One of the requests I receive most often is to share my recipe for caldo de huesos de gallina, chicken bone broth. I have shared this recipe so many times via text or email, that I decided to put it on my website. It’s one of those recipes that is very loose, meaning you really cannot go wrong. This is old world kitchen medicine, using what you have on hand buying the best your budget can afford. I add a pinch of sea salt and drink a warm mug of it a couple times a week for the collagen benefits, which is why I put this in the DRINK section of my recipes, however, I use it as well for the base of many of my soups. Don’t be tempted to use chicken breasts as this is a bone broth, use the boniest pieces you can find.
Who knew bone broths would be so trendy now, as many abuelitas in my culture have been preparing bone broths for countless generations. However, since I am not much of a meat eater, I never have a roasted chicken carcass to make the broth as many abuelitas do–which is why I use the following recipe. If you would like a recipe on making bone broth from a roasted bird, you can find that here on my Nourished Mamá page.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. chicken feet
1 lb. chicken necks, backs, or wings
1 white onion, peeled, sliced in half
3 - 4 carrots, trimmed, cut into large pieces
3 - 4 celery ribs, trimmed, cut into large pieces
1 whole head of garlic
splash of apple cider vinegar
water
METHOD
Add your chicken and vegetables to a large stock pot. Fill the pot with water (about 4 liters), add a splash of vinegar. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer, slightly covered with a lid, for a few hours. I keep the lid ajar so that some steam escapes, keeping it at a simmer versus a rolling boil. You want low and slow.
You may need to check on it now and then to skim the top and add a little more water. After a few hours simply turn off the heat, let it cool for a little bit, then strain the broth. I like to reuse jars for my broth, just let the broth cool before placing a lid on them. Store in the refrigerator and use within the week.
The broth also freezes very well in freezer bags or glass jars with lots of room at the top (don’t fill it up). After the broth has cooled overnight in the refrigerator, you will have a delicious gelatinous broth.
If you have a dog like I do, he smells when something is up. In this case, when I am making bone broth he sits there staring at me as knows he gets the deboned neck meat.
