Another way to deal with an old chook – make gut-healing bone broth

If your chicken has passed the point of laying, chances are it’s also past the point for eating. Once chickens get to a few years old, the meat becomes tough and gamey – certainly not worth the hassle of plucking and cleaning when you can easily buy a plump chicken from the store. If you’re keeping commercial egg-laying hybrids like brown shavers, you probably won’t want to eat them at any age anyway. However, if you do kill an old, scraggly bird out of necessity and aren’t sure what to do with it, a fantastic way to maximise the nutritional value of the carcass is to make bone broth.

The miraculous medicinal benefits of bone broth have been coveted and used by human beings for millenia. Simmered on a low heat for hours, the bones and connective tissues break down and release rich deposits of vitamins, minerals and enzymes in easily digestible liquid form. The amino acids are antiinflammatory, helping restore our own connective tissues such as our joints. The gelatin from the bones helps rebuild the lining of our guts, and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium help strengthen our bones. Bone broth is high in the amino acid glycine, which studies show can aid sleep and is essential for mothers and babies during pregnancy. It also makes a fantastic first baby food when you’re switching your baby to solids.

Perhaps the best feature about bone broth is it’s exceptionally easy to make. You’ll still need to slaughter, pluck and clean the bird – I’d recommend watching the YouTube video: How to Bleed, Scald, Pluck, and Butcher a Chicken – but you can leave the skin on, and the meat and bones intact when you put it to boil.

Gut-healing bone broth

SERVES: 2

PREP TIME (NOT INCLUDING PLUCKING OR CLEANING: 5 mins COOK TIME: 2-3 hours

2 whole chicken carcasses

2 carrots, diced

2 sticks of celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ½ tsp kelp salt and/or a pinch of

karengo, kombu or other seaweed Parsely to garnish

½ tsp sea salt

Filtered water to cover everything

Chop the vegetables and add them to a large pot along with the chicken carcasses, seaweed, vinegar and salt. Cover everything with filtered water and cook the broth on a low heat for 2-3 hours. Serve on its own as a hot drink, topped with fresh parsley or add to soups and curries. This recipe will provide plenty of broth, so tip it in a few jars once cool and have a cup once or twice a day as a warm tonic. It should last three days in the fridge and several months in the freezer.