Spatchcocked Chicken and Bone Broth

Clean (wash in warm water and pat dry with a paper towel) a whole, pasture raised chicken. Lay it, breast side down, on the counter and cut away the backbone, cutting on either side and removing it. Flip the chicken over and press down on the breasts until the center cartilage snaps, flattening the chicken.

Put cut side down in a big roasting pan. Drizzle with a good quality, single source, extra virgin olive oil. Season well and roast at 400° for 45-60 minutes, until the skin browns and the fat is snapping. Poke and baste, then reduce heat to 350°.

Continue to poke and baste, baking until a fork inserted into the center of the breast meat pulls out easily. Let cool in the pan until you can pull off the skin and meat from the bones. Refrigerate or freeze the meat in recipe size packages.

Put the skin, tendons and bones back in the roasting pan and cover with 4 quarts of cold filtered water and 2-3T white vinegar. The vinegar is important as it pulls the collagen out of the bones.

Bring to a very low-bubble simmer, cover and cook for 2-3 hours. I keep my bone broth pretty neutral since I often mix some with my dog Oliver's food. I could have added some chopped celery, greens and carrots which are 'dog-friendly' vegetables.

If your bone broth is only for humans, you can also add peppercorns, garlic and onion. I also add bay leaves.

After several hours, scoop out all the solids and throw this away. If you've used only carrots and celery, you can save those to mash up into your dog's food.

Strain this several times, back and forth between two large pots, using finer mesh colanders and strainers until your broth is relatively clear. This time mine looks more like beef bone broth due to the good browning that happened during the first hour the chicken was roasting.

I secured the lid on the 5 quart pot and put it out on my deck overnight to chill. With snow and cold here in northern Minnesota, our below freezing temperatures were perfect for this.

This morning, the fat layer came off easily, and the bone broth underneath was nicely jelled, indicating lots of good healthy collagen. I saved the fat since it's been heated, strained and chilled, it can be used to brown meat or I can melt a little and pour it over Oliver's dry food.

I heated the broth to a low simmer and poured it into clean jars, covered and tightened the lids. These usually seal well, but I keep them refrigerated and use the broth for soup or gravy within a month or so. You can also heat and drink a cup of it instead of tea or coffee. It's mild, so when using it in recipes, you'll need to season it. Better Than Bouillon, Orrington Farms Broth Base, garlic-parsley salt, fresh ground black pepper, or my Rosemary Seasoning* are my go-to choices.

Have fun with your kitchen time! 😊 Happy Cooking! . .Lin