Chicken Broth

You'll Need:

• Filtered water (aim for 1 quart of water per lb of chicken) 

• About 1 pound of chicken feet (if you can find them, use them! Your local Weston A. Price chapter leader may be able to help you find some. Azure Standard also sells them in bulk — for me, it’s half the price to buy them local.)

Then, choose one of the following:

• 1 whole chicken

• Chicken parts (drumsticks, wings, etc.)

• 1–4 chicken backs

 

Beef Broth

You'll Need:

• Filtered water (aim for 1 quart of water per lb of beef) 

• About 3–10 pounds of beef bones. Use any combination of:

  • Marrow bones

  • Knuckle bones

  • Neck bones

  • Shank bones

  • Oxtail

  • Short ribs

 

Optional Add-Ins for Flavor:

• 1 onion

• 2–3 carrots, skinned and broken in half

• 2–3 celery stalks, broken in half

• 1–2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1–2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

 

How to Cook:

Add everything to a stockpot or Instant Pot.

Bring to a boil.

Optional: Skim out any foam or impurities that rise to the top using a small strainer or spoon.

Turn it down and let it simmer! (Read next section on simmer times)

Use tongs to carefully remove chicken/beef bones from the broth

Strain broth into a large measuring cup or bowl (something you can easily pour from)

Transfer into glass jars to store in the fridge or freezer

If there's any meat on the bones, pick it off! One chicken back will get you a cup or 2 of incredibly soft chicken! Perfect for adding to soups or salads — or for babies! 

After the broth has been refrigerated for a day, you'll see the fat thicken at the top... DON'T THROW IT AWAY! 

If you don't like the taste of the fat stirred into your cup of broth, scoop it off and store it in the fridge to use for cooking!​​

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Meat Stock vs. Bone Broth Simmer Times​

Chicken Meat Stock: Simmer 1.5–3 hours in a stockpot or 45–60 minutes in an Instant Pot

Beef Meat Stock: Simmer 4–6 hours in a stockpot or 90–120 minutes in an Instant Pot

Lighter flavor, lower in histamine, and a gentler option for healing guts — used during the GAPS intro diet.

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Bone Broth: Simmer 12–24 hours in a stockpot or 2–3 hours in an Instant Pot

RIcher flavor, more minerals and amino acids than meat stock — deeply nourishing when tolerated.

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Important Tips:

Keep broth in the fridge for about a week (sometimes longer if you leave the fat on top) or in the freezer for up to 6 months!

 

It’s especially important to avoid storing hot broth in plastic containers, as heat can cause more plastic to leach into your broth. Save glass jars from pasta sauce, salsa, or pickles to store your broth if buying mason jars isn’t in the budget! If I have any extra broth leftover, I transfer it to my favorite silicone storage cubes to freeze after the broth has cooled down!

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I like buying whole chicken and cutting them up! One night we do chicken breast, another night we do drumsticks and thighs, and every few weeks we finally have enough wings in the freezer to have wings for dinner! Buying whole chickens is one of the things that helps us afford to make homemade broth on a regular basis with good quality chicken! You don't need a big grocery budget to be able to cook nourishing food — organic rice cooked in broth and sprouted mung beans was a staple in my kitchen!

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My favorite way to use the fat from the broth is to cook our eggs in it!