Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Bone Broth

What is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is a nutrient dense, ancestral liquid made from simmering bones in water over low heat for a long period of time. This slow cooker simmering method helps to extract minerals, collagen and gelatin from the bones of a carcass. All of these nutrients are very supportive to gut, skin, hair, nail and immune system health. You can make bone broth with any kind of bones, however today I will be teaching you how to make bone broth from a chicken carcass.

The In’s and Out’s of Making Chicken Bone Broth

My preference is to roast or slow cook a whole chicken, pull apart all the meat from the bones, store in an air tight container, then place all the bones back into the slow cooker and allow my broth to simmer over night. I also like to add apple cider vinegar to lower the pH so that more minerals can precipitate out of the bones into the broth. This makes for a more mineral rich end product. Once your broth has simmered for at least 12-24 hours. You can strain the broth from the bones, discard or compost the bones and allow the broth to cool to room temperature. You can then use the broth to make soup, drink as a warm beverage or freeze into mason jars or Ziplock freezer bags for later. If you are freezing into mason jars make sure to leave a 1 inch head space so that the broth does not expand upon freezing, causing the glass to crack.

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Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Bone Broth

Course Main Course

Keyword bonebroth, chickenbonebroth, guthealth, homemadebonebroth, simpleslowcookerchickenbonebroth

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 day

Servings 8

Author Olivia Ward

Ingredients

• bones /carcass from 1 whole cooked chicken (I also add in chicken skin or scrap meats/cartilage)
• 8 cups filtered water
• 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Optional ingredients

• 1-2 bay leaves (for flavor)
• 1/2 tsp dulse flakes (for source of iodine)
• 1 clove garlic, peeled & minced (for flavor and anti-bacterial properties)
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters (for flavor anti-bacterial properties)
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters (for flavor)
• 1 inch chunk fresh turmeric or ginger (for anti-inflammatory properties)
• salt & pepper to taste (for flavor)

Instructions

1. Cook the whole chicken, cool and remove the meat from the bones. Store meat in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

2. Place bones in a large crock pot/slow cooker. Add water, vinegar and optional ingredients as desired. The optional ingredients add additional flavor to your broth, as well as enhanced nutritional benefits.

3. Set slow cooker to low heat and allow to simmer for 12-24 hours.

4. Strain the bones from the broth, discarding or composting the bones. Allow the broth to cool. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to liking. Pour broth into airtight containers or Ziplock freezer bags. Make sure to leave 1 inch head space on glass jars if freezing so that the jar does not crack.

5. Store in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Drink as a warming beverage or use as a base for soups.