Knowing how to make a bone broth is such an important part of home cooking. Find out how to make it and why you should make it here.

Stock is used in so many recipes, so having a good supply of homemade bone broth to use is really important. It is easy to make, costs very little and is an amazing source of nutrients for your family.

My dad was always making up a batch of chicken stock. Actually a bit of a sad story: when he passed away and I was cleaning out his house, I found about 15 bags of chicken bones in his freezer waiting to be made into a bone broth.

So now whenever I'm making up a batch of bone broth I think of him. So that's not so sad. One of the gifts he gave me was making bone broth making a normal part of life. (And teaching me how to make gravy, but that's for another time!)

What is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is basically a highly nutritious stock made from boiling down animal bones and connective tissues for a long time. Simmering this stock for a long time allows all the nutrients to be released.

Bone broth has become very popular recently thanks to a greater understanding of its health benefits, especially towards gut health.

However, there is nothing new about bone broth – I’m sure most of our grandparents and their grandparents before them made this as a normal part of their lives!

You may also like this article: 21 Leftover Chicken Recipes.

What is the difference between bone broth and stock?

The main difference between bone broth and stock is that with a standard stock, you would usually simmer the bones for an hour or two.

For a bone broth, you boil down the bones for much, much longer – we’re talking 12 hours or more in some cases. I do mine for a minimum of 8 hours. This is the recommended time to extract all the nutrients from the bones.

A bone broth will often set into a jelly-like state, whereas a stock that has only boiled for an hour or two will remain liquid. This bouncy gelatin is formed from the collagen in the bones breaking down as you cook it.

So while a stock gives you good flavor and some nutrients, the longer you cook it for, the better both will be.

How to make Bone Broth

You don’t really need a recipe for bone broth. Just put bones into a stock pot with water, plus any vegetables or herbs you choose for flavor. Bring the water to the boil and let it simmer away for a minimum of 8 hours, and ideally 12 hours or more.

I usually make it up first thing in the morning and let it simmer away all day. I then strain it through a sieve and either refrigerate or freeze the liquid for later.

Bone Broth Ingredients

Obviously the most important ingredient for a bone broth is bones! We eat a lot of roast chicken in our house so we always have leftover chicken bones that I use.

Other ingredients you can use to make homemade bone broth include vegetables, herbs and seasoning.

I find the best vegetables to use in bone broth include onions, garlic, carrots, bell pepper and celery. You can go through your vegetable drawer and see what you have and use up any that look like they’ll soon be past their best.

Vegetables to avoid in a bone broth include brassicas such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower as they can make your broth bitter.

Top Tip: If you have some vegetables nearing their use-by date, you can pop them in a freezer bag and keep in the freezer until you hare ready to make bone broth.

Good herbs to use in bone broth include parsley, thyme, chives and bay leaves.

Another popular ingredient in bone broth is apple cider vinegar. The reason for this is it helps extract the minerals from the bones and helps to break down the collagen. You just need to add 1-2 tablespoons to large stock pot.

The best bones for bone broth

The best bones are the ones high in collagen, such as feet and knuckles. However any bones will do. You can use bones from beef, chicken, pork or lamb.

Personally I make most of my bone broth from chicken, as I always have chicken carcasses leftover from roast chicken.

You can also buy bones specifically for chicken bone broth. If you are doing this, then also consider buying chicken feet and necks. Not only are they cheap but they are high in collagen so a great choice for bone broth.

Top Tip: If you have leftover chicken bones from a meal but no time to make bone broth, or only have a few bones, you can keep them in the freezer until you are ready to make it.

I usually wait until I have two chickens worth of bones in the freezer before making my broth.

Roasting bones for bone broth

If you buy raw bones from the butcher for your DIY bone broth, then ideally you should roast them first for a better flavour.

Simply put them in a roasting tin and put in a hot oven (425F / 220C) for around 30 minutes.

(If you are using leftover bones from a roast then they are already roasted so no need to do this step).

How long to simmer bone broth

How long to cook bone broth is a matter of differing opinions. Some people say 12-24 hours. I usually aim for around 10 hours for mine, but ensure it is at least 8 hours.

Remember, the longer you cook it for, the more nutrient-dense your broth will be.

How to use bone broth

I use my homemade chicken bone broth whenever a recipe asks for stock. I always use it in my hidden vegetable sauce to give a good burst of nutrients and in pasta sauces such as Spaghetti Bolognese.

I also use it to make noodle soup – my kids love instant ramen cooked up in this broth in a thermos for their lunch.

Bone Broth Benefits

Bones are an amazing source of collagen, minerals such as calcium and iron and several vitamins, including vitamins D, C and B1.

It is renowned to be good for gut health, good for healthy bones and joints and to help aid a good nights sleep.

How long does homemade bone broth last?

You can keep homemade bone broth in the fridge for 3-4 days.

You can also easily freeze it for later. I freeze mine in glass tupperware containers in portions of 250ml (1 cup) and 500ml (2 cups) so they can easily be defrosted for recipes later.

Some people prefer to freeze them in ice cube trays to create homemade stock cubes.

Recipe for chicken bone broth

You don’t really need a recipe as such, but this is how I make my bone broth. Not that the vegetables vary depending on what I have in the fridge at the time.

However, I always use onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, carrots and parsley and, of course, bones!

• Bones from 2 roast chickens
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• ½ red bell pepper
• small bunch parsley
• few sprigs thyme
• salt & pepper

Put all ingredients into a large stock pot and fill with water. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down very low, so that the water is barely bubbling and leave to simmer for at least 8 hours.

Strain through a sieve and discard bones and vegetables. Store the broth in fridge or freezer.

Buying a stock pot

One top tip I have for making bone broth is to ensure you have a large enough stock pot. For ages I tried to make it in a large-ish saucepan but I couldn’t fit enough water in to keep it boiling for 10 hours.

I then invested in a large stock pot and it has made my life so much easier! Now I can make up big batches of broth and keep my freezer stocked up easily.

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