I am constantly referring to homemade broth in recipes, and finally realized I don’t have a good chicken broth recipe published. Here is great recipe for chicken broth, good enough to sip from a mug, or to use as a base for outstanding soups. Broth like this is the real medicine we should be consuming every day to keep our health, and to restore health when we are sick. I can speak from experience about how this broth has helped me to heal from very painful, inflamed, joints that were causing me a lot of distress. Especially my right knee, which doesn’t bother me at all now, and allows me to ride my horse without any pain. I love to have my broth in a mug with fresh lemon added and a little extra salt, for my taste.

Homemade Chicken Broth

(Makes 3-4 quarts)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (pasture raised) or 3-4 lb. bony chicken pieces, like neck, wings, breastbone, and back
2 chicken feet
2 tbsp. vinegar
4 qt. filtered, pure water
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lemon to taste, optional
Onion, carrots, celery, herbs like thyme and/or rosemary, garlic are all optional

Directions:

Place the chicken or chicken pieces and chicken feet in a stock pot, or a slow cooker, add cold water, and vinegar and allow to sit for about an hour.

Over medium heat, bring to a boil; skim scum that rises to the surface, and reduce heat to a low simmer.

Simmer for 4-6 hours.

Remove the chicken from the broth, and allow to cool.

Remove the meat from the bird and save for future meals (chicken salad, soup, etc.).

Put the carcass back in the stockpot and allow to simmer on low for 4-6 more hours.

If you want to add vegetables and herbs to the stock, add those the last hour of cooking.

With tongs, remove the bigger bones and save for your dog (they should be soft), and pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer, into a heat proof glass bowl (Pyrex^® is good).

Allow to cool and store in refrigerator for 4 days or freeze for 4 months, I prefer to freeze my broth in glass mason jars (I don’t like plastic); to prevent the glass jar from breaking when the broth expands, only fill to 3/4 of the jar.