Chicken Stock

Homemade Chicken Stock

I’ve been reading about some amazing health benefits of stock. We’ve really fallen off of the health wagon the past couple of years. Seriously, it’s just embarrassing. I’m not going to pretend to be all gun ho but instead just try to start small and change a couple of habits.

I’ve been told I have the osteoporosis so I need to find ways to keep it at bay and improve my bones. I'm open to suggestions.

I baked a couple of chickens this past weekend and I had a carcass in the freezer so I decided to cook up some stock. Here is what I did, keep in mind that I don’t measure and really don’t have clue what I’m doing.

Put carcasses (neck, gizzards and all) in the largest pot I have.

Added and bunch of spring onion I had ready to harvest, washed and chopped in large chunks

frozen leftover veggies I’ve been collecting

a big ol’ onion cut in 8ths

about a third cup of minced garlic (Costco, not fresh)

freshly harvested basil (about 2 handfuls)

a handful of freshly harvested oregano

cracked black pepper

sea salt

just over a splash of vinegar

3/4 of a bag of broccoli slaw I need to use up

Bag each of frozen corn and green beans

I also added about 3/4 cup of flaxseed.

I filled up my pot with filtered water from the fridge and brought it all to a rolling boil.

It dawned on me after it got to boiling I could get more out of the bone marrow if I chopped up the bones so I proceeded to dipping out the bones and being very, very, very careful, with a chefs knife I broke them up into chunks and was able to half many.

I let it boil for about 20 minutes and scooped off the bubbling topping and turned it down to a good simmer. It’s been simmering for about 2 hours so far. I’ll let it go another 5 hours or so, let it cool a bit and then scoop out the big stuff and then strain it all first through a strainer then using some cheesecloth and let it cool then pop it in the fridge overnight and distribute into containers and freeze it in the morning.

Edited to add that I wrote this up several weeks ago.

I copied and pasted the following from Food for Thought: Health and Nutrition of Traditional Homemade chicken Broth/Stock | Kitchen Stewardship

“Gelatin (broth) can be considered for use in the following conditions: food allergies, dairy maldigestion, colic, bean maldigestion, meat maldigestion, grain maldigestion, hypochlorhydria, hyperacidity (gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis, ulcer, hiatal hernia) inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, malnutrition, weight loss, muscle wasting, cancer, osteoporosis, calcium deficiency and anemia.”

“Collagen (broth) can be considered for use in the following conditions: poor wound healing, soft tissue injury (including surgery), cartilage and bone injury (including dental degeneration).”

“Glycine (broth) can be considered for use in the following conditions: anemia, fatigue, detoxification, blood sugar dysregulation, muscle wasting, wound healing, pregnancy, infant and childhood growth, asthma, hypochlorhydria, jaundice and liver support.”

“Deficiencies of minerals can be acquired, similar to vitamin deficiencies. Generally there are two ways this can happen, lack of intake in the diet, or lack of absorption in the intestines. Broth can be an excellent remedy for both of these causes of mineral deficiency because it provides easily absorbed extracted minerals, plus promotes healing of the intestinal tract.”

“Calcium (broth) can be considered for use in the following deficiency signs, symptoms and conditions: pain and inflammation, cramps, muscle spasms, delusions, depression, insomnia, irritability, hyperactivity, anxiety, palpitations, hypertension, high cholesterol, allergies, brittle nails, periodontal and dental disease, pica, rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis and any situation that creates bone loss such as aging, immobilization, postmenopause, and caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol use.”

“Phosphorus (broth) can be considered for use in the following phosphorus deficiency signs, symptoms and conditions: decreased attention span, fatigue, weakness, muscle weakness, celiac or sprue disease, rickets, osteomalacia, primary hyperparathyroidism and seizures.”

“Magnesium (broth) can be considered for use in the following magnesium deficiency signs, symptoms and conditions: loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, confusion, hyperactivity, insomnia, muscular irritability and weakness, allergies, immunodepression, kidney stones and heart attack.”

“Broth can be thought of as a protein supplement, and a calcium supplement. The chemical ingredients extracted from broth are glycine and proline (collagen/gelatin), calcium and phosphorus (minerals), hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate (GAGs), and other minerals, amino acids and GAGs in smaller amounts.”