Chicken Broth 101

I'm often asked about my nº1 recipe. Is there one recipe I'd recommend everyone? Yes! Our super-healing chicken broth!

A true beauty food (ciao collagen!), nutrient-dense (hello 19 amino acids and minerals!), easy-to-digest, repairs gut and flora (thanks to the gelatin).

It's a goodie for your hormones and immune system too.

Best of all: it's easy and cheap to make!

I love the healing power of food. Chicken broth is definitely one of my favorites.

Chicken broth isn't some new-found trend. Our ancestors already cooked bones and ligaments of animal parts for days until these released compounds and minerals like gelatin, collagen, calcium and magnesium.

Have you ever wondered why people tell you to enjoy chicken broth when you're ill? It's because chicken broth is thé health-boosting-superhero to turn to when you're feeling under the weather.

It's packed with goodness: healing and protecting your gut, increasing immunity, battling inflammation and it has amazing nutritional value.

So, let's state the obvious here: why not have it on your better days as well!? We've included an easy recipe for your own homemade chicken broth at the end!

Chicken Broth Health Benefits

1. Restores Gut Health & Promotes Healthy Digestion

A healthy body equals a healthy gut. Your gut lining is one of the most important barriers to keep unwanted intruders out of your system.

When you are on a 'standard' western diet, loads antinutrients, toxins and bad bacteria enter your body and damage your intestinal walls.

The damage can develop to such a degree that it turns into a "leaky gut" syndrome, causing all sorts of health issues such as digestive problems, migraine, auto-immune problems and in some cases even depression.

But guess what? The gelatin in chicken broth heals the mucosal layer in the gut, re-sealing it and restoring gut health. It also prevents damage, improves digestion, and cures chronic diarrhea + constipation.

2. Reduces Joint Pain And Inflammations

Chicken broth contains a golden combination of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). That's quite a mouth full but I bet for some of you the 'glucosamine' part will ring a bell somewhere.

Glucosamine is commonly given as a supplement to cure joint pain and is even prescribed for chronic joint diseases. It stimulates collagen production, repairs joints and reduces pain & inflammations.

3. Anti-Inflammatory Powerhouse

Chicken broth also enhances anti-inflammatory capacity thanks to the amino acid glycine.

Glycine is closely related to the immune and digestive system, and an important building block for many different acids that keep your body healthy. It helps your body with the detoxification of toxins and even helps to break down fat!

4. Beauty Food: Improves Skin, Hair & Nails

Chicken broth works miracles for your skin, hair and nails thanks to the proline-containing gelatin.

Proline is a cornerstone in collagen production and helps building skin & muscle tissue. Collagen is essential for keeping a healthy and fresh-looking skin texture but also helps in wound-healing processes.

Why buy expensive beauty treatments containing collagen when you can fuel up naturally from the inside out?

5. Improves Bone Growth And Repair

Chicken broth is rich in minerals (the good ones!). It contains calcium, magnesium and phosphor.

As you slowly cook the bones you'll notice they get all weak and crumbly... That's because all those amazing bone-building minerals are getting absorbed into the fluid.

Adding something acidic to your pot before turning on the heat will maximize the mineral uptake, so we've included apple cider vinegar in the recipe below.

6. It's Sooo Easy

You literally throw everything in a huge pan with some water and let it slow-cook for a couple of hours (bonus points: your house will smell awesome while your broth is simmering).

If you make a whole bunch you can put it in the freezer for later. And you no longer have to throw away left-over veggies and peels because you can just throw them in your simmering pot as well. Cooking doesn't get much easier than this...

Now that you've seen all health benefits, I'm sure you can't wait to make some of your own. Here's our go-to-recipe to help you get started!

Super-Healing Chicken Broth

Preptime: 5-10 minutes | Cooktime: 4.5 hrs

Ingredients

6-8 organic free-range chicken wings (or 2-3 legs or bones)
8 cups / 2 l water
1 onion/leek, roughly chopped
3 carrots (big), roughly chopped
5 celery stalks roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled, cut once
1 inch / 2 cm of ginger, roughly chopped
2 handful of your favourite herbs (parsley/mint/cilantro/thyme)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp of sea salt
optional: 3 bay leaves, whole

Directions

Step 1

Add all ingredients in one pot and slowly cook for 4.5 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Take out the bones and meat. (You can use the meat with fresh veggies, 1 cup of the broth and water to make your own chicken soup.)

Step 3

Pass the stock through a sieve. And there you have it! Your own health-boosting chicken broth!

Store + Use

Keep the excess broth up to 4 days in the fridge and up to 3 weeks in the freezer.

When using chicken broth in recipes, make sure to skim off the fat layer and only use the fatless consistence.

You can use the chicken broth for: cooking vegetables (in a small layer of broth) / preparing stews or soups / making salad dressings (for your salads-in-a-jar) / DIY stock cubes (pour broth into ice cube tray and freeze) / enjoy anytime as a hot healthy drink.

Did you already know chicken broth was this healthy? How did yours turn out?

Let me know when you try out this recipe — I'd love to see how it turns out! Submit your photo in the comments section below, and/or tag us on Instagram using @healthcoachfx and #healthcoachfx.

Photo Credit © healthcoachFX