Gut Health Benefits of Bone Broth

​Bone broth, or as your granny might say, homemade chicken stock.

Up until recently bone broth had really fallen out of favour in the Western world, probably due to the “low fat everything” movement. Luckily for us, it’s back with a bang and a host of health benefits too.

It’s often touted as a gut healing superfood. While it’s not a cure-all, it’s certainly very nourishing and something I often encourage my clients to make.

Importantly, it’s very gentle on the gut so if you have a sensitive gut or are dealing with lots of food intolerances it’s a good food to make regularly. It’s also super versatile. Drink it in a mug or use as a stock in your soup recipes (that’s mainly how I use it).
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​What are the benefits of bone broth?

• Reduces food waste. It’s a great way to ensure every part of the roast is used. Including skin, bones and all the grisly bits.
• Natural flavour enhancer. It’s made without the processed salt and monosodium glutamate found in most stock cubes. Honestly, you’ll never want to go back to stock cubes once you experience homemade bone broth!!
• A source of collagen and glutamine. Collagen and glutamine support healthy skin, including the skin lining the gut wall. Collagen is a helpful anti-ageing nutrient as our bodies naturally produce less and less collagen as we age.
• Rich in minerals such as calcium and iron. Many of the bones soften and disintegrate into the stock adding to the nutritional value of your broth. Good news for stronger bones.
• Gentle on sensitive tummies. It’s generally well tolerated and easy to digest making bone broth a nourishing food as part of a gut healing plan. The only exception to this would be if you are dealing with a histamine intolerance.

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​What’s the difference between bone broth and stock?

Bone broth involves boiling (or slow-cooking) bones e.g. a chicken carcass or leftover bones from a roast, or even fish heads after grilling a whole fish. During the boiling process, the bones and grisly bits start to disintegrate, releasing bone marrow, minerals and flavour into the pot.

Stock is usually made from a stock cube or a bag of stock from the supermarket that is not made in the traditional way. These often contain processed salt, artificial flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and thickening starches. Fine when stuck but it’s way healthier (and tastier) to make your own chicken stock. Keep some on standby in the freezer
for moments you need it.

It’s a pretty ancient phenomenon.

Bones are commonly boiled to make delicious soup bases around the world. Think Vietnamese pho, Chinese noodle dishes and Japanese ramen. Yum! These are often made using beef, pork and chicken bones and trotters. Even Irish stew (far less exotic but still yum) was made traditionally by boiling lamb or beef bones. It was far from Knorr stock cubes we were reared.

​What bones are best for making bone broth?
The quality of your ingredients really matters when it comes to boiling bones. It’s best to use organic, free range bones. We want to minimise our risk of exposure to synthetic hormones, pesticide residue and genetically modified feeds.

You can buy organic bones from a butcher. I simply use the leftover organic chicken carcass from a Sunday roast to make bone broth in the slow cooker. It means no part of the chicken is wasted. I then use it throughout the week.

It makes a delicious base for soups and stews. Some people enjoy bone broth straight-up in their favourite mug (I find this can be greasy). Freeze it in batches or in ice-cubes and use at a later date too.


Don’t have time to sit around boiling bones all day?

Here’s my cheat sheet! You can make a quick and easy chicken stock by boiling chicken breasts or chicken thighs (with bone-in) in water. Remove the chicken once cooked and set to one side. Continue to make your soup using the reserved broth. Once the soup is ready, shred the chicken and add it back to the pan. Sorted!

Already a whizz at making bone broth? Take it up a notch:

• Add a dollop of miso paste at the end for more umami richness
• Add some noodles or courgetti (spiralised courgette) to serve
• Add some dried seaweed for a natural source of iodine and sea minerals.

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​How to make bone broth with chicken

​Bone Broth Recipe

What you need:

• 1 chicken carcass
• 1 large white onion, peeled, left whole
• 3 carrots, left whole
• Green part of 1 leek
• Celery heart
• Handful of black peppercorns
• A few sprigs of thyme or rosemary (fresh works best but dried will work)
• 3-4 bay leaves

Optional extras:

• Garlic cloves, left whole
• Ginger
• Sea salt
• Lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar (it’s meant to help expel more minerals from the bones)

How to make bone broth in a slow-cooker:
1. Simply add the chicken carcass and all the ingredients to the slow-cooker
2. Fill up with water (leave space at the top so it doesn’t over flow)
3. Cook on high overnight, 12 hours. No need to supervise, simply let it do its thing.
4. Strain the liquid using a sieve and discard the veg and carcass.
5. Use immediately or cool and refrigerate or freeze for a later date.


Boiling bones on the hob:
1. Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer with the lid askew for 8-12 hours.
3. You may need to top up with water periodically and/or skim off any fat that floats to the top.
4. Strain the liquid and discard the veg and carcass.
5. Use immediately or cool and refrigerate or freeze for a later date.

Your home will smell AMAZING.
Ready to make some soup with your homemade bone broth? Try my lentil and vegetable soup or my sweet potato and peanut soup recipe.

Interested in working with me 1-1? Find out more about my 90-Day Gut Health Plan.