Homemade Chicken Broth

Do you hate wasting food? I sure do. Whether it be a moldy cucumber, leftovers I never ate, or even freeze-burned ice cream… I will loathe having to throw it away.

It makes sense to not to enjoy throwing away food. I often think about the people who will never have the luxury of throwing away old food. Maybe you think about the money you’re throwing away… Regardless of why you may not like throwing away food, each factor contributes to a mentality I call “using all the food you have for a purpose.” And nothing could be more purposeful and food-saving than making homemade chicken broth!

Surprisingly, chicken broth is SO simple to make. No complex steps, all-day cooking, or even a long list of ingredients. It’s actually so simple that I think you can put it together in 5 minutes. Yes… literally 5 minutes. And it’s worth every minute you spend on it!

Why I Love It

This collagen packed, nourishing, healthy, and vitamin rich chicken broth is perfect for winter soups or really anything that calls for some yummy chicken broth. Since this chicken broth doesn’t have any added salt, it’s much lower in sodium, helping raise your HDL (good) cholesterol, lower blood sugar, and improve overall health. It’s also made with real vegetables, water, and a few spices to flavor it. It’s a very raw, natural, and healthy broth that you can even stock in the freezer for the days when you’re feeling under the weather.

Another reason I love this broth is because of the price point. A normal 4 cup carton of chicken broth is about $2.79 at my Trader Joes. With making your own chicken broth, you already used all the chicken in the rotisserie chicken, and the bones are useless anyway for straight eating, so the chicken part is basically free. Then, you have 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1/2 an onion, a bay leaf, and some pepper.

Let’s add up the cost of what this homemade chicken broth would cost:

• 50 cents for the carrots

• 20 cents for the celery

• 40 cents for the onion

• 5 cents for the bay leaf

• 5 cents for the sprinkle of pepper

—————————————————

= a grand total of $1.20

This is just as inexpensive as a cheap walmart carton of chicken broth, yet MUCH healthier, tastier, and amazing!

A few of my favorite ways to use it is in: chili, quinoa as a replacement for water, casseroles, chicken noodle soup, Italian soups, and even as a small addition to sauces. It’s such a versatile broth!

How it’s Made

Assembled in 5 minutes, this is truly one of the easiest recipes ever. First, add all the chicken leftovers to a large dutch oven or metal pot. Then, add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, pepper, and 6 cups of water. Mix around and then place on the stove for 1-2 hours to simmer. Once the broth has cooled, strain the ingredients out of the liquid, place it in jars or plastic containers and use whenever needed!

Note: This broth can freeze for up to 3 months or be placed in the fridge for up to 10 days. If placing in the freezer, use plastic containers because the glass containers could crack and break… the glass containers will be perfectly fine in the fridge!

Benefits of Chicken Broth:

1. Added collagen

2. No food waste

3. No packaging waste

4. Tastier broth

5. Lower in sodium

6. Healthier

7. Creamier consistency

I hope you love this Chicken Broth and use it as much as I do! Happy Cooking!

Homemade Chicken Broth

Time: 1 hour & 5 minutes | Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 leftover carcass from a rotisserie chicken (bones, flesh, skin, gelatinous fat, everything!)

• 2 carrots, cut in 3rds

• 2 celery stalks, cut in 3rds

• 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 1 bay leaf

• sprinkle of pepper

• 6 cups of water

• Optional Add-Ins: Garlic cloves, parsley, peppercorns

Directions:

1. Place the leftover chicken carcass in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, sprinkle of pepper, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid, and let simmer for 1-2 hours. (The timing that it simmers for is personal preference! I do 2 hours but if you have less time you can simmer for just 1 hour.)

2. Once the broth is done simmering let cool for about 15 minutes before straining. Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl with a spout for pouring. Ladle in the broth and vegetables to the strainer until you have gone through all the liquid.

3. Pour the broth into your containers. Broth can be stored in a plastic container in the freezer for up to 3 months and glass mason jars in the fridge for up to 10 days! Enjoy!

Recipe by: The Heaping Harvest

I hope you love this Homemade Chicken Broth recipe and enjoy making this recipe for years to come. If you’ve tried this recipe, we would love for you to write a review below! Thank you :)

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