Collagen Chicken Broth

Collagen chicken broth

The secret to a deeply collagen-rich chicken broth is to start with a whole fresh chicken rather than bones alone. You poach the bird just until the breast and leg meat are cooked, lift them out for salads, noodles and bowls, then simmer the carcass, skin and wings down into a glossy, jelly-set broth — the skin and joints are where the collagen lives, so a whole chicken gives you more of it, and faster, than a bone-only broth, plus a second meal of cooked chicken for free. This is the zero-waste backbone of the way I cook: one chicken, two meals, and a broth that turns a weeknight noodle bowl, a risotto or a simple sauce into something far better.

I always have spare portions of frozen chicken broth. There are so many uses for chicken broth; from soups and sauces to noodles and risotto. I often cook rice, couscous, and other grains like bulgur wheat in chicken broth. My children love tiny pasta shapes cooked simply in this broth with a chunk of parmesan cheese (pastina in brodo).

I often defrost a portion of this broth to make a quick weeknight nutritious supper of simple noodles, with shredded chicken meat and vegetables served in steaming chicken broth seasoned with soy and lime.

Chicken Broth versus Chicken Stock

People often ask me if chicken stock is the same as chicken broth and the answer is today, yes, but historically, no. These days the terms chicken broth, chicken bone broth and chicken stock are used interchangeably with chicken and meat stock being referred to as bone broth, especially in the United States while people in the United Kingdom and its former colonies calling generally say chicken stock.

Here is the historical background and where the confusion comes from. The great cookery writer Theodora Fitzgibbon (1976) describes stock as the ‘liquid extracted from fish, meat, poultry or vegetables by slow cooking with water, or wine and water’. Concentrated stocks such as fond de veau and fond de volaille form the basis of sauces and glazes in classical french cuisine. Traditionally, broth, like the French bouillon and Italian brodo was somewhere between a very simple soup and a stock and usually contained vegetables, but these days bouillon and brodo also mean stock or broth in these languages.

I have been making chicken stock or chicken bone broth from scratch and freezing it in batches for years. I also make a regular chicken stock with the carcass of every roast chicken that goes through my kitchen - I never waste bones! This collagen broth is different though because it uses an entire raw chicken so that the collagen is more easily extracted from the collagen-rich skin and connective tissues. If you want to increase the collagen even more then add raw chicken wings.

Don’t be intimidated by making chicken broth from scratch as it’s a lot easier than it sounds and infinitely improves the taste of soups and sauces. The nutritional benefits of cooking with real chicken broth with its concentrated minerals and collagen are huge for everything from anti-aging and immunity, to shinier hair to childhood brain development.

In Asia, (where I lived for more than a decade) chickens often come with the head and feet still on. It took me a while to get used to this until I found out that chicken feet are packed with collagen so I now include chicken feet in my stock pot rather than discarding them. I’ve even asked my butcher in France for chicken feet (they are usually only included with a poulet de Bresse ) - he was surprised but now gives them to me for free. I’m not particularly squeamish but I still can’t bring myself to do anything with the heads! This recipe will show you how to make fool-proof chicken broth every time.

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Collagen Chicken Broth

Yield: 2.5 litres

Author: Dee Kirk

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 15 M

I make this zero-waste broth with a whole fresh chicken and remove the meat to use in salads and bowls. It has very few herbs and includes ginger so that it is versatile enough to use in both western and Asian dishes. Using a whole raw chicken with the skin boosts the collagen content tremendously. I make this jelly-like stock almost every week and always have spare portions in the freezer. There are so many uses for chicken stock from soups to sauces and risotto. I often cook chicken stock rice, couscous, and other grains like bulgur wheat and freekeh for a pumped taste and nutritional value.

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Ingredients

Collagen Chicken Broth

• 1 organic or free-range chicken 1.5-2 kg
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 thumb of ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 black peppercorns
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Collagen Chicken Broth

1. Prepare the chicken. First carefully remove the legs, making sure not to cut the skin too near then breast meat. Then snip off the wings. Finally, cut our the backbone and wipe and wash any innards or blood under a cold water.
2. Place all the chicken pieces in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any foamy scum or grey residue that forms on top using a skimmer (écumoire) or a small sieve.
3. Once the liquid starts to run clear, add the vegetables and aromatics.
4. After the 20 minutes, carefully remove the chicken breasts and transfer to a chopping board. Check if they are cooked by either slicing in with a knife; they should be white but not dry and stringy, or read 75C or 165F on a meat thermometer such as a Thermapen. Remove the breasts with a sharp knife, cutting as close to the bone as possible and transfer the meat with the skin intact to a bowl with a little poaching liquor to keep it from drying out - they will continue to cook slowly. Return the bones to the pot.
5. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes before carefully removing the leg meat. Return the bones along with any skin to the pot. Make sure to leave the wings in the pot; they are collagen superstars.
6. Simmer on a low heat for 3 hours, keeping an eye that the stock does not dry out - add a cup of water if necessary. Season to taste.
7. Once ready you should have about 85 fluid ounces (2.5 litres) of liquid. Carefully ladle the stock through a sieve 2-3 times, discarding the leftover carcass, vegetables, and aromatics and letting the sediment collect at the bottom of the pot. Do not be tempted to tip all the liquid into the sieve in one go as your stock will come out cloudy. You can use it immediately or cool off and then transfer to the fridge.
8. Once the broth cools, you should be left with a jelly-like substance with a layer of fat on top. If you prefer to separate the fat from the stock then simply lift it off with a spatula and pop in a jar where it should keep in the fridge for 3 weeks - it’s great for frying potatoes, or mixing through rice, etc. Portion out the remaining stock into bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend labeling each portion with the date of preparation.

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Cold collagen chicken broth topped with solidified fat

Frequently Asked Questions

Does chicken broth really contain collagen?
Yes. Collagen comes from skin, cartilage and connective tissue, so a broth made with the whole chicken — skin, wings and all — is genuinely collagen-rich. As it chills it sets to a soft jelly, which is the visible sign the collagen has been drawn out.

What's the difference between chicken broth, stock and bone broth?
In everyday use they overlap. Traditionally, stock was the strained liquid from slow-cooked bones and aromatics; broth was lighter, somewhere between a stock and a soup; and "bone broth" is the more recent, mostly American term for a long-simmered, collagen-rich stock. This recipe sits happily across all three.

Why make it with a whole chicken instead of just bones?
Two reasons. The skin and joints of a whole bird carry more collagen than bare bones, so you get a richer, faster set. And you keep the poached breast and leg meat for salads, bowls and noodles — making the whole thing zero-waste.

How long should I simmer it?
Three hours gives a beautifully gelatinous, full-flavoured broth that works well as a versatile ingredient. You can go longer to maximum the collagen extraction but this will compromise the taste of the broth.

How do I store and freeze it?
Once cooled it sets to a jelly with a layer of fat on top. Keep the fat or lift it off and save it for cooking. Portion the broth into containers or bags and freeze for up to three months — label each with the date.

What is collagen broth good for?

Collagen soup, especially bone broth, is renowned for its numerous health benefits. It's packed with essential amino acids that support skin health, joint function, and digestive health. Regular consumption can lead to improved skin elasticity, stronger nails, and healthier hair. Most importantly, chicken broth is a delicious ingredient.

What foods are high in collagen?

Beyond bone broth, foods rich in collagen include:

• Meat: Chicken skin, bone-in meats, and organ meats like liver

• Fish: Salmon, halibut, and cod

• Eggs: The egg whites are a good source of collagen.

• Dairy: Cheese and yogurt, especially grass-fed varieties

  What cancels collagen?

  Certain factors can hinder collagen production or accelerate its breakdown. These include:

• Sun damage

• Smoking

• Poor diet

• High sugar intake

• Excessive alcohol consumption