“Good broth resurrects the dead.”
~ South American proverb
I call chicken broth ‘liquid gold’ because it makes beautiful skin, hair and nails, assists in healing of leaky gut and digestion of nutrients, helps our bones grow and repair, builds a strong immune system, reduces inflammation, great for arthritis and the amino acid glycine in bone broth promotes relaxation: important in a stressful world.
Properly prepared meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bones, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate.
INGREDIENTS
1 whole free range chicken or 1-2kg of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings,
Gizzards from one chicken, optional
Feet from chicken, optional
4 litres cold water
2tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 large onion
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
1 bunch parsley
Method
Chicken feet are full of gelatin and Jewish folklore says the addition of chicken feet is the secret to a successful broth. Even better is to use the whole chicken with head on, like we do as we kill our own chickens.
Put all the chicken parts in a large stainless steel pot with vinegar and all vegetables except the parsley and let stand for 30 mins to 1 hour.
Bring to the boil and remove the scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6-24 hours. The longer it cooks the richer and more flavourful it will become.
About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add the parley. This will impart additional minerals to the broth.
Remove the chicken pieces and veges with slotted spoon, reserving the chicken meat for other dishes such as chicken salad, curries etc. Bones and veggies go into the compost.
Strain the stock into a large bowl and place in fridge overnight until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and store the stock in covered containers in the fridge for a few days or freezer for up to 3 months.
To make light work of labeling food in storage, buy some masking tape and permanent non smudge pen, mark with the date and food type. Masking tape is easy to remove from re-usable containers – this is an old restaurant trick where food cannot be placed in a fridge/freezer without a label.
