As someone who loves to cook, I was late to the homemade chicken broth party. I used to think that it was a pain in the ass to make, and that there wasn’t a real difference in flavor between store bought and homemade. Turns out, I was wrong on both counts! I posted a chicken broth recipe a few years ago, but I wanted to update it. In the old recipe, the breast meat kept getting overcooked which I hated. And I wanted to make a broth that had more of the health benefits of a bone broth. So, here is my Updated Easy Homemade Chicken Broth recipe.
The whole process only takes about 1 1/2 hours and a good portion of this is passive cooking time so honestly, it couldn’t be simpler. It also makes your home smell divine. There are just certain smells that make you feel comfortable, safe and loved. Homemade chicken broth is definitely one of them.
Broth & Chicken – 2 for 1
Since you use a whole chicken with the meat intact in this Updated Easy Homemade Chicken Broth recipe, you are left with a pile of (now) perfectly cooked, shredded chicken afterwards that you can use in any number of recipes including:
- Immune Boosting Vegetable Ragout
- Winter Salad with Persimmon, Pomegranate & Hazelnut
- Tacos
- Chicken, White Bean & Kale Soup (substitute chicken for sausage)
- Flu Season Soup
- Grain bowl
Health Benefits of Chicken Feet
It often bums me out that we live in a time where we are so far removed from our food. Most of us only buy chicken breasts that are packaged in plastic. I am as a guilty of this as the next person. But using a whole chicken, including the feet, is:
- Better for the planet
- More economical
- Healthier
Chicken feet may look freaky, but since they are made up of mostly connective tissue, the feet are packed with tons of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, folate and protein in the form of collagen. Any woman in her 40’s or 50’s needs more of all three, but collagen is particularly important for skin health as it improves hydration, elasticity and density. This, in turn, helps your skin look and feel more youthful and vital. Collagen also supports the structure and resiliency of your bones, tendons, muscles and ligaments. So, as an added bonus, more collagen in your diet may help reduce joint pain from osteoarthritis. For me, it has definitely helped.
Pasture Raised Chicken
There are about a thousand different types of chicken out there today which can get confusing. So, here is the lowdown — use a pasture raised chicken and chicken bones, if possible. The latter can be tricky. There is a great chicken stall at my local farmers market where I can get pasture raised bones, but many butchers and/or grocery stores don’t carry them. That’s ok. You can just use regular bones. The important component here is really your whole chicken. A pasture raised chicken is going to be smaller than what you’re used to, but the meat is much sweeter and tastier. If you can’t get pasture raised, I like the organic chicken from Trader Joe’s.
Once you have your broth, you can use it to make soup, risotto, some sort of lovely braise or just sip it straight up as a snack. I typically hold a quart or two back to freeze. This way, when I need a little comfort, I can simply heat up a bowl. The old adage is true — it’s good for your soul!
Easy Homemade Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 1 3 - 4 lb whole chicken
- 1 chicken back
- 2 - 4 chicken feet
- 2 medium carrots peeled, cut into 1" pieces
- 2 celery stalks cut into 2" pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion cut into 1/2" wedges
- 1 1/2 T kosher salt
- 2 t fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Using kitchen shears or a small, sharp knife and your fingers, remove as much skin from the chicken as possible. It's ok to leave the wings intact. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Then use your sharp knife to cut away the breast meat. Neither of us is a butcher so don't worry if it's a bit of hack job.
- Heat a large, heavy duty Dutch oven or stock pot (at least 8 quarts) over high heat. Add the extra back and feet and brown on all sides. Then, add 5 quarts of water to your pot and the chicken minus the breast meat. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, occasionally skimming any accumulated foam off the top with a spoon.
- Add carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper and chicken breasts, and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Use tongs to remove the whole chicken and the breast meat, and place them on a sheet pan to cool for 10 minutes while your veggies, back bone and feet continue to simmer.
- Once the meat is cool enough to touch (I tend to wear rubber gloves as it's still pretty hot), remove the meat from the bones of the chicken. Don't forget the yummy hidden bits on the back. Then, put the bones back into the broth and cook for another 50 minutes.
- While the broth continues to cook, shred the chicken and save to use in soup, tacos, a salad etc.. or freeze.
- When the broth is done, remove and discard the bones and feet. Then, place a fine mesh strainer over another large pot or bowl. I typically cook the broth in my Dutch Oven and strain it into my stock pot. Pour the broth over the strainer in batches, pressing on the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all the yummy flavor. I like to place the broth in the fridge overnight since the next day, any remaining fat will have solidified on the top where it is easily removed with a spoon. However, you can also use it right away. Your broth can be refrigerated for 3 - 5 days or frozen for 3 months (or longer).