Don’t let those chicken bones go to waste after you’ve roasted a whole chicken – make a nourishing bone broth to sip from a mug, or to use in soups and stews for later.
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Bone broth for recovery
I have been making my own homemade chicken stock for years. In fact, chicken stock was one of the first recipes I’d blogged, way back in 2012.
I’ve been pretty much making it the same way ever since, varying the ingredients slightly depending on what I had on hand – sometimes I add parsley, sometimes it’s a handful of fresh thyme (stems and all) and occasionally if I’m feeling a bit more posh, I’ll throw in a bay leaf or two.
It’s pretty basic stuff, really.
In May of this year, I had surgery to remove a very rare solitary fibrous tumour from the fleshy bit of my cheek. My surgeon performed the operation in through my mouth so, despite the 15 stitches (plus two holding my relocated Stenson’s duct in place), there’s no visible scarring.
There was, however, a great deal of trauma to the muscles I use to open my mouth and chew. Sustenance through a straw was needed for a good week or so as I healed.
A friend, bless his cotton socks, took extra good care of me during my recovery, making me some homemade bone broth. He’d never made chicken stock or bone broth before, so I talked him through the process.
The thing is, I’d started making my own beef and lamb stock a few years ago, and I roast those bones with the vegetables before covering in water and simmering for a good few hours. When I made chicken stock, I’d always just plonked the picked clean carcass into a pot with everything and simmer.
In my post-anaesthetic haze I’d told him to roast the already roasted chicken carcass, and oh my goodness gracious me what a flavourful broth resulted! I was that impressed by it I took a photo (below).
He made sure it was served at the optimum temperature for me (41 C) and brought it to me on the couch, with a straw to sip.
Best bone broth ever.
It wasn’t until a good few weeks later I realised the reason it tasted so good was that it was twice-roasted.
Ingredients to make nourishing bone broth from scratch
- leftover roasted chicken carcass (you can also use lamb or beef bones for this too – get them from your butcher)
- carrots
- onions (leave them unpeeled – the brown skin adds colour and flavour to the broth)
- garlic (I use twice as much as I suggest in this recipe as I love garlic)
- celery
- apple cider vinegar – this helps leach calcium out of the bones, enriching the broth
- whole black peppercorns
- fresh parsley sprigs (or thyme)
How to make bone broth, step-by-step
- Pick your leftover roasted chicken carcass clean of meat (but leave a little for flavour) and arrange on a roasting tray along with the carrots, onions, garlic and celery. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Roast in a medium-hot oven for 45 minutes.
- Transfer the roasted bones and vegetables to a large stock pot, add parsley, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar and enough water to cover.
- Simmer with the lid on for several hours until the mixture is a deep, rich brown.
- Strain through a colander, reserving the liquid.
- Drink hot, or use in soups & stews. Freezes well.
Why you should drink bone broth
There’s a reason why chicken soup is an old wives’ remedy for the cold – the broth is packed full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. It’s a very inexpensive and nutritious foodstuff, and the collagen in it helps with healing and the immune system.
I add apple cider vinegar to mine to help extract nutrients from the bones, so the resulting broth is enriched with a little more calcium.
What else can you do with homemade bone broth?
- Sip it hot from your favourite mug.
- Make chicken noodle soup.
- Make some creamy roast chicken soup with the leftover reserved roast chicken (recipe to follow shortly!).
- Make chicken with apples – a warming one-pan autumnal comfort food recipe inspired by a passage in a book I read once
- Make the best chicken gravy. Simply thicken the bone broth with a little cornflour dissolved in water.
- Freeze in ice cube trays and use in any recipe calling for chicken stock.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Nourishing Bone Broth Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass preferably organic
- 2 carrots cut lengthwise
- 2 brown onions unpeeled & quartered
- 2 celery sticks quartered
- 4 whole garlic cloves unpeeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil to drizzle
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley or mix of thyme, bay & parsley
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- cold water to cover
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
- Pick most of the meat off the chicken bones (leave a little for flavour) and arrange the bones, wings, skin & everything on a roasting tray.
- Scatter your washed (unpeeled) halved carrots, unpeeled quartered onions, unpeeled garlic cloves and quartered celery over the top of the bones and drizzle with the olive oil.
- Roast in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes.
- Transfer the roasted bones and vegetables to a large stock pot. Add the parsley, pepper corns, apple cider vinegar and enough water to cover.
- Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid on for several hours.
- Strain through a colander, reserving the liquid.
- Drink hot, or use in soups and stews. Freezes well.
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I’ve made this so many times, it’s a wonderful recipe. As you say, the broth is delicious and extremely healing. Thank you for sharing.
This looks and sounds amazing, I am going to have a gastric sleeve soon and they recommend clear soups. I will be making as many as I can before hand so they are in the freezer ready.
Thank you xxx
mandy
Wow. This seems so simple to make. I’ll have to try it out. I’m also glad it freezes well. Will you post the recipe for your Creamy Roast Chicken Soup.
This is just he kind of recipe that I recommend for people whose blood counts are low during chemotherapy. There’s not a great body of evidence to say that it does help up neutrophils, but I’ve heard enough anecdotal evidence to recommend it. If you don’t mind I will share this with people that I see who may need it. I’m just so glad you didn’t need it yourself, except as something delicious and soothing to swallow during your surgical recovery.
This is such a healthy recipe and I believe something perfect for anyone recovering especially the new mums!
I love broth, especially at this time of year. This is a great recipe and one I will definitely be trying! it sounds delicious!
I definitely want to try making bone broth more often, this looks great
Nothing beats a home made broth. So delicious and good for you. Your recipe sounds so good. Would be perfect for autumn and winter season.
I often make my own stock, actually just made a batch today from my leftover from our Sunday roast chicken from yday. But I have learnt something new about adding apple cider vinegar. Will try this next time
I admitedly hate anything to do with the bone but I will admit the end result looks tasty x
Even my husband is fond of bone broth and used to say the goodness in it…though I never made at home, now will give a try…I love that mug too
I love bone broth, there’s nothing else like it when you’re feeling under the weather! I’m definitely going to try your recipe soon.
The perfect recipe for this autumnal weather. Shall be bookmarking this.
What a beautiful, restoring bone broth! I’ve made broths before and struggle to get the rich look you have … I’m thinking I’m not roasting my ingredients is why.
This made my mouth simply water. It looks so delicious! I have pinned it to make for my family later thanks so much for sharing.
I love a good bone broth. Now that fall is nearly here, I find soup cravings are hitting pretty hard. I’ll definitely have to give this one a try!
I keep hearing great things about bone broth, but I am yet to try it. It’s on my list to try soon.
We use bone broth whenever anyone is sick in our house. It’s such a great thing to have around. So glad you had that tumor removed and I pray for your continued health!
Thank you 🙂 I’m glad it’s out too, and they’re going to keep a good watch on my just in case it ever comes back. I’m in good hands, and there’s bone broth! 😀
This sounds delicious.. the perfect autumn recipe. I bet it would be great on a rainy day!
It definitely is great on a rainy day – the perfect warming cup. 🙂
I absolutely love making my own stock. I sometimes find big marrow-filled bones difficult to source but nothing is preventing me from using chicken bones! Such a great idea and so good for us!
My butcher is always happy for me to pick up some big marrow bones for stock; saves them having to dispose of them after cutting off the meat. Might it be worth paying a visit to your nearest?
Wish had read this yesterday because I had just made roast chicken… But I will know for next time! It looks perfect for the cold winter nights ahead of us
Next time! 🙂 It seems such a shame to waste the nutrition in the bones, and there’s something very satisfying about using every scrap up. 🙂
Looks beautiful and tasty! Cannot wait to try this. This recipe looks incredible! Thank you.
Thanks 🙂 I was really impressed with the dark, rich colour of it myself. Let me know how you get on if you do make it!
I am impressed that your husband followed the instructions and love that he took great care of you. I have never made broth from scratch before so am eager to try your recipe
Thanks 🙂 Yea, he doesn’t really do a lot of cooking but when he does it’s always really delicious (except for that one time he tried to make Thai soup….) haha!