Crock Pot Chicken Bone Broth

Bone broth is very high in trace minerals that are found in animal bones, which in turn help to strengthen your bones. There is also a good amount of collagen, an amino acid, that is released from the bones when they are cooked properly. Also, the longer the broth is simmered the higher the concentration of collagen there will be in the broth.

In addition to collagen, bone broth contains a lot of other amino acids that can help with inflammation… I’m looking at you arthritis, heart disease, joint pain, diabetes, etc. Bone broth can also help repair your digestive tract because it is easy to digest. Improving your gut health can also improve many other parts of your immune system.

In addition, it can help to protect your joint health! Those suffering with rheumatoid arthritis can sometimes see benefits from regularly drinking bone broth. I have rheumatoid arthritis and use chicken bones to make my bone broth because beef tends to inflame my joints. However beef bones can be used as well to make bone broth.

To make bone broth you really don’t need a recipe since there are so many things that you can change to make it your own. What is necessary? Bones! I prefer to cook a whole chicken in the oven or to buy a precooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for a meal then save the leftover bones for my broth.

If you don’t buy or cook chicken with the bones you can check with a butcher to see if they can provide you with some. Chicken feet are also excellent to use for bone broth and are usually easily available.

Make sure to leave the connective tissues and a little bit of meat on the bones as those will also add to the collagen in the homemade broth.

You will also need celery, carrots, onion, apple cider vinegar, water and salt. That’s it! To give my chicken bone broth a little more flavor I decided to add fresh rosemary. If you aren’t a fan of rosemary you can skip it or add any other fresh herbs that you love!

To cook your bone broth you will need a large crock pot. The bigger the better as it can hold more liquid! Your bone broth will cook for 24 hours in the crock pot and that’s it! See the full recipe card below for more amounts and full directions.

Now that you’ve made your bone broth I’m sure you’re wondering what to do with it. If you don’t plan to use it right away it can easily be frozen for later use. Here are some of our favorite ways to use bone broth:

• Drink it! Hot bone broth is a nutritious drink that can be enjoyed all year long.
• Use in any recipe that calls for broth or stock like your favorite soups.
• Instead of water use bone broth to cook rice, dried beans and other grains.

• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
• Basil Parmesan Risotto
• Healthy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Turkey Lasagna Soup

Bone broth should be cooled completely and then stored in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container or jar for up to 1 week. If you don’t plan to use it within a week it can be stored in the freezer. Mason jars and other glass jars are my preferred way to store homemade bone broth.

Absolutely! While crockpot bone broth is easy to do bone broth can easily be made on the stove top as well. Use a large pot or stock pot and fill it the same as the directions say for the crock pot. Then, bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and let cook for at least 8-10 hours. The longer it cooks the more collagen can be released from the bones.

Refrigerated bone broth will sometimes have a layer of fat on the top that has separated. If desired you can remove it however once the broth is reheated it will melt and blend into the liquid.

The main difference is how long the broths are cooked for. Regular broth is only cooked for about an hour and bone broth is cooked for 12-24 hours. Bone broth also has a much higher amount of bones used in it vs stock. Check out this post for more information about the differences.

While making homemade bone broth is time consuming there are a few benefits to making it yourself. Store-bought broths can be expensive, extremely salty and not as nutritional. With homemade bone broth you can use leftover bones that would otherwise be garbage, control the salt content and change the flavor to be whatever you wish.

if you don’t love the taste of bone broth after cooking it try adding seasonings, bay leaves, lemon juice, vinegar and herbs that you enjoy.

No, bones should be from leftover cooked chicken carcasses or they should be roasted or blanched before using. Using the leftover chicken bones from a chicken you are eating is the easiest way to get bones to use. My favorite way to get bones is by using a roasted chicken from the grocery store for an easy meal and setting aside the bones to use later.

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Do you love to use your crock pot? If so check out these other recipes: Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas, Crock Pot Orange Chicken, Crock Pot Pasta Sauce, Crock Pot Chuck Roast with Potatoes, Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken, Crock Pot Blueberry Applesauce, Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas, Crock Pot Baked Potatoes, and Pear Pumpkin Applesauce.