How to Make Chicken Bone Broth on a Budget

Soup is one of my favorite types of food. I love all kinds. While I have been known to cook with boxed broth, nothing compares to the taste of homemade bone broth. As a bonus, bone broth is full of nutrients and collagen. It is not a coincidence that Chicken Soup is known for its medicinal properties. The nutrients and collagen contained in bone broth aid in digestion and joint health, just to name a few healthy properties of this magical soup starter.

Choose your Chicken Bones

The first and most important ingredient to Chicken Bone broth is chicken bones. It is a must to have the bones of the chicken to produce this delicious broth. So what kind of bones do you use? There are a few options when choosing your chicken bones. Use a whole chicken. After making the bone broth, pull the chicken off the bones and use in casseroles, soups, or chicken salad. Another option, use chicken legs and thighs. Using legs and thighs is a budget conscience choice and same as the whole chicken the meat can be used for other meals. My final suggestion, use the remnants of the next rotisserie chicken you pick up for dinner. Waste not, want not my friends.

Boxed bone broth ranges in price from $2-8.00 per carton, with carton sizes between 16 ounces to 32 ounces. A rotisserie chicken costs between $5-7.00. The chicken provides a meal or two depending on the family size. We can usually eat two dinners, one with chicken as the main course and another using the leftover chicken in a casserole. The remnants of the chicken carcass turn into 4 quarts of bone broth. In my opinion, that is some bang for your buck!

Preparing the Bone Broth

Using the rotisserie chicken method, remove all the meat from the chicken. Place the skin and bones into a large Stock Pot. My family is not a huge fan of chicken wings, so I put both wings into the pot in their entirety.

Next step, fill the stock pot with water until the chicken bones are fully covered. My simple bone broth involves adding bouillon cubes and bay leaves. If you want to be a little fancier, add chopped carrots, celery, and onion. The added veggies give a little more depth to the flavor. Both versions are delicious.

Place the stock pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium high. Bring the pot to a boil. After reaching a nice rolling boil, turn the temperature down to low and continue to simmer for at least an hour. When making bone broth, the longer you simmer the pot, the richer the taste, and the more nutrients and collagen you gain. If I have the time, I prefer to let the pot simmer for 2-3 hours.

After the desired simmering time is complete, remove all the bones, bay leaves, and vegetables. I use a Straining Spoon to remove everything. A second option is to pour the bone broth through a strainer. Choose the method that works best for you.

Storage and Use of Bone Broth

After straining the bone broth, it is ready to use. My oldest kiddo is a chicken soup lover and she will throw in some egg noodles and call it lunch or dinner any day of the week. Though I am not a professional canner, I love to store my bone broth in quart sized canning jars. Bone Broth will stay good for a week in the refrigerator and six months in the freezer using this method.

Chicken Bone Broth is a nutritious and delicious starter for all of your favorite soups and sauces. It is simple to prepare and can be made with a variety of different chicken bones. Using homemade bone broth will add richness and depth to your favorite recipes. Next time you bring home a rotisserie chicken for an easy mid-week meal, try your hand at preparing Chicken Bone Broth. Happy Cooking!

If you are a soup lover, check out these other recipes:

Tastes like a Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Hearty Lentil Soup – Set it and Forget it!