SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BONE BROTH

ingredients

1 organic roasted chicken carcass ( or raw whole chicken, with gizzards, if possible)

1 tabelspoon (15g ) Himalayan sea salt

1 medium onion, rinsed and halved

I head of garlic rinsed and halved

2 inch knob ginger, rinsed and sliced into chunks (Peeled if non-organic)

1 large organic carrot, chopped into large chunks

2 celery stalks with leaves, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

8 -16 cups filtered water (I just fill a huge pot)

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Optional Extras:

A handful of dried mushrooms, or the stems from mushrooms*

A few pinches to 1/4 cup bonito flakes

Dried seaweed such as wakame- anywhere from a pinch to 1/4-1/2c adds a wonderful salty umami quality.

Fennel fronds and/or bulb

preparation

Combine ingredients in a large stock pot or slow cooker and top with water. Add apple cider vinegar and soak for 30 min to bring out nutrients in the bones. Bring to a simmer (not boiling keeps the broth clear). Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook covered, on low for 24 hours. (Can do as little as 2 hours, but cooking for 5+ hours really brings out a denser broth). You can do this in a slow cooker or on the stove. If cooking overnight make sure there is at least 2-3 inches of space on the top of the pot and leave the lid slanted to let heat escape so it doesn’t spill over. If cooking on the stovetop bring to a boil and simmer until the flavor is deep, then strain. In a crockpot, set to cook on low for up to 24 hours. This is a great thing to do on a casual day at home because you dump everything in and just leave it. Make sure you’re topping it off if the water goes down too much. It will always reduce again if you keep cooking long enough, just take the lid off if there’s too much water and you want it to reduce. Most broth will be tasty enough to eat after only an hour or two but will continue to gain richer flavors if left longer. If cooking a whole chicken take the chicken out when the meat is cooked, remove the meat and use for another recipe, and then return the carcass to the pot.

Let cool and pour through a strainer. Drink immediately or store in glass mason jars in the refrigerator for a few days or the freezer for up to a year. When freezing leave 2 inches of room at the mouth of jar and lightly screw lids until broth has frozen and expanded, then seal lids tightly. I like to freeze mine in silicone cupcake molds then pop them out and store in freezer bags; this way you have easy to access individual servings that reheat quickly.

Salt the broth to taste when serving.

A note about broths:

I like to save all my old bones in a freezer bag and add those to whatever stock I am making. Anything that’s already been cooked such as roasted chicken bones will add a great depth of flavor. I also save washed celery ends, carrot peels, onion skins, garlic skins, leeks greens and ends- any of your base vegetables for stock- in a freezer bag and add those as well. You can even make a delicious broth using only those scraps! Mushroom bottoms can go in their own bag as can any wax-free hard cheese rinds, which add a lot of subtle flavor when tossed into a soup as it cooks, or made into a mushroom broth or mixed hard cheese broth. I just put all these cleaned scraps into one gallon freezer bags and either wait until the bag fills up or toss them in whenever I am making any stock. It’s a wonderfully satisfying and easy habit to get into that reduces waste and adds extra nutrients and flavor from otherwise unused parts. Bones can also be used twice so if roasted you can use them for stock and then again for a second stock! Bones boiled once for stock can be reused again. Bones can always be used twice! You can do this immediately after making the first batch if you want, or save the bones and do it again shortly after. When reusing just add the bones, water, apple cider vinegar to soak, then simmer and add new fresh veggies. The apple cider vinegar draws the nutrients out, so don’t skip this step anywhere from 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup depending on the quantity of broth and how tangy you like it.