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