I’ve heard several recent comments on the ‘difficulty’ of making soup entirely from scratch (ie making the broth), but it’s really super easy. Honest, it is.
Not only that, making your own chicken stock is way better for you. It is full of minerals and amino acids, which aid in bone and teeth health, immunity, digestion, brain function and a host of other things. It’s also high in collagen, which helps support hair, skin, joints and nails.
If all that wasn’t enough, the taste factor skyrockets when a soup is made with homemade stock.
Not convinced?
Maybe you will be after I tell you how I make my homemade stock the super easy way. Just a few extra steps are required to make your own instead of opening a can or box of prepared broth. And all the steps are easy.
You basically just need a couple pounds of bones (the bones from two chickens or a turkey), some water, a few veggies and a crock-pot.
Since I’m fortunate enough to live near a store that sells healthy, free-range roasted chickens, I just buy a couple of already roasted ones and cut the meat off the bones. I don’t pick them clean, but I do take the majority of the meat and skin off the bones.
If you don’t have access to a healthy source of already roasted chicken, you can roast your own and retain the bones to use. An important note is: use bones from healthily raised animals as boiling them draws out whatever is inside. You want good stuff, not bad stuff.
Next, I throw the 2 carcasses in the crock-pot with an onion, a couple carrots, a couple pieces of celery and some garlic. No need to peel or even chop up the vegetables. I usually snap the washed carrots and celery in half and call it good.
Then, I add enough water to cover the bones. Put the lid on, and let it cook all day. The longer, the better (10 or 12 hours). And mmmm. It smells so good.
When I’m ready to seperate the bones from the broth, I place a strainer in a large bowl, dump the contents of the crock-pot into the strainer, and allow the bowl to catch all the broth.
I throw the bones in the trash and the veggies in the compost. They’ve served their purpose.
Now, the broth is ready to use for soups or anything else you’d like to make that calls for broth or stock.
Or, you can freeze or can it and use it later. I most often use mine fresh, though, as my mouth is watering from smelling the stock simmering all day long. I can barely wait to make it into soup and eat it.
See, easy, right? If you’ve never made your own chicken stock, try it. With a crock pot the job is super easy and the taste (and health benefits) are out of this world.
Do you have any helpful stock tips? Let us know!
I read somewhere that a little wine helps draw some of the minerals out of the bones, as well as adding a flavor boost.
Hmm. I say a little wine makes everything better! I’ve never heard that, but I’m gonna try it! (I have heard a little vinegar does the same thing, though, and I’d sure rather use wine!)
Kerrie,
I discovered that if you throw those bones back into your crock pot and cook them on low for a day or so, they become crush-able. I feed this to my 8 hens. Then I freeze the broth into ice trays and warm the cubes one at a time to add to my dog’s feed. Try it! (Feel free to edit out the link if you don’t want it here .) http://thoughtsfromadaughteroftheking.blogspot.com/2012/11/nothing-wasted-how-i-used-100-percent.html
Oh that’s great advice. I did pause and wonder about feeding the bones to the chickens. I would have done it, had they been firmer, not cooked all day in the crock pot, but I worried that the sort of hard, sort of soft kind of bones might be bad for them…this, however, is a perfect solution and I’m definately gonna do it. Thanks!
The bones become mushy, there are no splinters. All the marrow is exposed. I have been doing this for well over a year. My hens literally dive into the bowl for this treat. I only have 8 hens, so I separate the bone-mush into small lunch bags and freeze for later. They get one of these bags about once per week.
I LOVE that you posted about broth-making. It is such an easy way to make full use of the nutrients in the chicken instead of throwing it away!
Good to know. I’m definately gonna add your extra step. I’m sure the girls would love it. And I love, too, that there’s even less waste this way. Thanks!
OK MIss Kerrie,
Then what? Can you share the rest of soup making? yes, for reals!
It’s super easy. Really. I just put the broth in a pot, add some peeled and cut up veggies, and bring it to a boil. Sometimes I’ll also add a hanful of barley or quinoa or rice or something. After the veggies are soft, I add cut up (cooked) chicken–the stuff I cut off bones earlier–and some minced garlic. I get everything hot again and it’s done.
Sometimes I add more seasoning (salt, pepper, basil), other times I don’t. I just taste it and see if it needs anything and wing it from there.
The soup in the photo has maybe 3-4 carrots, 3-4 stalks of celery, a half an onion, maybe a half a cup or so of barley (I just threw it in, I didn’t measure it), a sweet potato, a cup or two of kale and some garlic. Just the stuff I had on hand at the moment I was cooking.
I will definitely try this.
Yay!
Thanks for the tips. I love homemade chicken stock, but don’t make it often enough. I followed your suggestions on Sunday night and it turned great!
Yay! I’m glad you did it! Thanks for sharing your success with me!