Did You Know?

• Apple cider vinegar added to bone broth helps extract collagen, minerals, and nutrients from the bones during the long simmer. It's the step most people skip — and it makes the biggest difference in how nutrient-dense your final broth is.
• A properly made bone broth will solidify into a gel when refrigerated. That gel is pure collagen — packed with amino acids like glycine and proline that support gut lining repair, joint health, skin elasticity, and immune function.
• Saving vegetable scraps in a freezer bag alongside your bones means zero waste and maximum flavor. Onion ends, carrot peels, garlic skins, and parsnip trimmings all add depth to your broth that fresh-cut vegetables alone don't provide.

Step 1 — Start with the bones.Place your saved chicken bones in the bottom of a large stockpot. It's fine if they're frozen — they don't need to be thawed. Sometimes I'll actually put the pot on the stove over medium-high heat first and let some of the fat render out, let the skin crisp up, and build some of that fond on the bottom of the pan. That step is optional, but it adds a deeper flavor to the final broth.

Step 2 — Add your vegetables.Rough chop your onions, carrots, parsnips, and garlic. I like to cut the garlic head straight in half so there's lots of garlic exposed on the inside. Throw it all in. If you've got a bag of vegetable scraps in the freezer, dump those in too.

Step 3 — Season.Add a good amount of salt and pepper. A lot of people will tell you not to salt your broth so you're not adding extra salt to whatever you cook with it later. I find that unsalted broth is just not great. Adding salt also helps pull out a lot of the flavor from the bones and vegetables.

Step 4 — Add apple cider vinegar.A good glug — roughly 2-3 tablespoons. This is the step most people skip, and it's the most important one. The vinegar helps pull out all of the collagen, minerals, and nutrients from the bones. It's what makes the difference between watery broth and broth that gels.

Step 5 — Cover with water.Add enough water to cover everything by about 1-2 inches. Don't overfill — you want a concentrated, rich broth, not a diluted one.

Step 6 — Simmer for 24 hours.Set the heat to low and let it go. I know 24 hours sounds crazy to people. But I usually start mine at night so it's ready the following evening. I keep an eye on it — I'm home for most of it, sleeping for part of it. If the water level drops a lot, I'll add a little more. Just keep the heat low enough that it's barely simmering, not a rolling boil. Small bubbles, not big ones.

Step 7 — Strain.Once it's done, strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer or metal colander into another pot or large bowl. Discard the solids — the bones and vegetables have given everything they've got.

Step 8 — Jar it up.Ladle the hot broth into mason jars. I put canning lids and rings on them — even though it's not a traditional seal and this is absolutely not shelf-stable. But when the broth is hot, it creates a vacuum effect that helps keep it fresher longer in the fridge. Important: this is fridge storage only. Not pantry safe.