Mmmmm, you’ve enjoyed your roasted chicken. But what do you do with all of those leftover bones? You could throw them away, like most people do. But why do that?? Instead of toss this part of the bird, you could make an amazing superfood: delicious and nutritious chicken stock!

Chock full of alkalinizing minerals, chicken stock (also known as “bone broth”) has nourished societies for thousands of years. When made from scratch, chicken stock is also loaded with gelatin, which is a digestive aid and natural healer.

Seriously—there’s a reason your mom’s chicken soup helped you feel better when you were sick. According to studies, it really does have healing properties.

It’s relatively easy to make and is far superior to any boxed or canned broth.

How to make chicken stock (aka bone broth)

Step one is to take your bones from your roasted to chicken. To supercharge your broth with extra minerals, add additional chicken parts, such the back and neck and feet (yes, seriously, the feet!).

Add all of these bones from the chicken to a large stock pot filled with cold, filtered water and a dash of raw vinegar or lemon.

Let sit for approximately one hour.

Put the soup on medium high until the whole mixture begins to boil.

Use a spoon or skimmer to take off any debris or scum that surfaces as the mixture cooks on the stove top.

Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture gently cook for approximately 24 hours.

Now relax, mama. Have a great night. And a great day.

How amazing is that?! This soup basically cooks itself while you do a million other things you have on your to-do list.

Then, once the 24 hours are up, you just have to revisit briefly.

Now back to your soup. At the end of the cooking time, take the broth off of the heat. Let the whole mixture cool. Remove the bones from the mixture. Then place the broth in the fridge. Wait another 24 hours or so to let all of the fat rise to the top of the pot.

Use a big spoon to skim off the hardened fat. Once you’ve done this, it’s time to enjoy your beautiful broth in soups, stews, sauces, and more. Or, you can check out our blog on Thursday, to learn how to make Mama Natural’s Mega Mineral soup (our FAVORITE way to use bone broth—yum!)

Store all of your leftovers in mason jars and freeze for later use.

There you have it. That’s it! That’s how you make a delicious and nutritious broth that will last you for several weeks.

This was part two of a three part series

How about you?

Have you ever made chicken stock? What sort of dishes do you make from scratch? I’m always looking for new ways to experiment in the kitchen, so please share some of your favorites in the comments below.