Easy Homemade Chicken Stock (Slow Cooker or Stove Top)
Making homemade bone broth is extremely simple and absolutely delicious. This rich and flavorful chicken bone broth is packed with gut-healing nutrients and is a cinch to prepare.
Servings 2 quarts
Calories
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken bones, ideally from organically raised chickens bones, skin, etc. from chicken (We started with a 4-pound chicken, roasted it, then removed all the meat, and also added bones we had stored in the freezer from drumsticks.)
- 6-7 cups water about 1.5 liters, just enough to barely cover the bones
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Optional
- 2 chicken feet (fully cleaned, raw) can be added to ensure broth gels properly
- 4 chicken wings (raw or cooked) can be added to ensure broth gels properly
- herbs
- carrot
- onion
- celery
- garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt*
Instructions
- Place bones in slow cooker. Add water, but ensure bones are just covered. It is better to have a few bones poking out than to add to much water. Pour in the apple cider vinegar. (Add any additional ingredients like onion, carrot, celery, or chicken feet/wings here as well.)
- Set slow cooker to low and cook for 12-24 hours. I typically cook mine for 20 hours.If at any point you notice foam or scum rising to the top, you can skim this off.
- *Alternative stove top option: Add bones, water and vinegar to large pot. Let rest 30 minutes, then bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Simmer on very low heat for 12-24 hours.
- Strain stock through fine sieve or mesh strainer. Store in the fridge for 1 week or the freezer for 3-6 months. You can scrape off the fat that settles on the top if you want but it's not necessary.
- *I keep my stock unsalted until it’s time to use it. This way I can use it in more recipes and control the salt level as I go.
Notes
The apple cider vinegar acidifies the broth just slightly, helping the bones release more of their minerals into the broth. This is optional. Most recipes will have you add this 30 minutes before cooking to allow the bones to soak in the acidified liquid, but since it takes a slow cooker at least 30 minutes to heat up, you can just add it with everything else and then turn your slow cooker to low.
Without any salt, your broth will have almost no flavor. This may be ideal for using in sweet recipes or for those who are drinking this medicinally, but don't really like the taste of broth.
Be sure to just use enough water to barely cover the bones. If you add too much water, your broth will end up watery, flavorless, and won't gel.
For those with histamine issues, I recommend cooking broth in a pressure cooker or multi-cooker instead. See Dr. Becky Campbell's Low Histamine Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth.
To freeze in jars, fill the jar only about ¾ of the way, leaving 2 inches or so at the top to allow the broth to expand. I place the jars in the freezer without their lids overnight, and then add the lid in the morning. This way if I didn't leave quite enough room, the broth can expand over the top of the jar instead of cracking the jar. (If this happens, you can thaw the broth and use it immediately, or chisel away the top bit of broth until the lid fits. The broth will not continue to expand once it has been frozen.)
Nutrition: bone broth is a good source of potassium, selenium, chromium, glycine, and glutamine. Homemade jiggly bone broth contains about 8-10 grams of protein per cup. See Kara Fitzgerald & Jill Sheppard Davenport's nutrient report on bone broth for more details.