(Yield: about 5 quarts)
Ingredients
5 lbs of a combination of organic chicken backs and necks
1 or 2 whole organic chicken drumsticks, with skin on
8 quarts cold filtered water
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or brown rice vinegar
3 organic carrots, washed and cut into chunks
3 stalks of organic celery, cut into chunks
2 medium yellow onions, root end removed but peel left on, cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
Procedure
Rinse off chicken bones and add to a large stock pot. Add the water and the vinegar to the pot. Cover the pot and let sit for about 1 hour.
Add in the carrots, celery, onions and bay leaf. Bring to a full boil and once the broth boils, immediately turn the heat down to very low so you are cooking it at a low simmer. If any scum has risen to the surface of the water, skim it off. Simmer for about 24 hours. Note: You could make this recipe in a large crock pot.
When the broth is ready, cool a little and strain, using a cheesecloth-lined strainer.
Note: I pour the broth into quart jars and freeze these for future use. Safety Tip: If you freeze this broth, be sure to leave at least an inch of space at the top for the ice to expand. If you fill the jars completely, they can shatter in the freezer. Be sure to label and date the jars! You might also want to reserve some for immediate use!
Sarah's Notes:This makes a rich broth. You can use fewer bones or you can also save several carcasses from organic roasted chickens you have eaten and freeze these in zip lock bags until you have a few to make a bone broth recipe. I recommend not using salt in this recipe so you can control the amount of salt later on. I don't add garlic for this reason as well. A low simmer makes a less cloudy broth with less of a strong boney flavor. The reason for letting the bones sit in cold vinegared water for an hour is that the vinegar should pull out more minerals from the bones into the water.
