Chicken Stock and Broth

Chicken stock and broth is very gentle on the stomach and has been known for centuries to aid digestion.  Eating soup made with good quality broth provides healing benefits and many detox plans incorporate them into their protocol. It is one of the mainstays in my kitchen.  Many of the recipes in our book, Eating Pure in a Processed Foods World®, include stock and broth and I make it regularly.  It’s wonderful to pull out of the refrigerator to make a variety of hearty soups or main dishes.

To make the best quality stock and broth, it’s important to use as pure ingredients as possible.  This includes the water you use to make the broth. If you live in town, you might want to consider buying a water filter to remove the fluoride and chlorine that may be in your water.

Chicken Stock and Broth

Making your own stock and broth is easier than you think. Simply place a whole chicken in a large casserole or roaster (see our book for slow cooker method) and sprinkle with basil or use our chicken rub recipe (it’s in our book). I add about an inch of water to the roaster and bake, covered at 350°F 2 to 3 hours (roasting time varies based on size of chicken). We usually eat this roasted chicken as the main course of our meal.  Remove and shred the remaining chicken, saving the skin and bones to make your broth.  Place the shredded chicken into glass storage containers.  Label and refrigerate or freeze.

Take the skin and bones from the roasted chicken and place in a slow cooker with the following ingredients:

1 onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Fill with water and cook on low 12 to 24 hours. Let broth cool before pouring through strainer into glass containers. Label and refrigerate or freeze. (If freezing, leave plenty of room in glass container for liquid to expand so container doesn’t break.) Stock and broth can be stored up to 5 days in refrigerator or frozen for several months.