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This nourishing slow cooker chicken bone broth is full of minerals, amino acids and healthy things like gelatin and collagen. It’s very easy to make in the slow cooker and inexpensive too. Make a big batch in your slow cooker and freeze for later for making healthy soup. You might also like this recipe for chunky chicken soup! This post contains affiliate links. For more information visit our policies page.Winter is coming and so I got out my crock pot and started making some homemade chicken bone broth to have on hand. Bone broth is very nutrient dense and very good for you and when you make it yourself you can be sure to get the most out of it and save money! Hopefully after reading this post you will see how easy slow cooker chicken bone broth is to make and will make some for yourself. Why make your own bone broth?
Start by slow cooking the whole chicken for dinner.I like to roast a whole chicken in the slow cooker and make it for a meal the night before. I then chop up the leftover meat and freeze it for other recipes like soups, stews and casseroles. Then I save all the leftover bones and other parts to make bone broth. I have another post that shows you how to cook the most delicious slow cooker whole chicken so check that out first. You can see how good the roasted chicken came out! How to make slow cooker chicken bone broth.Step 1: After you make the chicken and eat it for dinner, clean all the remaining meat off the bones and save for another recipe. Separate the skin and throw it away. Step 2: Throw everything else back in the crockpot. If it’s skin — throw away. If it’s meat — freeze for later or use that day. Everything else goes in the crockpot. Some things are unidentifiable but I throw them back in the pot anyway. Step 3: Add 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your slow cooker. This helps draw out the minerals from the bones. Step 4: Chop up carrots, yellow onion and celery stalks and add them to your crockpot. You could use other vegetables if you like. Sometimes I even like to use spinach, kale or parsley if I have it on hand. Step 5: Next add seasonings. I like to grate some fresh ginger in mine. You don’t have to but it gives it something extra in my opinion. I also add crushed garlic cloves, bay leaf, salt & pepper. I don’t have any black peppercorns but they are nice to put in too. Sometimes I add turmeric as it’s known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties, has a lovely yellow color and doesn’t have much taste. I just put in a teaspoon. This is optional of course. Step 6: Now fill the crock pot to cover everything with water and until it reaches the top. Below is what mine looked like before it started cooking. You can see there is some oil from the cooked chicken juices. You can strain that off later. Step 7: Turn on to a low setting and simmer for 24 hours. You can even do it longer if you want. Cooking time is totally up to you. I would cook it for at least 10-12 hours though. Or some people make perpetual broth by leaving your crock pot on for a few days. Just take some out and strain, add more water and continue cooking. NOTE: It’s always good to buy the best quality ingredients you can. That being said, while I would love to buy an all-natural or organic chicken, many times I just don’t have to time or money to buy one and end up getting one from Aldi. It only costs around $5 and Aldi is close to my house. When it’s done cooking, turn off the crock pot, take the lid off and let cool for a bit. Then strain it using a mesh strainer into a huge bowl if you have it or into a large airtight container. You get quite a bit. I usually use some of it for a soup dish and the freeze the rest. (Please scroll down for the printable recipe card.) Recipe Tips and Notes
That’s all there is to it. I may sound like a lot of steps but it’s really quite easy and becomes second nature once you make it a few times. Other ways to use chicken bone broth.Also I wanted to mention that you can use this broth for many other things.
So you can see there are lots and lots of uses! I hope you will try this slow cooker homemade broth and enjoy it as much as I do. Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information: Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 Can you overcook bone broth in a slow cooker?Cooking Too Long
But there is a limit to how long cooking remains beneficial. If you let the bone broth go too long, it can turn and the stock can become bitter or have off-flavors. If you go longer than 24-48 hours on the stove or in a crock-pot, depending on how high you have your heat, you can have the flavor turn.
How many hours should you cook bone broth?Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for at least 10-12 hours, or until reduced by 1/3 or 1/2, leaving you with 6-8 cups of bone broth. The more it reduces, the more intense the flavor becomes and the more collagen is extracted. We find 12 hours to be the perfect cook time.
Is slow cooked bone broth good for you?Bone broth is rich in minerals, gelatin, amino acids, and healthy fats. It is excellent for the digestive, musculoskeletal, immune, and endocrine systems. The cooking process transforms bones into one of the most nutritious and easy-to-digest foods that I know of.
Can you make bone broth in 3 hours?Bone broth is made by simmering bones (specifically those high in collagen) for longer periods of time (often 12-hours on the stovetop) or pressure cooker for at least 3-4 hours. Once cooled, bone broth will usually firm-up into a jelly-like consistency due to its high gelatin content.
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