Have you ever cracked open some Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup when you’re sick because, you know, chicken noodle soup is supposed to make you better, right? Did it help? Probably not. That’s because the healing power in good old homemade chicken noodle soup comes from the homemade bone broth it was made from. Bone broths are rich in minerals, amino acids, gelatin, and help  mitigate the side effects of colds, the flu, and upper respiratory infections. Nourished Kitchen

Incorporating homemade bone broth into your diet is one of the best and least expensive ways to boost your health. It can heal your gut lining, help with digestion, strengthen your teeth and bones, and overcome allergies-among other benefits. And by making your own, you won’t consume the processed ingredients that are found in store-bought chicken broth powders, bouillons, and canned stock-such as vegetable oils and MSG. Dr. Axe

I like roasting a pasture-raised chicken about twice a month and then using the frame to make my chicken broth (find my recipe for a whole roast chicken here). I roast a chicken with carrots and onions and then make mashed potatoes and gravy to go along with it. After dinner, I pick all the meat off the frame and save it for a couple other meals during the week.

Then I place the frame in a crock pot along with the giblets (usually the neck, gizzard, and heart) and any other vegetable scraps I have. Don’t put the liver in your stock if it comes with your giblets. Use it for something else. It will make your stock bitter. I sometimes add bay leaves too. Remember that all of these extras are optional-only the chicken frame and water are really required. Cook in your crock pot for a minimum of 24 hours. If you cook it for longer, the bones will dissolve even more and your broth will have more nutrients in it. Check your stock about every 12 hours and add more water if needed. I usually cook mine for about 48 hours.

*Adding the giblets and feet to the bone broth will increase its nutritional value. The sign of having a mineral-rich stock is one that gels. If it doesn’t gel, it’s still going to be a nourishing broth, but if it does gel, it means that it is really nutrient dense. Adding the giblets and feet to your crock pot, along with cooking it down so it’s not too diluted, will assist in producing a bone broth that gels. Also, purchasing a pasture-raised, or an organic free-range chicken is recommended because most factory farm birds are not healthy enough to produce a nutrient-dense broth.