The first book I ever read about traditional foods was Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. That is where I learned about homemade broth.
My Grandmother’s homemade chicken and dumpling soup was a favorite growing up and now I know why! It’s because her broth was made from scratch.
Over the many years I’ve made broth, I’ve learned tips from others and had my own ideas of how to make it better.
Early in my broth making days I learned about using chicken feet for broth. Since we butchered our own chickens, I started keeping the feet and tossing them in the broth pot.
A few years after that I read Sally Fallon’s book “Nourishing Broth.” In it she describes scientific studies done using collagen to treat various health problems. The collagen in these studies was often obtained from tracheal cartilage. Upon reading this bit of info, a light bulb went off in my mind – we butcher our own animals and we could keep the tracheas!
And not long after that, some friends taught us that we could also use chicken heads for broth.
Our kids have been raising, butchering, and selling whole dressed chickens for many years. Customers usually want just the whole bird, no extras. So, the extras go in our freezer and we make Super Gelatinous Chicken Broth on a regular basis. Thank you, Jesus!
Having the freezer loaded with many small bags of mixed extra chicken parts means that I can easily thaw a bag or two and whip up a batch of broth in a few hours.
The extra parts are so rich in gelatin that I always make two batches of broth from the same parts. Both batches of broth gel nicely in the fridge. I like to use the “firsthand” broth for drinking like tea and the “secondhand” broth for making soup.
Once the second batch is done, the bones are quite soft. The discarded chicken heads are a favorite treat for our dogs!
If you buy meat birds from a local farmer, ask them if they will sell you these extra parts and try making your own Super Gelatinous Chicken Broth!
Broth is so nourishing. If you or a loved one are healing, I highly recommend this broth over regular bone broth!
Good homemade broth is a staple for good cooking – you can use it for soups, stews, gravies, and cooking beans, rice, or other grains. Homemade broth is also essential for healthy digestion and helping our bodies gently detox.
*Pro Tip – Put the chicken heads in the stock pot first, then the rest of the parts. The first time I made broth with chicken heads, I took the lid off the pot to skim the broth and saw chickens looking back at me! I’ve made enough broth with chicken heads now that it doesn’t bother me anymore.
Super Gelatinous Chicken Broth
This chicken broth uses extra chicken parts to make the most gelatinous broth ever. Less waste and healthier broth!
Ingredients
- Pure filtered water
- Chicken necks
- Chicken feet
- Chicken heads
- Chicken tracheas (optional)
- Chicken carcass (optional)
- 1 Onion (optional)
- 1 Carrot (optional)
- 1 stalk Celery (optional)
- 1-2 tsp Thyme leaf (optional)
- 2-3 Bay Leaf (optional)
- Sea Salt to taste (for serving)
Instructions
- Wash chicken parts in cool water and put in stock pot.
- Cover with good filtered water to 1-2 inches above chicken parts.
- Bring to a simmer on medium heat.
- Skim and discard any scum that rises to the top.
- After skimming, let simmer ~3-4 hours.
- Add seasoning for last 30-60 minutes of simmering.
- Turn off heat. Use slotted spoon to remove chicken parts and set aside.
- Strain hot broth into glass canning jars and put lids on.
- Allow to cool to room temp before refrigerating. Jar lids should seal as broth cools.
- Return chicken parts to stock pot. Add good filtered water to cover again and simmer 8-10 hours for a second batch.
- After second batch is done, strain and store broth as directed above and discard chicken parts.
- Use refrigerated broth within ~2 weeks. Our chicken broth doesn’t usually last more than two weeks in the fridge and it stays good as long as the jars are sealed. Once the jar is opened, use within a few days. I wouldn’t leave sealed jars in the fridge more than 2-3 weeks. If you prefer long term storage, consider pressure canning or hot water bath canning it.
Notes
The amount of herbs you use depends on how much broth you're making. The amounts given are for ~4-6 quarts of broth. Increase or decrease as needed or to taste.
To make it easier to get this gelatinous broth out of the canning jars: 1) Use wide mouth jars, and 2) run very warm water over sealed jar to loosen broth from jar (do not shake).
We use “firsthand” broth for drinking and “secondhand” broth for making soup.
If there is a good layer of fat on the cooled broth, I skim this and render it on a low heat on the stove. It keeps well in a jar in the fridge and makes the most delicious cooking fat – frying onions, eggs, etc.
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