Bone broth is a delicious healthy source collagen. Collagen is essential for skin, nails, and bones. It is also great for your joints, gut, and immune system. Bone broth is rich in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, and Vitamin A. Bone broth is an essential component of many recipes including almost all soups. Add it to stuffing or cook your rice in it for added flavor and extra health benefits. Chicken bone broth is easy to make and essential as a kitchen staple!

What you’ll need
- Chicken Bones
- Water
- Carrot
- Celery
- Onion
- Salt and Pepper
- Additional spices if desired
Now, I’d guess that every ingredient on that list looks pretty easy to acquire except for the chicken bones. Chicken bones likely aren’t something that makes it onto your grocery list on a regular basis. So where do you get them? Below are three reliable ways to source your chicken bones for your homemade chicken bone broth.
- Many grocery stores do actually sell chicken bones by the pound. If you don’t see them right away, ask the butcher at your local grocery store if they will sell you chicken bones for stock making. Chances are they will!
- Order your chicken bones from an online source. These are three companies selling chicken bones.
- The third option, also my favorite option, is the cheapest and most efficient. Use the leftover bones from a roasted chicken that you’ve cooked as a meal for your family. You can follow my easy roasted chicken recipe here. Not only is this a great way to be resourceful and use every part of your chicken, it also kills two birds with one stone (no pun intended) as you can make your roasted chicken and your chicken bone broth all in the same day. Although I recommend the from scratch version, you could also use the leftover bones from a rotisserie chicken form the grocery store.
Whichever way you choose, once you have your chicken bones, you are well on your way to delicious homemade chicken bone broth!

Chicken Bone Broth 2 Methods
Now that you have your ingredients laid out and your chicken bones sourced, you can get started with making your broth. There are two different ways that you can go about this. The first way is in the oven, and the second ways is on the stove top. Both methods yield delicious broth.
To make your broth in the oven, add your bones, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper to a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with about 4 quarts of water. Plan to use about 4 quarts of water per 1 pound of bones. Place the roaster in the oven at 350 degrees for about 6-8 hours.

The second way to create your chicken bone broth is on the stove top. This method starts out the same way by adding all the ingredients to a large stock pot. Cover the bones and veggies with a gallon of water and simmer on low heat for at least 12 hours.

Making your bone broth in the oven heats the liquid to a higher temperature and requires less time. Simmering on the stove doesn’t achieve the same heat, but it makes just as delicious healthy broth with a few more hours.
Also keep in mind that the longer your bones simmer in the water (using either method) the richer of a broth you will achieve. The longer it simmers the more health benefits it will have and the more minerals and vitamins will be pulled from the bones. If you leave your broth to simmer long enough, you will get a gelatinous consistency that is no longer liquid. This is probably just about as beneficial as it gets!
If your bones have enough pieces of skin still attached, you may be able to achieve this gelatinous consistency with the times provided above; however, it may take several more hours to get there. Use your own preference when choosing whether or not to bake or simmer for a longer period of time.
Finishing your broth
After your bones have simmered into a beautiful delicious rich broth, you will need to strain it. Use another large stock pot and place a colander on top of the pot. Pour the broth through the strainer to catch all the bones and bits of broken down vegetables.

Don’t throw this away! You can put even these scraps to use in your compost bin if you have one. Although bones take a while to decompose they still are great for your compost!

Pour your broth into a glass jar or container. You can use it right away in a delicious soup or stew, or you can store it in the fridge for about a week. If you don’t plan to use it even within that amount of time, broth stores great in the freezer for several months. Just be sire to leave a couple inches of headspace at the top of your container or jar to allow for expansion.

There are so many ways to incorporate this delicious super food into your diet. From soups and stews to rice and quinoa, the possibilities are limitless. Making your own broth at home is so beneficial as it is inexpensive and nutrient packed. Give it a try in your own kitchen!
If you try this recipe and it’s one of your favorites, tag me in a post on Instagram or Facebook @almostheavenhomesteading
To source your own bones from your own roasted chicken, be sure to check out my Roasted Chicken Recipe!
You can purchase the items I use by following the links below:
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Additional Recipes to try:
Chicken Bone Broth

Chicken broth is packed full of vitamins and minerals. Even better, chicken broth made at home is even healthier because you can control exactly what goes in it!
Ingredients
- 1-2 Lbs. Chicken Bones
- 4 Quarts Water
- 1 Carrot (or scraps)
- 1 Stalk Celery (or scraps)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Any Additional Seasonings to Taste
Instructions
- Add all your ingredients to a roasting pan or a stock pot.
- If using the roasting pan, cook in the oven for at least 6 hours.
- If using the stock pot method, cook on low heat on the stove top for at least 12 hours.
- Strain the broth from the bones and bits of vegetables through a strainer into another large stock pot.
- Use right away or store in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
Cooking or simmering your broth for a longer period will result in a more vitamin and mineral rich gelatinous broth. Feel free to double the cook time for either method.
If you prefer to strain your broth even more thoroughly, line your strainer with a thin piece of cheesecloth.
Store your broth in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for several months.
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