Collagen rich chicken parts
I’ve written about bone broth a bunch of times – once when talking about stretch marks, another when I talked about getting calcium from non-dairy sources, and probably countless other times – but I’ve never posted a recipe for it. I figured why bother when there are so many great recipes already circulating, like this beef and garlic broth recipe and this one that uses a whole chicken.
But people keep asking me for a bone broth recipe anyway so this morning when I was throwing the usual suspects into the pot, I thought, “Whoa there Nellie. Go get the camera and get this up on the blog!”
So, here is the insanely simple broth that I make one or two times per week to save me from the blight of modern women. Bone broth contains the building blocks of connective tissue which needs to be strong if we are to prevent stretch marks, wrinkles, cellulite, dull hair, bad knees, back pain…
Bone Broth is amazing!
Really, it does all that stuff. It’s a shame that Americans have taken to throwing out the bones (and collagen rich skin) and dully feasting on the dry ol’ chicken breast. Maybe, just maybe that’s why cellulite, wrinkles, and stretch marks plague the majority of American women these days. Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but the lack of collagen in the diet certainly plays a role.
If you’d like to read more about what the proline and the glycine and the gelatin all do for our bodies check out some articles the Weston Price Foundation has posted about bone broth.
Simple recipe for chicken bone broth:
1 or 2 lbs of chicken thighs
3 or 4 chicken feet
Couple chicken necks
Handful of chicken livers
Kelp powder (this is how I get my iodine)
Tbsp sea salt
Tbsp vinegar (Important! The acid pulls the minerals from the bones)
Herbs of your liking
Soup's on!
You can (and should) add collards, spinach, or chard for more minerals. I like to add about 5 carrots but you can add pretty much any veggie you’ve got on hand to a soup (except onions – ick). Cover the crock pot with water and cook on low for the day.
I buy free range chicken from my local health food store or farmers market but for the chicken parts such as gizzards, chicken feet, chicken backs and necks, and livers I stock up at US Wellness. Whole Foods doesn’t sell free range chicken to my knowledge, just organic chicken. Whatever good that is, I don’t know – no pesticides but still no sunshine, no worms, no grass, but lots of vegetarian feed! Oh right, that’s not what chickens are supposed to eat…
Enjoy your new look with chicken broth! Here’s to your health!
March 20, 2012 at 11:39 am
So true about the wrinkle factor… I was being labeled for “some wrinkle free-maniac”… what they don’t know is that colagen rich broths are my thing ; ) f***K expensive lotions!
P.S. they’ve helped with my old strech marks too. They look so much better now, almost seemless.
March 20, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Yeah, you seriously do look like you’re about 18! But I don’t think there are any 18 year olds out there that speak six languages and have given birth to 4 kids, so I know you’re not.
March 20, 2012 at 1:15 pm
hahahaha! that is quite flattering Peggy Thanks!!!. Now I need to go and tell my husband or he’ll think I am lying to myself XO XO
March 20, 2012 at 11:41 am
Sweeet. I make bone broth but it’s kind of a pain in the ass because I only have a crappy old pot. What kind of crock pot do you use?
March 20, 2012 at 11:59 am
A cheap one from a cheap store. I think it’s called CrockPot. It works like a charm.
March 20, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Chicken bone broth is my favorite! The farmer I buy my feet from at the farmer’s market has started recommending the feet to people on the basis of my glowing reports of the amazing broth they make. It’s a huge shame more people aren’t aware of how awesome it is, but it also means more feet for me
March 20, 2012 at 12:21 pm
It’s nice to read that you can actually improve old stretch marks! I’m kicking off a paleo challenge (for life, but I’m saying “30 days”) and I think I’ll make some of this tonight! I won’t be able to get online meat in time, so if I improvise with the best chicken available at the grocery store … is it still worthwhile?
March 20, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Heck yeah, it’s still worth while! Cooped up grain fed chickens have a pretty high omega-6 fat content and they’re a lot fattier in general. There are definitely benefits to eating free range but the collagen will still be there even in the other stuff.
March 21, 2012 at 7:57 am
Made it! Woke up to a steaming crockpot full of your recipe. I improvised with other chicken parts because the store didn’t have feet and necks–but I told the butcher what I was making so he tried to give me suitable pieces. I had to substitute dried pieces of kelp for powder–the supplements section only had kelp capsules, but I found some dried kelp near the nori.
Just slurped down a mug for brekkie.
Thanks for sharing.
March 20, 2012 at 12:44 pm
any reason you avoid onions other than taste?? I;ve made a few bone broths and I love cooking it so far down and extracting enough nutrients to make it a gelatin.
March 20, 2012 at 12:50 pm
It’s a taste thing. My boyfriend always used to put green onions in the soup and it just ruined the flavor. I don’t like white onions in it either. Maybe they’re just too strong for my taste. A little fresh green onion on top with cilantro though is delicious!
March 20, 2012 at 1:18 pm
ohh interesting! I was also curious if you’ve had any food aversions or cravings since pregnancy that have been out of the ordinary from your typical eating style?
March 20, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Ah, you reminded me! I was going to write a post about that and it kind of got put on the back burner… I don’t know if you saw this brief mention about food cravings a long time ago. http://theprimalparent.com/2011/08/20/qa-pregnancy-cravings-and-spotting-periods/
Things are a little different now since I am not trying to maintain a low animal fat Paleo diet. I don’t crave fat this time around like I did before. I eat a lot of fat but I don’t crave it.
The post probably won’t be all that interesting actually because I don’t really crave anything!
March 20, 2012 at 1:28 pm
interesting, and thanks for the quick response. Yup I remember reading that post. I know lots of pregnant woman build aversions to tons of veggies etc. and crave more starch and carbs… guessing that hasn’t happened to you. I’m curious about strict paleo woman who get pregnant and find their usual staples to be gag worthy!
March 20, 2012 at 2:04 pm
I had a few aversions in the first trimester. One of them was chicken! I didn’t have any broth for over a month. There were a couple of other things I didn’t like. The only craving I’ve had has been veggies. Before I got pregnant I wasn’t eating them and suddenly, at about 6 weeks or so, I couldn’t get them off my mind. I’ve eaten veggies ever since and haven’t had another craving since. I haven’t had any cravings for carbs, though I force myself to eat more than I’m used to.
March 20, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Do you eat the chicken thighs and veggies, or discard them once the broth is done?
March 20, 2012 at 1:25 pm
I eat them for dinner, yes.
March 20, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Maybe a silly question….when you eat the chicken how do you separate the bones, feet etc that you dont want to eat from the the chicken/veggies you DO want to eat? Do you just do it manually by hand? Do you try to skim the large stuff?
March 20, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Rusty,
Everything stays perfectly in tact inside the soup. There aren’t pieces floating around of anything. Just pull out the feet and necks and pitch them. I pull out the thighs and let them cool for a bit. Then the meat just slides off the bone effortlessly.
March 21, 2012 at 5:40 am
Ah! Cool! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you so much!
April 16, 2012 at 1:29 pm
So, beginner question…. once it has cooked on low for the day, do you strain the broth away from the bones and veggies? Or do the bones totally disintegrate, so to speak? I’m sure that sounds dumb to many, but I honestly don’t know!
March 20, 2012 at 1:17 pm
I’ve been making broth with my left-over chicken parts (I like to roast the whole chicken instead of deal with the individual parts) for my morning miso soup. The issue I’ve run into is I cook it all day on the stove, and then the smell really lingers in the apartment. It keeps me from wanting to do this on a more regular basis. Do crock pots do a better job containing the smell?
March 20, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Interesting Ruth. I love the smell of chicken soup! I doubt a crock pot would change anything, maybe a pressure cooker would though. The smell of the soup is usually gone by the time we clean up the kitchen in the evening. I’ve never noticed it linger.
March 20, 2012 at 3:09 pm
I realize this is a silly question but do you drink it by itself as a meal or with meals? And it’s just the liquid, right? About the wrinkles, they change literally daily depending on what I eat (or don’t eat). It’s a litmus test for how I’m doing with my diet (along with abdominal fat, and my mood). Thanks for the post as always – looking forward to your book. I feel vaguely stalker-ish about your book. No pressure;)
March 20, 2012 at 3:32 pm
Well, this is just me but I have a great big bowl of soup for dinner and I like to have a cup of bone broth in the morning before breakfast, it’s that or a cup of tea. As for the changing of the wrinkles, I know what you mean! Same goes for me with all icky symptoms. They can come and go pretty quickly.
March 20, 2012 at 3:35 pm
I can’t wait till I can give you a date for the book. I’m excited about it too! The completed manuscript is due to the publisher in two months. I’m guessing it’ll be out another 2 or 3 months after that.
March 20, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Hi Peggy – Thanks for posting about bone broth! I love the stuff. While we’re on the topic of your book, is it going to include information on PCOS and diet? I am an acupuncturist specializing in fertility and pregnancy, and I always recommend a paleo/primal diet to PCOS patients but I have such a hard time finding resources and information for them in the scholarly literature. I would love it if your book could be a good resource that I could refer PCOS patients to! Thank you so much for all that you do, Peggy!
March 20, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Hi Lauren,
Because of my own battle with it I do actually have a section devoted to PCOS, although, since the book is more about pregnancy than about infertility, I don’t go into great detail. I think the book would be immensely helpful for women with PCOS anyway because it will give them someone with whom to sympathize and emulate – someone who has overcome it and become very fertile. All my tricks and research are detailed. Sometimes I wish I could write a book for every topic!
March 21, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Yum! I have two or three cups a day – sometimes simmered with chopped ginger, skins and all, which helps with water retention.
I started adding various sea vegetables to the pot while reading up about the connection between iodine deficiency and PCOS. Why is it you add kelp powder instead of whole kelp, like kombu?
About the smell – it does stick to my flat as well, especially if it’s beef broth. I find the best way to get rid of it is to boil a pot of cinnamon and vanilla in water for 20 or so minutes after the soup’s been put away. It’s a much more pleasant smell.
March 22, 2012 at 7:44 am
Mmm, yum, ginger. I love ginger. Why kelp powder. Because I have some? Hahaha. Kombu sounds great though. I’ll add some of that next time!
March 22, 2012 at 7:35 am
Hey Peggy … I have a couple of questions: When reheating, do you stir the fat that has gathered on top back into the broth or skim it off? And, do you use tap water or filtered water?
March 22, 2012 at 7:43 am
Hey Shan,
I skim the fat off when it’s cold. If I were eating truly free rang chickens, I wouldn’t do this, but since “free range” actually means access to the outdoors with a good sized trough of corn nearby, the chicken fat will be higher in omega-6s. The only problem with that is that you might lose some fat soluble vitamins so I eat it once and then skim it once. Personal decision.
I use spring water for everything. I like to avoid flouride.
March 25, 2012 at 10:40 am
Thank you for all of the responses! I am a kitchen novice.
Much appreciated.
March 22, 2012 at 8:19 pm
do you think there is value in drinking the liquid left over from making chicken gizzards? To make them edible you have to boil them for a really long time, and the liquid comes out a very golden chicken soup color, but of course, there are no bones inside. It doesn’t make my stomach feel the greatest and I don’t know why since it is just chicken stock, but I hate wasting food. What do you think from a nutritional standpoint? We use conventional chickens.
March 23, 2012 at 7:11 am
Most of the nutrients from everything you throw in the pot ends up in the broth. I use gizzards in the stock often but I never eat them. That is one texture I don’t find enjoyable.
March 23, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Last week’s broth was my most gelatinous yet! It was old spareribs, checked carcasses and chicken feet from a Chinese supermarket… practically had the cut it with a knife
March 24, 2012 at 4:47 am
Nice! Like jello, eh? Sometimes I’ve added too much water to the pot which totally dilutes it. I had to learn just the right water level for the amount of parts I use.
March 27, 2012 at 6:37 pm
i’ve been making and eating bone broths about 2 months now, in my quest for more minerals in my diet. i just made a bunch, reduced it, portioned and froze it. i have many months worth in the freezer and i eat it about 4 times per week. i heat it, add some green veggies and a few eggs.
no crockpot, so i make it on the stove. once it’s done, i strain out all the solids and reduce it waaaaaay down. cuts storage space this way too.
March 29, 2012 at 10:04 am
I’ve been meaning to freeze broth forever. Somehow I just keep making fresh small pots of soup frequently… But I really like the idea of having broth on hand all the time. I also really like your idea of adding green veggies and eggs. That sounds great!
March 30, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Actually, Whole Foods here in Philadelphia does sell organic pastured, free range chicken. Lancaster Red and Free Bird (both available only as whole birds) are indeed available; however, the average price per bird is about $16.
March 30, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Maybe it’s based on availability by location of stores. I know that they try to buy local when they can so it might just be that there isn’t much around here to offer. Thanks for the info.
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April 16, 2012 at 1:32 pm
I’ve never used chicken feet. In fact I’ve only ever seen them at Walmart. My farmers market chicken guy just lost his farm, but even he never offered chicken feet.
I’ll have to ask a few other people at the Farmers Market.
Usually I make my soup/broth out of the bones and skin of a chicken I have roasted. Love it!
April 28, 2012 at 5:56 pm
can you eat the bones ?
April 29, 2012 at 3:31 pm
I think that might be a little like eating sticks. You can, however, pulverize egg shells and eat that. I suppose you could do the same with bones but I don’t know anything about that specifically.
April 30, 2012 at 11:42 pm
could the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in the broth,if it pulls the minerals out of bone would the bone broth itself do it to teeth when you drink it?
May 3, 2012 at 6:53 am
You’re not going to let the broth soak in your mouth are you? Just kidding. There really isn’t enough acidity to cause any irritation while eating a bowl of soup. A couple of tablespoons is all you need. Your soup doesn’t come out very acidic at all.
May 23, 2012 at 7:56 am
Thank you so much for all the important information you’re sharing on this blog!
) – can’t wait for your book to come out!
but would really like to hear your thoughts on the matter.
I’ve been eating paleo for a year now and feeling great. I’m now 6 weeks pregnant (found out 10 days ago
I’m concerned about stretch marks, since i got a lot of them during puberty. my question is, how much stock do you think I should consume for it to be effective in preventing stretch marks due to the pregnancy? would a cup a day do it?
I know this is not exact science
btw i LOVE this stuff and make it all the time during winter, according to grandma’s recipe- with celeriac, fresh turmeric and ginger root.
May 24, 2012 at 7:23 am
Hi Heather and congratulations! How much stock to drink is not an exact science
but I imagine a cup a day would be great, even less would probably be fine. Don’t forget your oranges or lemons for vitamin C and oysters for zinc and throw some organs in your soup too!
August 5, 2012 at 6:26 pm
.. thank you for all the wonderful info! I’m planning on making this, for the first time.
one question: what’s a good ration of bones-to-water ? i.e. how many cups/quarts to, say, 1 lb of bones ?
I’m going to use chicken feet and necks, for the first time. I bought them already. and have a relatively small crockpot (2.5 qts) but a huge soup pot, if necessary (8 qts).
and my hope is rather serious: I’ve got severe tendinopathy in my left foot/ankle- and am trying to avoid surgery! )-: so I googled a bit.. and found BONE healthy stock- chock full of collagen.. just what tendons are made of.
I’m grateful to have found this!
August 15, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Peggy,
do you use white distilled vinegar?
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September 10, 2012 at 12:01 am
Seems to me you are throwing out your bones before you’ve gotten the nutrients out of them, based on your comment that everything is still intact & eaten for dinner. Typically, “bone broths” are simmered until the bones are about to disintegrate.
Sounds like a lovely soup, but I recommend saving the bones from those thighs when you are done eating, toss them in a stockpot with the feet and other bones, an acid (vinegar or lemon), and simmer until the bones are soft, and strain it. A crockpot will take a day or more, a pressure cooker takes two hours.
September 17, 2012 at 12:19 am
Yeah I usually make a two stage broth with chicken. Roast a whole bird. Make soup/ clear broth with the picked over parts, then make a paste like bone mash.
September 17, 2012 at 9:03 am
Bone mash. Interesting. I wonder what you do with that paste.
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November 6, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Peggy I have dry skin on the tops of my arms, can you also use the fat in the broth that come to the surface as a lotion. I have just started drinking the broth a couple days ago. I have not heard of this and have check numerous website. Thanks for your answer.
November 6, 2012 at 4:03 pm
I’ve never heard of anyone doing it either, that i can think of, but I have done it. I’ve used butter too, though that doesn’t smell very good. Anyway, it can’t hurt you in any way.
December 20, 2012 at 9:38 am
Colagen from bone broth is also excellent for healing leaky gut
January 22, 2013 at 12:38 am
Hi everyone, sorry this is an old post so I’m not sure if I’ll get an answer but I’ve just followed your recipe Peggy and I’m super excited to find out what the result will be. Just one point of concern as I live in Asia (Thailand) in a small island with only access to conventionnally-farmed chicken (CAFO): will the benefits of drinking collagen and mineral-rich bone broth outweigh the drawbacks/risks of ingesting the toxins stored in my conventionnally-raised chicken, or should I just pass and get my collagen from other sources (such as gelatin supplement)? In other words, am I doing more harm than good to my body? Thanks a lot for your feedback! Sarah
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April 21, 2013 at 3:48 pm
I only have chicken necks on hand now so is it ok if I just use chicken necks for chicken bone broth? I get my pasture raised chickens from my local butcher shop but they won’t be having any whole chickens till june or july but they happen to have necks since no one buys them…if no one buys them does it mean they’re no good?
April 21, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Tiffany,
Chicken necks are great to make broth with. Just because nobody eats them doesn’t mean they’re bad. It just means that most people here aren’t interested in making broth. We are not an “eat the whole animal” kind of people anymore.