This is my favourite way to make a delicious chicken broth and have some poached chicken for salads and sandwiches at the same time.

Ingredients:

Whole chicken (choose organic, free range and free from hormones and anti-biotics chicken)
1 x onion
2 x carrots
3 sticks of celery
2 garlic cloves
bay leaf
Any herbs you have, for this recipe I used fresh flat leafed parsley, rosemary, thyme and chives.

Method:

In a large pot, place the whole chicken and cover it with bottled or purified water.
Wash and roughly chop the onions, carrot and celery
Add garlic and bay leaf
Add herbs of choice
Bring to a simmer on a medium heat, and let it poach for 1 hour 30 minutes. Avoid letting the water boil to keep the meat tender.

After the chicken has poached, remove it carefully from the pot.
Pull all the white meat off the carcass, keeping all the skin and bones to put back into the pot.
The poached meat can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days and used in salads, stir-fries and chicken, mayonnaise toasties for your kiddies.

Add all the bones, carcass and skin back to the pot and ADD 1 Tablespoon apple cidar vinegar. Allow the broth to simmer for up to 6 hours – the longer it simmers the more goodness you get from the chicken bones and the richer the broth becomes.

After the broth has simmered for the 6 hours, you can strain it through a sieve – the broth can be kept in fridge for up to 7 days or you can freeze it for later use.

This chicken broth is rich in gelatin, essential amino acids such a glycine, proline and glutamine, vitamins and minerals.  It is known to boost immunity, balance hormones, create a healthy gut and boost our collagen.

Collagen (if you don’t already know!) is what gives our skin that glow, it hydrates our joints and creates stronger hair and nails.   It is a vital building block for tendons, ligaments, arteries, veins and muscles and keeps our tissues strong and elastic and our joints flexible – it’s what keeps us young, with no sagging and wrinkles!!

Through these nutrients, bone broth can improve sleep quality, lessen fatigue, boost well-being and stimulate cartilage production.

Image credits: Donah