Ginger Turmeric Chicken Bone Broth is one of my favorite recipes—it’s full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and collagen, and it’s a good source of protein.
Bone broth is known for its health benefits. It can help to lower inflammation, aid with leaky gut, keep you hydrated, and more. Plus, the deep, savory flavor is amazing!
It’s super hydrating and full of collagen, which promotes healthy joints, skin, and all-around health. It’s my secret weapon for staying healthy and hydrated all fall and winter.
If you’ve never made homemade bone broth before, check out my detailed post about how to make the best chicken broth/stock to learn variations on this method and the benefits of making it.
Chicken Bone Broth
Chicken broth, stock, and bone broth are essentially the same thing, with slight differences in cooking time and ingredients that affect flavor and collagen content.
- Broth, stock, and bone broth all come from simmering animal bones, meat, and aromatics in water.
- Broth cooks the shortest time, stock simmers longer for more depth. Many people use the terms broth and stock interchangeably.
- Bone broth simmers the longest to extract collagen, typically containing a small amount of vinegar as this acidic element helps the collagen extraction process. All three are similar in flavor and nutrition, but bone broth is richer in nutrients and collagen.
Homemade bone broth is full of collagen, nutrients, and hydration. It’s especially good for gut health and digestive issues and boosting your immune system.
For this recipe, I changed up the aromatics by using ginger and turmeric instead of the herbs found in traditional American chicken stock (e.g., thyme, parsley, rosemary).
There are tons of different ways to make wonderful bone broth at home, you can use a traditional recipe, change it up like this ginger turmeric bone broth, or even use ingredients like lemongrass and whole star anise to make Pho (Vietnamese bone broth soup) at home.
Ginger Turmeric Bone Broth Recipe Notes
Ground Turmeric
Turmeric is anti-inflammatory and full of healing benefits. Typically, it is best to always use the fresh plant, but in the case of turmeric, ground turmeric powder is more concentrated and has more healing power than fresh turmeric root, so it’s best to use organic turmeric powder in this recipe.
You can often find ground turmeric in the bulk spice section of the natural grocery store if you want to buy just enough for this recipe instead of an entire bottle. The bulk spice section is great on your budget and the perfect way to try things out before investing in bigger quantities.
Fresh Ginger Root
Fresh ginger is antimicrobial, ultra-healing and full of benefits for your digestion and immune system. I use about five one-inch pieces, but you can adjust to your preferences. Like my famous honey ginger shots, I use organic ginger root healing recipes like this.
You can leave the skin on since everything goes through the strainer, and just cut it up a bit to expose more surface area to the stock. I don’t recommend grating it as grated ginger gets spicy quick and it will overtake the flavor profile. Use fresh ginger (not powder) for the best flavor and nutrition.
Fresh Garlic
Garlic not only adds wonderful flavor, but it’s one of the most healing plants in the world. Only use fresh garlic, not the stuff in the jar.
Chicken Bones
For this method, I’m using leftover chicken bones after roasting a whole chicken. You can use any leftover chicken bones of feet, but not a rotisserie chicken (keep reading, I explain all of this!) 🙂
You can also make bone broth from a whole raw chicken and let the meat cook in the simmering water as I do here, but you’ll want to remove the meat to reserve a few hours in if you use a whole bird because if you poach the meat for 12-24 hours it will turn into a horribly rubbery texture.
I find the best flavor and texture of both the meat and broth comes from roasting the bird first, then reserving the roasted meat for soup with your broth or another recipe. Either way, just be sure to add all of the bones and skin into your stock because that’s where the collagen lives.
If your whole bird comes with the neck (I find these days it mainly doesn’t) reserve that for your stock too as it’s mostly just bones and makes for great stock. I most often make this recipe with chicken, but you can use the exact same method with a roasted turkey.
Like the spices here, I prefer to use organic chicken.
Chicken Feet (Optional)
Now, for the chicken feet (whhhhaaaatttt?!).
I know, it’s not common in these modern times in the U.S. and might sound strange, but they are fantastic to add to your stock if your butcher counter has them as the chicken feet, like the neck, are mostly just bones. Plus, utilizing the entire bird is part of the circle of life. Referred to as the “nose-to-tail” philosophy, using the whole animal means less waste and creating more food from what’s already used. There is so much good nutrition in nature if we allow it! Instead of discarding or disregarding what’s left, try to use all available animal parts.
What’s funny about this is that now that “nose-to-tail” is becoming more mainstream, butchers are often out of things like chicken feet because it’s becoming popular to use them. You can even make your entire stock out of just chicken feet, necks and extra bones if your butcher has them, though again, they often don’t because they go so fast. At any rate, if your butcher counter has them, get two to four chicken feet to add to your stock. They run about 25 cents each and add a ton of collagen to your bone broth. If you’re not ready for that no worries, just don’t add them.
Can I use a rotisserie chicken from the market?
I don’t recommend using a store-bought rotisserie chicken for your broth. Now, I love a good rotisserie chicken from the natural market, too. But, even the ones from the natural market have starch, some type of preservative, and often lower-quality oils coated on the skin—that why I recommend removing and discarding the skin of a rotisserie chicken if you use one in a meal. Long-simmered broth is pulling out everything from the bird, so starting with a whole uncooked chicken and either roasting it or using it whole is best. Plus, rotisserie chickens are often closer to three pounds, and there usually aren’t enough bones in it to make a stock.
Additions
Like all my recipes, I encourage you to make this your own! Add leeks, mushrooms, fennel, carrots, or any other flavors you’d like to show up in your bone broth. The recipe below is my favorite way to make this; feel free to adjust anything you like.
Slow Cooker Bone Broth
I use the slow cooker (a.k.a. Crockpot) method for this recipe, but you can use a pot on the stove with this method if you prefer. This method is perfect if you’ve roasted a chicken or turkey for another recipe, just toss what’s leftover with onion, carrot, celery and aromatics in the slow cooker and let it go overnight for a delicious and wonderfully nutritious bone broth.
Sip It In a Mug
I often just sip a big mug of this for a light meal or snack as bone broth is full of protein and hydration. Enjoy it in a mug with a big pinch of sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon for even more flavor and nutrition. Or, turn it into soup.
Turn It into Bone Broth Soup or Stew
The options are endless here. Use your bone broth as the base of any soups or stews.
Or, use this simple method to make soup right away:
- Return the broth to a big stockpot.
- Chop the reserved chicken meat, 1-2 carrots, 1-2 stalks of celery, and 1 cup of already-cooked rice or cooked noodles into the pot. (Don’t re-use the veggies from the bone broth; they are way overcooked, and their nutrients are now in the broth.)
- Simmer on low for 20 minutes until the carrot and celery are cooked through. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and enjoy.
Ginger Turmeric Bone Broth Video Tutorial
Ginger Turmeric Bone Broth Recipe (Ultra-Healing)
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.8 from 8 reviews
- Author: Elizabeth Rider
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 hours
- Total Time: 12 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 3 quarts 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: America
Description
This Ginger Turmeric Bone Broth recipe is delicious, ultra-healing, and easy to make. We like to make it in a slow cooker to make life easy, but you can let it simmer on the stove if that works better for you.
Ingredients
Scale
(use naturally raised and/or organic ingredients when possible)
- 1 (cooked chicken) carcass, meat removed and reserved for another recipe; use the bones, skin and all pieces of the chicken besides the meat in your bone broth
- 2 chicken feet from the butcher counter (optional—omit if you can’t find it)
- 1 white or yellow onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut in half
- 2 celery stalks, cut in half
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed open or cut in half
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric*
- 3–5 one-inch pieces of fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (optional, add more or less once broth is finished)
- enough filtered water to fill the pot
- (If roasting the chicken for this recipe, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus enough salt and pepper to season the outside of the chicken.)
- optional: fresh lemon or lime for serving is sipping in a mug
Instructions
- Step 1: If roasting the chicken for this recipe, preheat the oven to 400F. If not move to Step 3.
- Step 2: Make a simple roasted chicken to reserve the meat for another recipe and use the bones, skin and all parts of the chicken except the meat to make your bone broth. (See note below for a simple roasted chicken recipe if needed)
- Step 3: Preferred Slow Cooker Method: In a 6-quart slow cooker, add the bones, skin, and everything leftover from the chicken after you removed the meat. Add all broth ingredients and enough filtered water to cover, about 1/2 inch from the top of the pot. Cover (do not lock the cover if your slow-cooker lid has locks, those are just for transport) and set to high for 3-4 hours, or until the water comes to a simmer. Turn to low and let simmer 12-24 hours, or overnight.
Stove-top method: Follow the same instructions using a 6-quart or larger stock pot with a lid on the stovetop. Add all ingredients to the pot then bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. It’s best to do this in a slow cooker for safety and ease, but you can do this on a stovetop if you prefer and let the bone broth simmer 12-24 hours on low on the stovetop using caution that the stove is on for that long. - Step 4: Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer or cheese cloth (I find the fine mesh strainer to be easier). Discard everything else that was in the pot.
- Step 5: Use your stock as the base of a soup or pour it into mason jars to enjoy all week. If sipping from a mug, I suggest heating it up and then adding salt to taste, then adding a squeeze of fresh lemon or fresh lime for incredible flavor.
Storage: Let the bone broth come to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator. It will keep in airtight glass containers with lids (I like to use mason jars) for up to 5 days, and frozen (use freezer-safe containers, not mason jars) up to 6 months.
Notes
– If roasting a chicken for this recipe:
Remove the giblets and all paper from the inside cavity of the bird and discard. To season the chicken while it cooks, brush the outside of the chicken with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper to coat. You’ll use about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons of sea salt and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Roast at 400F for about 60 to 70 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 165F in the middle of the breast and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Remove the meat and reserve for another recipe.
– Simple Bone Broth Soup Idea:
Use your bone broth as the base of any soup or use this simple method: Return the broth to a big stockpot. Chop the reserved chicken meat, 1-2 carrots, 1-2 stalks of celery and 1 cup of already cooked rice noodles (optional) to the pot. Simmer on low for 20 minutes until the carrot and celery are cooked. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and enjoy.
*Some readers commented that 1 tablespoon of turmeric made their stock bitter so I recently modified this recipe to use 1½ teaspoons of ground turmeric instead of a full tablespoon. Use more if desired.
If you make this recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below!
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