This low histamine chicken broth recipe makes a perfect, nourishing base for soups. It can also be added into casseroles, rice dishes, gravies or anything really, it’s very versatile.
When we first started down a path of gut healing for our children with food allergies, all the information was screaming out that bone broth was going to do wonderful things for their health. But many recipes failed to point out that meat stock and bone broth were two different things.
Meat Stock or bone broth?
Broth is bones with no meat, and water, usually cooked for 12 – 24 hours, sometimes longer, depending on the type of bones. This long slow cook produces histamine, and is generally not recommended for anyone beginning their gut healing journey. All of my kids reacted to any moderate or high histamine foods, including bone broth. You can imagine my surprise and confusion when I saw that they were reacting to what was supposed to be a very gentle and nourishing food. Thankfully, you can make something that is just as nourishing and recommended for the beginning of your healing journey, and that is meat stock. Technically meat stock is joint bones, with meat on (not necessarily all the meat) simmered for a few hours, with or without added vegetables.
This chicken broth recipe is a cross between meat stock and bone broth – depending on your need you can change up the bones to include joint bones (more collagen) bones with meat, or bones without. I have made it using only bones, but keeping it short cook and it has worked great as well. To make it even lower histamine, cook in a pressure cooker for 30 mins to 1 hour – the faster the cook, the more histamine friendly it is. This is how I cook it every time now.
If you would like to make the soup pictured with your broth, you can find the recipe here. If you would like more info on meat stock, bone broth and how it works for healing you can find that here.
Simple Nourishing Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass from a leftover roast chicken or bones from chicken wings / legs / thighs etc.
- Enough water to cover the bones this will depend on the size of your chicken usually around 1L of water – filtered is best
- A couple cloves of garlic omit the garlic if you’d like to sneak the broth into things like smoothies and ice blocks 😉
- Optional: Leftover vegetable peelings, carrot or parnsip tops, celery stalks, and herbs.
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, slow cooker or pressure cooker, cover the chicken bones with water.
Slow cook:
- Set on high for 4 hours.
Pressure cook:
- Set to pressure cook following your cookers directions, for 1 hour.
Stock pot:
- Simmer on low in your stock pot for 3 – 4 hours. Keep an eye that it doesn't overflow, or reduce too much. You want the simmer to be enough to cook the bones but not so much that it's boiling.
- Once the time is up, strain the liquid from the broth through a sieve into a large bowl or container. Discard the bones and garlic and keep the liquid. Pour it into a container, i usually use a glass jar. It keeps in the fridge for up to a week, especially if it remains sealed under a layer of fat on top. Or you can freeze it. I use my silicone muffin tray to freeze in blocks which I can take our and use as needed.
- If you'd like to drink the broth as is, then add some salt, herbs, ginger, turmeric and garlic to taste, before heating and serving. Otherwsie you can use it as a soup base, to cook rice and pasta in, add to casseroles, curries, mince and stews. If you have it unflavoured you can even add it to smoothies and ice blocks!