Chicken Bone Broth
You’ve been asking for it — here’s the homemade chicken bone broth recipe that my girlfriend’s been making for months now. It’s super simple, packed with nutrients, and tastes unreal. Plus, it’s one of the best ways to get in some serious collagen. Collagen is amazing for your skin, hair, nails, joints, and gut health — and homemade bone broth is one of the richest sources you can get. In our home, we’re all about reducing waste and using every part of the chicken, so this is perfect for that. We filmed a video for it *HERE* but I wanted to drop the written version here too.
Makes about 2 liters (8 cups / 67 fl oz) of broth — but this can vary depending on how much water reduces during cooking.
INGREDIENTS
2 whole chicken carcasses (from roasted chickens)
4 liters / 16 cups / 135 fl oz of water (you’ll end up with about 2 liters / 8 cups / 67 fl oz of broth after simmering)
1 large yellow onion (quartered)
2 carrots (peeled and chopped in large chunks)
3 whole garlic cloves (peeled) or 1 tsp garlic powder (optional — if using fresh garlic, no need for powder and vice versa)
2 tbsp (30 mL / 1 oz) apple cider vinegar (helps extract collagen and nutrients from the bones faster)
2 tbsp (35 g) salt (adjust to taste)
2 tsp (22 g) turmeric powder (optional, for anti-inflammatory benefits)
2 tsp (22 g) Italian seasoning (optional, for extra flavor)
LET’S GO!
INSTRUCTIONS
First Things First — Roast the Chickens
Before making the broth, we roasted two whole chickens.
Here’s how we did it:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Marinate the chickens however you like. We usually keep it simple with avocado oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chilli powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder and Italian seasoning
Place the chickens in a roasting pan and bake for 1.5 hours, flipping them halfway through.
Once cooked, shred off the meat for your meals for the next couple of days (tacos, salads, whatever).
Keep those bones! The carcasses are what we’ll use for the broth.
Pro Tip: Don’t feel like roasting chickens? No problem. You can also use the bones from homemade chicken thighs, drumsticks, or any bone-in chicken you’ve cooked recently. Some people even grab an already-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Just collect the bones over time, store them in your freezer, and make broth when you’re ready.
Another Option: If you don’t have leftover bones, check with your local butcher or grocery store. A lot of places sell raw chicken bones, necks, or backs, and some even have chicken feet — which are collagen-packed and amazing for broth. You can also find frozen bones sometimes. If the bones are raw, it’s best to roast them first at 400°F (200°C) for about 30 minutes to bring out more flavor.
Here’s how we did the broth:
1. Prep your veggies. Quarter the onion, peel and chop the carrots, and peel the garlic cloves.
2. Add everything to a large stockpot. Toss in the chicken carcasses, veggies, vinegar, salt, and any optional spices. Then pour in your water — about 4 liters / 16 cups / 135 fl oz to fully cover the bones.
3. Bring to a boil. Set your pot over medium-high heat and bring everything to a boil.
4. Reduce and simmer. Once it hits a rolling boil, lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it do its thing. Simmer it for 6 to 10 hours. The longer, the better — I usually aim for at least 8 hours to get all the good stuff out of the bones.
Note: The amount of water will reduce as it simmers, which is totally normal. Ideally, you want it to reduce by about half. If it’s reducing too quickly, just add more water to keep everything submerged.
5. Check on it occasionally. Give it a stir every couple of hours and monitor the water level. If the bones are poking out, it’s time to add a little more water.
6. Strain it. Once done, remove the pot from the heat. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the broth into clean glass jars or containers. Compost the veggies and bones — they’ve done their job!
7. Cool and store. Let the broth cool before sealing and storing in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it for a couple of months.
Pro Tips:
If you want a richer broth, add more bones or chicken feet (sounds weird, but they’re collagen-packed and so good for you).
Don’t skip the vinegar — it helps break down the bones and release collagen, making your broth extra nourishing.
Keep it simple or load it up with herbs and spices — it’s totally customizable. If you’re using fresh garlic, skip the garlic powder. Same goes for herbs, use what you like!
Drink it straight like I do, or use it as a base for soups, stews, or cooking grains.