Every time you roast a chicken, boil eggs, or cut vegetables, you generate scraps that most people throw away. Chicken bones, onion skins, carrot peels, celery tops, garlic papers, and herb stems are all raw material for bone broth. Made well, that broth replaces the $4 cartons at the grocery store and tastes better than anything in a box.
What Goes In
Start with bones. Chicken bones are the easiest because a roasted chicken carcass produces excellent broth after one use. The connective tissue around the joints releases collagen as it simmers, which is what gives good broth its body and the slight gel when it cools. You can also use raw chicken backs or wings, which cost almost nothing at the grocery store.
Vegetable scraps add depth and are mostly free if you have been saving them. Onion skins and the papery tops add color and sweetness. Carrot peels add sweetness. Celery leaves and tops add a slightly bitter note that balances the sweetness. Garlic cloves, even slightly shriveled ones, add aroma. Parsley stems, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves are all worth adding if you have them.
Keep a zip bag in your freezer for vegetable scraps. Every time you trim an onion, peel a carrot, or have leftover herbs going soft, add them to the bag. When the bag is full and you have bones ready, you have everything you need for a batch of broth.
The Method
Add bones and scraps to a large pot and cover with cold water by two to three inches. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a low simmer. Skim any grey foam that rises to the top in the first fifteen minutes. That foam is coagulated proteins and removing it produces a cleaner, clearer broth.
Simmer for at least four hours and up to twelve for chicken broth. Longer simmering extracts more collagen and produces a richer result. The broth is done when it tastes rich and savory rather than thin and watery. Strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids.
Add salt at the end, not the beginning. As the broth reduces, salt concentrates. Season it after straining when you know the final concentration.
The Slow Cooker Option
A slow cooker is the most practical way to make bone broth if you cannot babysit a pot on the stove. Add everything to the slow cooker, cover with water, set to low, and let it run for eight to twelve hours. You can start it before bed and strain it in the morning. No monitoring required. The low and slow method also produces a consistently clean broth because the temperature never spikes high enough to create turbulence that clouds the liquid.
How to Store It
Let the broth cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Once cold, a layer of fat will solidify on top. You can leave it in for richer broth or skim it off for a lighter one. Both are correct depending on what you prefer. Store broth in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to five days or freeze for up to six months.
Freeze broth in two-cup portions, which is roughly the amount most recipes call for. An ice cube tray also works for freezing small amounts to use as a flavor addition to rice, sauces, or stir-fries without opening a full container.
What to Use It For
Use it anywhere a recipe calls for chicken broth. Cook rice in it. Use it as the base for soups and stews. Add a cup to pan sauces after deglazing. Drink it from a mug with a pinch of salt when you want something warm and satisfying that is not coffee or tea. The difference between homemade broth and the boxed version is noticeable in anything you make with it.
If you want to see how bone broth fits into a full weekly meal prep routine, the Meal Prep on a Budget guide includes a system for using scraps and broth as part of a zero-waste weekly cooking plan.
