Immune Boosting Chicken or Turkey Broth – Concord Center Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

Immune Boosting Chicken or Turkey Broth

This broth is quite flavorful and can be eaten alone or it can used for any recipe that calls for chicken or turkey broth. Homemade broth is one of the most nourishing foods that you can eat. Due to our hectic and busy lifestyles, not many people take the time to make their own soup broths anymore. However bouillon and prepackaged broths are lacking in both nutrition and flavor. We hope this recipe will inspire both the novice and expert broth makers to take the time to make this nourishing recipe. Not only is it delicious but it will help keep you and your family healthy throughout the winter months. We always keep several quarts of this broth on hand in our freezer for cooking or making a quick soup, so be sure to make extra!

Ingredients:

8 quarts cold water
3 pounds chicken or turkey (whole, legs or wings)
2 ounces (60 grams) huang qi (astragalus root)* (you may substitute 2 large carrots if you don’t have huang qi)
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 celery stalks
2 large onions
2 garlic cloves
2 fresh tomatoes
1 handful of parsley
3 slices of ginger (optional, for a more Asian style both)
2 ounces of parmesan cheese rind (optional, for a more Italian style broth)

Instructions:

Combine chicken or turkey with water in a 12 quart pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle boil and cook uncovered for 15 minutes while skimming the impurities from the surface.

Once there are no more impurities, add the huang qi, whole peppercorns and sea salt. Loosely cover the pot, leaving the lid propped open just a bit to allow for some evaporation, and continue to gently simmer for 1 hour.

Chop the rest of the vegetables into 1 inch pieces and add them to the simmering broth. Continue to gently simmer with the vegetables for 1 more hour.

Then turn off the heat and strain the hot broth immediately. This is done most easily by removing the large pieces of meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon, then ladling or pouring the broth through a mesh strainer into another pot. Discard or compost the herbs and vegetables. Set the meat aside and allow to cool. Once cool, separate the meat from the skin and bones. Discard the skin and bones and reserve the meat. You can add the meat back into a finished soup or use it to make chicken or turkey salad. Once the broth is cool it can be poured into containers for refrigeration or freezing.

Herbal packets of huang qi (astragalus root) are available for purchase at our clinic.

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