Simple Bone Broth Recipe

Guest post by OMC member Amy Kovner, Owner of Embodied Wellness

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I’d like to share with you my pretty simple bone broth recipe because I think it’s a fabulous and super healthful thing to drink and/or use in your cooking. It’s also a great beverage option for your kids. I started giving my daughter bone broth when she was about 6 months old and she loves it!

Why is bone broth so important? you may ask…. Well…it may just be the most nutrient-dense beverage there is and it has been shown to have numerous health benefits. There is a lot of info out there about the various ways bone broth improves health, but basically, as you simmer (or pressure cook) bones in water, the water leaches out all the wonderful healing components of the bones; such as gelatin, collagen, numerous trace minerals, and amino acids.

The most well-researched benefits of bone broth include improved gut health, decreased inflammation, improved immune system, and joint health. The amino acids and gelatin in bone broth help to soothe the digestive system, reduce inflammation in the gut and restore the integrity of the gut lining. This improves the digestion of nutrients as well as reduces symptoms of food sensitivities. By healing the gut lining and supporting digestive health, bone broth decreases inflammation and improves immune system function. Collagen and gelatin are especially beneficial for joint health and help restore cartilage and connective tissue in the body. Minerals found in bone broth include calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus which are important for supporting bone density.

Making bone broth sounds really fancy, but it’s really not that hard. I use my instant pot, which is a pressure cooker, but you can also use a slow cooker or simmer in a pot on your stovetop.

Bone Broth Recipe

Step 1:

Throw a mostly picked off chicken carcass into the pot. (I usually roast the chicken first and pull the meat off to either throw into a chicken soup or use for sandwiches throughout the week).

Step 2:

Throw in some veggies. I use an onion, a full bulb of garlic, a few carrots, and a few stalks of celery. If I’m feeling fancy I may even throw in some herbs like parsley, rosemary, and thyme—but it’s not necessary. Also, you don’t need to peel the onion or garlic. I just cut them into a few chunks and toss ‘em in.

Step 3:

Add salt and pepper. I use about 1 TBS of Himalayan sea salt and a mini handful of whole black peppercorns (maybe 10-12)?

Step 4:

Add 1 TBS of apple cider vinegar. This is IMPORTANT! The acid from the vinegar will help breakdown the bones and leach all the important minerals out making your broth a powerful healing beverage.

Step 5:

Cover it all with water. I usually fill my instant pot pretty close to the max line, about 14 cups of water I think.

Step 6:

Close the instant pot. Make sure it’s on the sealing function. Press manual and set the time to 90 mins.

Step 7:

When the timer is done, release the seal allowing the pressure to vent. Open the lid and strain out the bones and veggies with a colander. You may want to wait a bit to let the broth cool first.

Step 8:

Pour the strained broth into containers for storage. I like to use two containers about 8 cups each. When they’ve cooled down enough, put them in the fridge overnight. After the broth has been in the fridge for a while you may notice a thin layer of fat has formed on the top. You can scoop this off with a spatula. Once I scoop the fat layer off I put one container in the freezer for later and keep the other in the fridge to drink from during the week.