“A good broth will resurrect the dead.”
Not really. That’s exclusively a job for Jesus. But apparently this is a traditional South American proverb because of bone broth’s amazing healing properties. A good bone broth is an incredible and essential food for every home.
I’m thrilled the bone broth is gaining plenty of attention these days. There are broth shops popping up all over the place and a few amazing companies are supplying the masses with nutrient-dense pre-made broth available in grocery stores. Thrive Market is our favorite wholesale discount store online- check it out and search “bone broth”.
When you simmer animal bones in water long and slow, you “seep” nutrients like protein, collagen, glucosamine and other minerals and vitamins out of the bones and into the water. A properly prepared broth will be gelatinous when it’s cold because it’s full of nutrient-density! Bone broth is what I call a superfood!
The quality of your animal bones will make a significant impact on your bone broth success. Choose pasture-raised, grass-fed, organic, wild and otherwise top quality bones. Many quality grocery stores will offer inexpensive bones and cuts of meat with bones to use for bone broth. If you have a direct connection with a farmer that’s even better! They’re usually anxious to get those bones off their hands at a super low price. We’ve also used organic chicken legs/drumsticks as the entire base for successful bone broth. We extract the cooked meat for chicken salad or meat for a soup since the dark meat can still taste good after being cooked for so long.
Bone Broth {Chicken} from Real Food Family on Vimeo.
Here’s our weekly bone broth method that we do so often the kids could do it blindfolded:
On a weekly basis we roast a chicken for a dinner which also provides a little leftover meat for other meals during the week. We save all the cooking juices and bones and simmer them in water overnight. Usually we add a package of chicken drumsticks which provide more bones and some meat that can handle the long simmer and be added back as the meat for a soup. Sometimes we add an onion for flavor and a splash of vinegar to help pull as much nutrition out of the bones as possible. In the morning we turn off the heat and let the stock cool for a few hours, then strain out solids and transfer the stock into a storage container, or we use it immediately for a soup recipe.
We drink salted broth as a healing hot beverage or make large batches of delicious soups and stews to eat all week long. Bone broth can also be used instead of water for rice. Broth is perfect to have on hand for sauces, mashed potatoes and other recipes requiring chicken broth or stock.
Here are a few books to learn more about delicious broth and recipes using broth:
Enjoy adding the healing powers of bone broth to your life! You won’t regret any effort it takes.
