Makes 4 to 5 quarts broth
This basic recipe is for chicken bone broth, but it can be adapted for beef or other bones. Just swap in the same amount of meat.
Chicken: 2 to 4 pounds pasture-raised necks/backs/feet/wings (whatever you have available). You can also use whole chicken or turkey carcasses. The point is to fill up your slow cooker with lots of bones and simmer the heck out of them. Use parts only from happy, organic, pastured birds.
Onion: 1 medium-size onion, peel on and quartered (omit for 21-Day Radical Reboot)
Garlic: 4 to 6 unpeeled garlic cloves, smashed
Bay leaves: 2
Fresh thyme: Several sprigs
Parsley: 1 bunch
Filtered water: Fill the slow cooker to its max-fill line, which will just cover the solids
Apple cider vinegar: 2 tablespoons (helps extract minerals from the bones)
Place all the solid ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the water and vinegar.
Simmer for 24 to 48 hours on LOW to MEDIUM (depending on your slow cooker, LOW might be a little too low).
Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a colander into a large bowl, and discard the solids. You’ll end up with 4 to 5 quarts, depending on the bones-to-water ratio.
Fill wide-mouth, quart-size mason jars with the warm broth, making sure to leave jar space for expansion during freezing. The fluid level should be no higher than the jar shoulder. It’s easier to use a measuring cup than a ladle to fill them. Take care to not overtighten the lids, which will snug up in the refrigerator when the broth cools.
Immediately put the jars into the fridge. If planning to freeze the broth, allow to chill in the fridge, then transfer the jars to the freezer. Use within a week if refrigerated, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Radical Tips
A great time-saver is the Soup Sock! A Soup Sock is a disposable stretchy mesh bag (much like cheesecloth) that you can put all the solid ingredients into before placing in the slow cooker. When your broth is done, cleanup is much easier because you don’t have to strain it—you just lift out the sock and put it in the garbage!
Freeze some of your bone broth in ice cube trays for easy additions into stir-fries and other dishes.