Paleo AIP Chicken Bone Broth Recipe (Slow Cooker)

This homemade AIP chicken bone broth is made in a slow cooker/crockpost. It's Paleo, AIP, Whole30, and Keto friendly. Plus it's easy, delicious, and healing. 

I've been drinking bone broth every day for about a week now as part of a 14-day bone broth "experiment" to see if I feel any different as a result. (You can read about how that turned out here.)

Until now, I've been trying out some different store-bought brands. I had put off making homemade bone broth because 1) It seemed so daunting and time-consuming and 2) It can be difficult to find good quality bones.

I did finally decide to try making some though and I'm glad I did because it's the best AIP bone broth I've had thus far. This healing chicken bone broth recipe was inspired by this Easy CrockPot Bone Broth recipe by The Clean Eating Couple. I love it because it's super simple and they blend the veggies right in afterward. Genius!

**Just a quick heads up- this post contains affiliate links which means if you click on them and buy something,  I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) to help continue maintaining this site. 

AIP Chicken Bone Broth Ingredients

• Raw Chicken Bones from a Whole Chicken
• Carrots
• Celery Stalks
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Garlic Cloves
• Fresh Ginger- This is optional but adds a nice flavor.
• Onions
• Water
• Lemon
• Coconut Aminos
• Fresh Thyme
• Black Pepper - Add this to taste (omit it for AIP).
• Sea Salt to taste

How to Make Paleo Bone Broth in a Slow Cooker

Step 1: Place everything in the crockpot. Set it to low temp and set the timer for 12 hours. 

I did this on Saturday around 2 pm. This isn't a big deal for most recipes. However, when it takes 12 hours to complete, that means it's getting done at 2 am.

I knew this but decided to go ahead anyway because I was eager to try it. The point to note here is to time it to finish during waking hours!

I was a little nervous going to bed around midnight knowing that the broth would finish around 2 am and hoped I wouldn't sleep through it and ruin the broth.

My fear was that if it sat too long and cooled, it would be a food safety nightmare OR something would catch fire.

The shorten a long story, I ended up letting it cook until about 6 am the next morning. It was still very hot even though the crockpot had shut off by then.

In total, the broth actually got to cook for a good 16 hours.

Step 2: Take out the big bones and veggies.

I started by carefully pulling out the veggies and putting them in one bowl and then scooping out most of the bones and putting them on a plate.

Step 3: Strain the Broth

If your broth has a lot of fat on the surface, you can skim it off or cool it first, then skim. Mine didn't have a whole lot, so I didn't do much skimming. 

Step 4: Blend some of the veggies and add them back to the broth. *This is an optional step.

I decided to blend the veggies with some of the broth but reserve some plain broth too. 

I actually ended up saving some plain broth in one jar. Then, some broth with just a little bit of veggies in a second jar. The third jar had a little broth blended with a lot of veggies.

You can do this however you want of course. It's all pretty good but I think I really prefer it with the veggies mixed in; delicious.

FAQs

What is Broth?

Broth is produced when vegetables and meat are simmered for about 2 hours or less; less time than it takes to make bone broth or stock. Unlike stock or bone broth, regular broth is thinner overall and doesn't congeal when chilled. 

What is Stock?

Stock is made by simmering bones with vegetables, herbs, and spices for several hours (3-4) and the ingredients are strained out keeping only the liquid. Stock is gelatinous when chilled because of the collagen and gelatin extracted from the bones during the cooking process. 

What is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is essentially stock except it's simmered for a much longer time (usually anywhere from 8 to 24 hrs). The longer simmer time helps to release additional nutrients like glucosamine, amino acids, and electrolytes from the bones.

Are Bone Broth and Stock the Same?

Before doing this exploration of bone broth, I'd been wondering about bone broth vs stock as they seem very similar. As you can see from above, they're not exactly the same however, bone broth and stock can be used interchangeably in recipes. 

Best Bones for Chicken Bone Broth

Making a good bone broth requires joints, knuckles, neck bones, feet, marrow bones, etc. from high-quality sources. Ideally, they should be from organically grown/grass-fed/free-range animals. If you can get to know your local butcher, this can be a good source.

Otherwise, White Oak Pastures is an amazing place to get them online. I've been shopping there for about a year and love it. Use the code "foodcourage" to save 15% off your first order.

If you don't want to just buy bones, you could, of course, buy a whole organic chicken for a meal or other type of responsibly sourced meat and use those bones or save them in the freezer for later. 

How can I use bone broth?

• Drink it straight- This recipe works great for a sipping broth. 
• Make Soup- If you leave the broth plain (veggies not blended in), you can add it to recipes. Add it to recipes that call for chicken broth or bone broth such as Creamy Ground Turkey Soup with Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts, Instant Pot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Pork Stew, and  Nightshade Free Green Chicken Enchilada Soup.
• Bone Broth Smoothie bowl- I was surprised to hear that this is a thing; it sounds kind of gross but it's actually pretty cool. It's basically the same concept as the usual fruit smoothie bowls except bone broth is incorporated and you may or may not see fruit used.

Often it's just a smooth savory soup made with bone broth and other nourishing ingredients like avocados and coconut milk, then topped with things like fruit, nuts, coconut, etc. 

• Freeze it for later use- Considering bone broth recipes often produce more bone broth than one can use all at once, it's great that it freezes well.

Using an ice cube tray to make broth cubes is one of my favorite hacks because you can use just one cube at a time if needed.

Plenty of recipes call for a small amount of broth. So it's nice to be able to just pop a few cubes out of the tray and add them to your recipe. rather than open an entire carton or can of store-bought broth which may go to waste or have a large amount of homemade broth hanging around in your fridge. 

Why Do You Add Vinegar to Bone Broth?

The acidity of the vinegar helps to break down the bones extracting the collagen and maybe some minerals, making a more nutrient-rich broth. 

When Should I Drink Bone Broth?

You can drink bone broth any time of day but depending on what your goals are, drinking it at certain times of day may help.

For example, if your goal is better sleep, drinking it before bed may be best. If your goal is to combat gut issues, drinking it in the morning can help with this throughout the day.

If you have cravings in the afternoon, a cup of bone broth may give you a little boost and help to keep your appetite in check. Drinking it any time of day is believed to help support detoxification and strengthen immunity.

Conclusion:

If you tried this AIP chicken bone broth recipe, I'd love to hear from you. Rate it and/or leave a review below.

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @foodcourage for the latest AIP/Paleo recipes, autoimmune nutrition info, and Food Courage happenings!