Homemade Chicken Bone Broth (Printer-friendly)

Slow-simmered chicken bones and ginger create a flavorful, warming broth perfect for sipping or cooking bases.

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 3 lbs chicken bones (carcass, wings, necks, or a mix)

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

02 - 1 large onion, quartered with skin
03 - 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
04 - 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
05 - 1 whole head garlic, halved crosswise
06 - 3-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced

→ Seasonings

07 - 2 bay leaves
08 - 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
09 - 2 teaspoons sea salt, adjust to taste

→ Liquids

10 - 12 cups cold water

→ Optional

11 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
12 - Fresh herbs (thyme, parsley) for finishing

# How to Make It:

01 - Place chicken bones in a large stockpot or Dutch oven; add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and ginger.
02 - Pour in cold water to fully cover the ingredients; add bay leaves, black peppercorns, sea salt, and apple cider vinegar if using.
03 - Heat over medium-high until a gentle boil forms, then reduce to a very low simmer; skim foam and impurities from the surface during the first 30 minutes.
04 - Maintain an uncovered simmer for 4 hours, occasionally skimming and adding water as necessary to keep bones submerged.
05 - During the final 30 minutes of simmering, add fresh thyme and parsley for enhanced flavor if desired.
06 - Remove from heat and carefully strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl, discarding all solids.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning if needed; allow to cool, refrigerate, and skim any solidified fat before use.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It fills your kitchen with an aroma so comforting you'll find yourself just standing there breathing it in.
  • Four hours sounds long until you realize you're barely doing anything, and you'll have enough broth to freeze and feel accomplished for weeks.
  • The ginger gives it a warmth that makes it feel medicinal without tasting like medicine—genuinely crave-worthy stuff.
02 -
  • Skimming that foam in the first 30 minutes isn't optional—it's the difference between restaurant-quality broth and something murky and dull.
  • Resist the urge to boil it hard; the moment you do, the collagen breaks down incorrectly and the whole pot becomes a cloudy mess.
  • If you roast the bones and vegetables at 220°C for 30 minutes before simmering, the broth becomes richer and deeper—this single step elevates everything.
03 -
  • Cold water, not hot, is the secret—it extracts collagen more completely and creates a silkier mouthfeel than starting with hot water ever could.
  • If you don't have apple cider vinegar, a squeeze of lemon juice in the pot does something similar, or you can skip it entirely—the broth will still be delicious, just slightly less mineral-rich.

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