Chicken Broth

In my nutritional advising I always advise people to add bone broth into their diets.

I talk about bone broth or chicken broth a lot for a reason. Broth contains many minerals that the body can absorb easily and it is great for joint pain and many other ailments. Broth can be used as a base for soups and sauces, or can be eaten by itself.

I believe it is an important part of a healthy diet.

I have shared my Beef Bone Broth recipe in the past. Here is a recipe for Chicken Broth:

 

Ingredients

  • 1.3-1.6kg of fresh organic chicken
  • The green of 1 medium-sized leek
  • 2 sticks of celery (leaves removed)
  • 2 medium-sized carrots, cleaned but not peeled, cut into small cubes
  • 3 small or 1 large onion, peeled
  • ½ Tablespoon black peppercorns
  • A few parsley stalks
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled (if they have a yellowish shoot, remove it)
  • 6-7 medium-sized button mushrooms
  • 5L cold water
  • 10g fresh ginger sliced

Notes on Ingredients:

  1. Celery is better without the leaves, as they tend to turn bitter if cooked for a few minutes. An alternative is to add them to the stock just a few minutes before you stop boiling it
  2.  Black peppercorns are generally more aromatic due to being unpeeled, unlike their white counterparts, which tend to be hotter in flavour. Black peppercorns, in my opinion, give the stock a floral aroma.
  3.  Ginger needs to be fresh, which means it should have a softish skin, which is easily rubbed off. Older or golden coloured ginger is quite strong in flavour. Therefore, if that’s the one you have to use, just two to three thin slices will do.

 Method:

  • Put the chicken into the pot.
  • Cover the chicken with water, turned the heat on and quickly bring it to the boil.
  • Just before the chicken starts to boil, you will find that the protein will curdle and form a greyish foam on the surface.
  • Skim the foam off the surface several times over.
  • Boil the chicken on a low heat for about 1 hour. Make sure you add the water every now and then to keep the chicken covered.
  • Meanwhile, clean and cut all the vegetables.
  • Add the vegetables and cook them for 30 minutes.
  • Add herbs and spices, season it with salt, pepper.
  • Take it off the heat and serve it.