Homemade Organic Chicken Broth

With Winter still around we find regular soup sipping is a wonderful cosy and comforting thing to do.

We have been making chicken broth by the bucket load because it is so good to use in the base of soups or stir fries. How we do it is super simple, nothing flash but it turns out delicious!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 x organic whole chicken (depending on your family size 1 chicken might be enough)
• 1 x organic lemon
• Organic olive oil
• Himalayan salt
• Organic black pepper
• Bunch of organic fresh herbs from the garden – e.g. parsley, thyme, tarragon, coriander etc OR an organic Italian herb mix.
• 2 – 4 large glass jars (estimate 2 large jars for one chicken and 4 for two chickens)

Here’s how to put it together:

1. Turn the oven on to 180C
2. Drizzle the bottom of an oven proof dish with olive oil and then place the chicken’s breast side up
3. Drizzle chickens with olive oil, rub in your Italian herbs and a few good spinkles of pepper and Himalayan salt.
4. Place half a cut lemon inside the chicken along with other fresh herbs to let off all the wonderful citrus juices and aroma whilst cooking.
5. Put chickens into the hot oven and cook for 1hr and 40 mins.
6. Remove from oven when ready. With a spoon scoop the oil on the bottom on the dish and pour over the chicken skin repeat until the chicken is coated in the warm oil.
7. Allow the chickens to cool slightly.
8. Remove the flesh off the chicken carcass and bones and store in an air tight container until ready to eat.
9. Place the chicken bones and carcass into a large saucepan.
10. Fill the saucepan with warm water to cover the carcass and bones.
11. Add the oil from the oven dish and more salt, pepper and Italian herbs.
12. Allow the saucepan to come to the boil over a medium to high heat. When brought to boil reduce the heat to a simmer and add more water as it boils down.
13. Simmer for about 1 hour or for a richer flavour (which we like) and more extracted nutrients simmer for 3-8 hours. NOTE: make sure it is only on simmer and not a rolling boil.
14. At your desired time turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly to a warm temperature.
15. Using a fine mesh sieve gently pour the liquid into another large saucepan to create a clear smooth liquid free of solids.
16. Fill the glass jars with hot water from the tap and allow to sit momentarily to warm up the glass.
17. Empty the glass jars and fill with the warm chicken broth fluid.
18. Place the tops of the glass jars immediately creating a seal.
19. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

The base of this chicken broth really is lovely. It is light, clear and rich in nutrients and fats. It is so versatile – you can use it in Asian dishes, as a base for vegetable soup or cooking rice via the absorbtion method. And if you have some of the chicken flesh left over you can add it to your dish too.

NOTE: Be careful when transporting the warm chicken broth to the glass jars. Jars can expand and crack if the temperature is not a similar match to the liquid going into it so make sure the broth has cooled from hot to warm.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!