What’s Cookin’? CHICKEN STOCK!

While today’s post might not seem too enthralling, be prepared to be enthralled! Ok, maybe not enthralled, per se, but this is an easy-to-make, uber cheap, versatile superfood! That’s right. I said it. Superfood. Didn’t your mother ever tell you to eat chicken soup when you got a cold?? Um, no, Campbell’s doesn’t count. Here’s why …

Homemade stocks are beyond nutritious, filled with gut-healing gelatin, easily-assimmilated minerals like calcium, magnesium & potassium, and hydrophilic colloids. Aren’t you impressed by my big words? It sounds so much better than just saying “the raw food elements that attract water in the gut so they digest easier”. See? Didn’t hydrophilic colloids sound better? Moving on.

You can make stock that tastes SO great it can be consumed like hot tea, and forget about buying stock at the store. It’s also so versatile you’ll start cooking your rice or quinoa with it, adding to your stir fry, and making every soup recipe you can find on Pinterest. AND you’ll be saving loads of money with your convenient DIY approach, and your immune system and pocketbook will both be thanking you.

Raise your hand if you’ve had that panic moment because you don’t have a plan for dinner, so you grabbed the rotisserie chicken from the store. Go on. Raise your hand. You know you’ve done it. WE ALL DO IT!! And thank God for them, right?!

Raise your other hand if you threw out the carcass after the meal. Uh huh. Never again, my love. Never again.

Throw that bad boy in the crockpot before bed. You know those veggies you bought with the BEST of intentions to cook them before they rot in the fridge? Throw them in, too. This can literally be anything. Collards, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, squash, anything. Raid the fridge.

Some basics I try to have on hand are onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Make sure they’re clean, but you don’t even have to peel or cut anything. Just toss it in. Get in touch with your Type B side. Feel the freedom.

Fill the crockpot the rest of the way with water. Add seasonings of your choice, but please use REAL salt (read: not white table salt). Celtic sea salt is a great option. Pink himalayan salt is awesome. It should have color because, um, it came from the earth somewhere. If it’s white, it’s not so real. Use your real salt liberally. Pepper, poultry seasoning, cilantro, anything you like.

Put the lid on unless, of course, you found something else to throw in. Go with it.
Finally, add a couple tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). Braggs is great because it has the “mother culture” in it. Just to be clear, cultures are good. 🙂

Turn it to low and cook for as long as 36 hours to pull the most gelatin and minerals from it. Stir it about once a day to marry the flavors. Feel free to make this a continual supply by adding fresh water as you pull out stock and adding new bones every few days.

Strain it. Jar it. Drink it. Cook with it. Love it.

This is Dee – I was about to publish this for Pam and wanted to add something. I FREEZE mine in Jars and ice cube trays. I throw a few cubes into so many recipes for flavor and all of those healing properties. Here is my bag of stock ice cubes.

OK, back to Pam…

Once you’ve strained it, don’t throw it away just yet. The bones should be super brittle and the veggies completely falling apart. If you’ve got a blender, dump it all in with a little water. Stay with me. Add a little water as needed to keep the smoothie going, and call in the dogs. They will LOVE it. They will love you. What’s not to love??

So you took a last minute “Oops, what’s for dinner” moment and made you’re own super healthy chicken stock plus fed your dogs a very nutritious doggie smoothie. Remember, the bones must break easily in your fingers with little to no effort, and be sure to blend it until very smooth in your blender.

Eat well,

Pam