How To Holistically Heal...With Three Simple Healthy Recipes VII

Chicken Broth Three Ways including my Chicken, Egg and Lemon Soup

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In this edition:

1. Chicken Broth

2. Chicken, Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)

3. Healing Chicken Broth Congee

4. Stracciatella alla Romana

1. Chicken Broth

Chicken broth is a mineral - rich liquid made by simmering chicken bones - often with connective tissue, skin, and sometimes meat - along with aromatic vegetables, herbs, and natural salt. It’s one of the oldest, most revered remedies in traditional kitchens around the world and is used both as a nourishing drink and as the foundation of countless healing recipes - from soups and stews to congees and risottos.

This humble elixir - steeped in folklore, science, and grandmotherly wisdom - is a deeply restorative food, rich in nutrients that support the gut, immune system, joints, and skin. It is not to be confused with commercial stocks or bouillons, which are often synthetic imitations lacking both vitality and nourishment.

What Kind of Chicken Should Be Used?

The quality of your broth is only as good as the quality of your chicken. Opt for:

• Pasture-Raised, Organic Chicken: These birds roam freely, feed naturally, and are not given hormones or antibiotics. Their bones yield a richer, more gelatinous, and nutrient-dense broth.

• Whole Chickens: Ideal for a foundational, meaty broth. Once cooked, you can remove the meat to use in meals and return the carcass to the pot to extract the remaining goodness.

• Leftover Roast Carcasses: Don’t waste a good Sunday roast. The bones, skin, cartilage, and even pan juices can be added to your next batch of broth. These bring a deep, roasted umami flavour.

• Chicken Backs, Necks, Feet & Wings: These are particularly rich in connective tissue and collagen. Chicken feet especially contribute to a silky, gelatinous broth. Feet must be thoroughly cleaned and, ideally, from a trusted pastured source.

• Avoid conventionally farmed chickens where possible: Their bones lack integrity and nutrient density, and their diet and living conditions do not align with principles of healing.

Homemade vs. Store-Bought

• Homemade is best: It contains no preservatives, artificial flavours, or additives. It can be tailored to your specific needs, including salt content, aromatic profile, and cooking duration.

• Store-bought alternatives: If purchasing broth, look for fresh, organic, and gelatin-rich options. Avoid clear liquid “stocks” in cartons, which are usually devoid of active nutrition. If freezer space allows, keep a stockpile of your own broth on hand.

• Frozen is fine: Once made, broth freezes well in glass jars (leave space for expansion), stainless steel containers, or silicon moulds. It remains nutritious and convenient, ready to use in healing meals or as a sipping tonic.

How to Make It

Basic Method:

1. Add bones to a large stockpot or slow cooker.

2. Add aromatics: onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaf, black peppercorns, a splash of apple cider vinegar (to draw minerals from the bones), and filtered water.

3. Simmer for 6–24 hours. Skim off any impurities. For a clearer broth, don’t stir during cooking.

4. Strain, cool, and store. Once chilled, the broth should become gelatinous with a layer of natural fat on top.

Nutritional & Healing Benefits

Chicken broth is a true functional food. Its strength lies in its synergy of nutrients:

• Collagen & Gelatin: Support skin, joint, hair, and nail health. Gelatin soothes and seals the gut lining, assisting those with leaky gut, IBS, or post-antibiotic recovery.

• Amino Acids: Including glycine (calming for the nervous system), proline, and glutamine (gut lining repair).

• Minerals: Rich in bioavailable calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals that support bone strength, cardiovascular health, and hydration.

• Immune Support: Warm, mineral-rich broths have been used traditionally to reduce inflammation, ease respiratory symptoms, and support convalescence during illness.

• Digestive Ease: Light and easy to digest, chicken broth can be a first food after fasting, cleansing, illness, or surgery. It also enhances nutrient absorption in other foods.

• Hydration: A gentle carrier of electrolytes, especially when simmered with natural sea salt and mineral-rich vegetables.

• Nervous System Nourishment: Glycine has a calming effect on the brain and supports restorative sleep, stress recovery, and clarity.

Traditional Uses in Holistic Healing

• Daily tonic for those with chronic fatigue, digestive disorders, autoimmune conditions, or recovering from illness.

• Base for congee, soups, and braises in therapeutic diets, including elimination protocols and food-as-medicine plans.

• Gentle support for children, the elderly, and anyone with reduced appetite or compromised digestion.

• Postpartum nourishment, especially in the early weeks when digestion is delicate and rebuilding blood and tissues is essential.

2. Chicken, Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)

Recipe from my book I am Food - Eating Your Way To Health

This traditional Cypriot soup is one of my favourite things to eat. It represents nourishment and is generally made for festive days, birthdays, family arrivals or when someone is feeling unwell – a medicinal soup for the heart and soul. It is made by boiling a whole chicken (use a boiler hen for real chicken flavour and nutritional density) or with homemade chicken stock (see page 214 of my book).

The word Avgolemono (pronounced ahv-go-LEH-mo-no) is Greek, and it literally means:

“Egg-Lemon” from the Greek words:

• αυγό (avgo) = egg

• λεμόνι (lemoni) = lemon)

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg chicken

• 1⁄2 lemon

• natural salt and freshly cracked pepper

• 3⁄4 cup (150 g) medium-grain white rice, soaked overnight in filtered water with a splash of lemon juice and a pinch of natural sea salt

• 3 eggs

• 1⁄2 cup (125 ml) fresh lemon juice,

• plus extra to serve

Method

1. Wash the chicken inside and out, then rub with the lemon half and place in a large saucepan. Add 3.5 litres water and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours or until cooked. Skim the surface of the water to remove any froth.

2. When the chicken is ready, remove it from the pan and place on a plate. Cover with baking paper and foil to keep it warm. Leave the broth simmering on the stove top. Add the rice to the broth and cook for 7 minutes.

3. In the meantime, place the eggs and lemon juice in a large heatproof bowl and beat until white and fluffy.

4. This next part of the recipe is very important to prevent the egg from curdling. Add 1 ladleful of rice soup at a time to the egg and lemon mixture, beating constantly. Continue adding the soup until the bowl is full. Then pour the egg and lemon mixture into any remaining soup in the pan and stir well to combine. Remove from the heat and serve with extra lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste.

Healing Notes:

• A boiled chicken can also be roasted. Simply coat it in butter or olive oil and season with dried rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano, to taste, then roast in a preheated 180°C (fan-forced) oven for 20 minutes or until the skin is nicely browned and crispy.