I love bone broth — not only for its health benefits but for the comforting feeling it brings when you sip it. Too often store-bought or other versions lack depth of flavor, so I developed a method that captures the nutrition while delivering rich, satisfying taste.
I cook on the bone whenever I can — whole roast chicken, bone-in steak, or pork shoulder — and I save the bones in the freezer. Once a month I make a large pot of broth. My approach is a hybrid: start with a fresh chicken to build a base of real, roasted flavor, then add roasted leftover bones for body and complexity. That combination gives the broth a depth you won’t get from bones alone.
Making bone broth feels restorative; the process is grounding even if it leaves a messy kitchen. My family isn’t uniform in diet — my son is vegan — but my daughter and I adore this broth. The recipe varies depending on the bones and vegetables you use; add more vegetables if you prefer a sweeter, more rounded broth.
Bone Broth
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Author: nocrumbsleft
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 12 hr (simmering)
Total Time: 12 hr 20 min
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 quarts of water (add more if your bones, chicken and vegetables are not fully covered)
- 1 whole fresh chicken, cut up
- 3 celery stalks, divided
- 3 carrots, divided
- 1 onion, divided
- 1 parsnip, divided
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 or more tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3–5 pounds of leftover bones
- 5 garlic cloves
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
Fill a very large stockpot with about 4–6 quarts of water. Add the cut-up raw chicken, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, half the onion, half the parsnip, salt, crushed peppercorns, bay leaf, and the apple cider vinegar. Bring the pot to a boil.
While the stockpot comes to a boil, arrange the leftover bones, the remaining 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, the other half of the onion, the other half of the parsnip, and the garlic on a sheet pan and roast in the oven. After about 30 minutes check for good browning; as pieces finish roasting, transfer them to the stockpot. When all roasted bones and vegetables are in the pot, deglaze the sheet pan with 1/2 cup of hot stock, scraping up any browned bits, and add that to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10–24 hours to extract maximum flavor and nutrients.
When the broth has simmered long enough, prepare two bowls and a colander for straining. Use one bowl to collect bones and vegetables to discard and the other to reserve any remaining chicken meat (it will be very soft from long cooking). For a clearer broth, re-strain once more. Cool the broth before freezing in individual portions; tempered glass mason jars work well. Only fill jars about 75% full to allow for expansion and follow jar manufacturer instructions before freezing.
Notes
Note: Follow the tempered glass instructions for your jars before freezing.
Teri’s tip: Each time you roast a whole chicken, save the spine and neck in the freezer. You can also ask your butcher for chicken necks. Save bones from any cooked chicken to build a richer broth over time.