turkey bones (and seemingly everything else on the counter) into a pot. Overnight the T-Day scraps would turn into a magical soup that we would have in batches throughout the winter. Of course, then it was called turkey stock and we only ate it because it tasted good, not because of the health beneftis!
Fast forward to today, and now stock is called broth and touted as the elixir of the gods! Although the health claims of bone broth lack a lot of scientific evidence, I do feel that there is enough historical and cultural evidence to prove that it is pretty darn good for you. Specifically when it comes to kicking up your immune system, reducing joint pain and digestive health*.
The biggest health benefits of bone broth tend to be linked to the amount of collagen. Collagen is a type of protein that is the most abundent structual protein in the human body. Structual proteins help maintain the physical structure of your cells and help them communicate with other cells. This is why you are most likely know collagen as the stuff you put in your coffee with the hopes of looking 26 again! Wrinkles are an outward example of the breakdown of the structure of cells. There are many other important benefits such as gut health (improving the structure of your gut lining) and joint health (protecting the structure of your tendons and ligaments).
However, this is not a blog to convince you of the health benefits of bone broth. It is simply to share a delicious recipe that I use as a base for soups, a warm drink when I’m congested and flavor for cooking. Once cooked, I freeze the broth so I can easily thaw and throw into dishes for a boost of flavor.
Speaking of flavor, I tend to really load up my broth because I want as much flavor as possible. When it comes to getting the health benefits from the bones, the key ingredients are high quality bones, filtered water and vinegar. All the other ingredients are just to make it mouthwatering!
*If you suffer from IBS, you may want to omit the garlic, onion and celery from the broth as they can exacerbate symptoms.
Mouthwatering Healthy Bone Broth
- Bones from 1 whole chicken or turkey
- 1 onion, unpeeled, roughly chopped
- 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 3 carrots, unpeeled, roughly chopped
- 1 head of garlic, unpeeled, sliced in half crosswise
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 3 stems parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- Filtered water to cover
- Layer the bones, vegetables, seasonings and herb in a slow-cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for a minimum of 12 hours but up to 24 hours.
- Strain the broth to remove the ingredients.
- At this point you can freeze or drink as is. However, if you want to remove the fat (which does remove some of the nutrients but can also make it more palatable depending on your taste), put the liquid in an airtight container and allow to cool in the refrigerator. As it cools, you can simply skim off the excess fat.
Enjoy!
