Servings: Makes 10 ½ cups 1x
Scale
Ingredients
- Bones from 2 whole chickens (roughly 6 to 8 cups of bones)
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered*
- 2 stalks celery, washed and cut in half
- 2 medium carrots, washed and cut in half
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 cups water
- Optional: fresh poultry herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley)
Instructions
- In a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker, place the bones, onion, celery, carrots, garlic cloves, apple cider vinegar, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
- If using fresh herbs, place the bundled sprigs on top of the bones and vegetables.
- Slowly pour the water over the bones and vegetables, adding more as needed to make sure they’re fully submerged.
- Cover the slow cooker and set it to cook on the LOW heat setting for 24 hours.
- When the cooking time is up, remove the bones and vegetables with a slotted spoon; discard.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into glass mason jars or other airtight glass containers and allow to cool for 1-2 hours on the counter before transferring to the refrigerator to store for up to 5 days.
- For longer storage, freeze the bone broth in freezer-safe containers or in individual portions in silicone molds, which makes it easy to add a certain amount of broth to recipes later on. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
* May remove or leave the skin on the yellow onion. Leaving the skin on gives the broth a more rich golden color.
May also add stored veggie scraps (such as the ends of onions, carrot peels, green onions and celery that are a bit past their prime) either in addition to the veggies or in place of some of them. Avoid adding vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage because their strong sulfur compounds overpower the flavor. Stick to onions, celery, carrots, and garlic.
If making bone broth for sipping, consider adding a few slices of fresh ginger or a few teaspoons of ground turmeric for other flavor profiles and immune boosting properties.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 55
- Fat: 2 g
- (Sat Fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Carbohydrate: 1 g
- (Fiber: 0 g
- Sugar: 0 g)
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg