Best Ever Homemade Chicken Broth

This recipe was passed to Kathleen from Steve’s Aunt Enid (“a little bit of this, a little bit of that”), but it took a long time of trial and error to finally master. The reason that this is the best ever broth is that it’s perfectly CLEAR (no cloudy broth here!) and packed with flavor. The key is 1) washing and peeling your veggies (I know, I know, it’s going against your instinct to throw in the veggie scraps and peels for more flavor - but trust me) and 2) boiling the chicken by itself for the first 1.5 hours.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 parsnips, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into large pieces
• 1 turnip, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into large pieces
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and quartered
• 2 large carrots, scrubbed, peeled, and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt to taste
• Optional: Fresh thyme, parsley, or dill

Instructions

• In your largest pot, add the whole chicken and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for 1.5 hours, skimming off the scum that rises to the top.
• Remove the chicken, pull off all of the meat, and discard the skin and bones. Set meat aside and use for future soup or make a lovely chicken salad!
• To the broth, add the bay leaf, turnip, parsnip, onion, and salt and simmer low for another hour (or longer if you have the time).
• Then add the carrot and celery. Cook until tender, about another 30-45 minutes.
• Towards the very end, add any herbs you like (thyme, parsley, or dill).
• Strain out everything and ta-da! You’ll have a beautifully clear and delicious broth. Reserve the carrot and celery to use in your soup - the rest can be discarded, including the herbs.