Mary Sweeting tells us how to make a delicious and healing chicken soup for the soul

Chicken soup’s for the soul, but did you know it can heal your gut too? If you’re looking to heal your body from the inside out, chicken bone broth is a must know recipe.

Bone broth contains collagen, gelatin and lots of minerals that your body and your gut need to renew themselves.

Once you make it you can freeze it or store it in the fridge so it’s on hand for soups, stews, risottos or just as a warming cup of broth. When you get thirsty it’s an amazing tonic just warmed up on its own. You’ll find it refreshing and re-mineralising, especially when you’ve been exercising.

Apparently it’s also best to drink it between meals and last thing at night for ultimate healing time. You can make it with most animal bones - beef knuckle is good, I’m loving the thought of marrow and oxtail too. Yet chicken is the easiest place to start...


Chicken and vegetable bone broth


Ingredients:

Bones from one chicken (you can include the backbone / feet / head / knuckles / legs / wings)

3 sticks celery

1 carrot

1/2 leek

2 pints water (or enough water to just cover the bones and veg in your saucepan).


Method:

1. First things first, get a heavy bottomed saucepan with a close fitting lid and a sharp knife.

2. Cut through the knuckle joints of the chicken (with the knife if you get right in between the joints it’s easy to cut through the bones) so you have the joints as per the pic.

3. For cutting through the backbone, rest the chicken on its end and cut through either side of the spine, leaving the bones you can see at the end as these can be very sharp if you cut through them.

4. Set aside the main chicken (on the right) and cover it in the fridge for use separately.

5. Place all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed saucepan with a tight lid and cook over a low heat for 2-2.5 hours.

6. Once cooked, drain and reserve the precious liquid and season if desired. A squeeze of lemon juice works really well to add freshness.

Food writer Mary Sweeting blogs at therestoredkitchen.com