A couple of years ago, Marco Canora of Hearth fame (I refuse to link to my review of Hearth; I visited when I was still very green and new to learning and writing about food, and said some very ignorant, stupid things about Italian food) opened up a little window adjacent to his restaurant, from which he began selling bone broth.
As a person with Asian parents, I was immediately incredibly skeptical. I grew up drinking bone broths of many different animals; my mom made pork neck bone broth (which I have posted here & here) fairly frequently, along with amazing chicken-based soups and a few beef ones. There was also a soup she specifically made for just me that I absolutely abhorred; it was ‘bo huet’ or good for post-blood-loss (I suffered from chronic nosebleeds as a kid) – I want to say it had fish and liver in it, but I could totally be wrong. I just remember it was murky purplish in color, it smelled terrible, and I was forced to drink it to help keep my iron levels up.
My point? I was not keen on paying $6+ for a cup of broth just cuz it was a trend. I didn’t bother going to try it… but when I was recently offered the cookbook of the same name {affiliate link}, from the same chef, I took the opportunity to check it out.
To my surprise, the book addresses the international heritage of bone broths, acknowledging the Asian version, but also explaining the various types from around the world. He discusses the health benefits – the ones he’s noticed in his own body, and the ones people claim these broths to encourage. I forged ahead and decided to give the ‘starter broth’ a try – the Golden Chicken Broth.
GOLDEN CHICKEN BROTH {reprinted with permission} MAKES ABOUT 6 QUARTS
3 pounds chicken feet 5 pounds chicken wings 7 pounds chicken backs and necks 3 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped 6 celery stalks, roughly chopped 2 large carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped 5 bay leaves 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley Fine sea salt
1. Place all the chicken parts in a 16-quart pot and add cold water to cover by 2 to 3 inches. Bring it to a boil over high heat, about 1 hour, skimming off the foamy impurities every 15 to 20 minutes.
2. As soon as the liquid boils, reduce the heat to low and pull the pot to one side so it is partially off the burner. Simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, skimming once or twice.
3. Add the onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, and parsley and push them down into the liquid. Continue to simmer for 3 to 5 hours, checking once or twice to make sure that the bones are still fully submerged.
4. Use a spider skimmer to remove the solids and save to make a remy or discard. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer. Season with salt to taste and let it cool.
5. Transfer the cooled broth to storage containers (leaving any sediment in the bottom of the pot) and refrigerate overnight. Spoon off any solidified fat. Store the broth for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 6 months.
My notes: Luckily, I have easy access to chicken feet – which are super high in collagen, which makes for a very luscious-feeling broth – they’re available at nearly every Chinese supermarket in the NYC area, and for fairly cheap – $1.39/lb for 3 lbs or more. I don’t have a 16 quart pot, so I halved the recipe roughly and used my 8 quart pot. Once ready, I poured the broth through a mesh sieve into pint-sized mason jars, which I stuck in the fridge and brought them to work for pre-workout snacks, or to fight the mid-afternoon slump. Basically perfect.
Quite honestly, I became obsessed and proceeded to make this every week for about a month. It kickstarted my obsession with my health, I think. The golden chicken broth is this combination of sweet (like vegetable-sweet) and savory, and tastes so lush on your lips. The collagen is really good for your bones, your skin, your hair, your nails… basically every part of you, inside and out.
Gratuitous selfie of me drinking broth at work! I haven’t made it in a while because I haven’t been home enough – I’ve been traveling on weekends – but it’s totally worth the time and effort. It’s mostly inactive time while it simmers, it perfumes your entire home with this intensely delicious fragrance, and the end result is just so good. I highly recommend trying it at least once!
But now for the giveaway! I understand some people wanted to enter last week but don’t have Twitter. Fixed that now! No need for twitter, just a name and email address where you can be contacted.
