Well it’s a bummer when someone gets sick in your family! If someone does come down with a cold, flu, or sinus infection……the best thing in the whole world is to cook a whole chicken and make some   bone broth. I’d like to share one of my family’s favorite recipes!! It has been passed down for generations and this recipe is always requested when someone is under the weather! It is so easy and it’s packed with nutrition!!!! It’s a healer for sure!

This is my version of bone broth. You of course can make bone broth using beef or chicken. I really like making chicken broth because of the simplicity of it! I find the best way to make the broth is to throw a whole chicken in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water. I season the chicken with a little salt and pepper and bring it up to pressure. I cook the chicken for 20 minutes. Then bam it’s done! You can let the chicken sit there and cool and then debone  it.

I like to take the pressure off the pot with a quick release method and then open the lid. (You will of course need to read the instructions for your pressure cooker to learn how to do this.)  Click here to see an overview of how to use a pressure cooker. There is enough meat from the whole chicken for 2 meals for my family of 4. I stick the other half, that I am not using, in the freezer for later use.

Typically what I do is divide the broth that is in the pressure cooker after it has cooked. Usually there are about 3 cups of broth in the pan after I have pulled out the chicken. I measure out 2 cups of broth and set the other cup aside. I usually store the 1 cup of extra broth in a ball jar and freeze it. This way I can use it for another meal at a later time without having to go through the cooking process.

I take the 2 cups of broth and put them back in the same pressure cooker (haven’t washed it yet) and add 1 cup of rice. I have found that Mahatma works the best. I salt and pepper the rice. I stir in about half of the shredded chicken and close the lid to the pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes after it comes up to pressure. I do a quick release on it again and there is a nice hot steaming meal that it absolutely delicious! Serve with a salad and you are all set!

So you still have 1 cup of delicious bone broth in the freezer and the frozen chicken. When you are in need of another delicious meal, thaw them both out and get out your pressure cooker or a big stock pot. Add the bone broth and about 4-5 cups of water to the pan. Remember the bone broth is super concentrated. Cut up 2 carrots in slices, 2 celery stocks chopped, 1/2 of an onion chopped, and the other 1/2 of the chicken meat, which I like to chop up. I like to add either 1/2- 3/4 cup of elbow noodles or rice to my soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put all ingredients in the pressure cooker and cook for about 3 minutes, after it has come to full pressure. Use the quick release method and of course your noodles will not be quite finished. I place the glass lid over the pressure cooker and let it steep for about 10 minutes. The noodles continue to cook.  Make some cornbread and Yummo!! You have another meal ready to go.

I use to think the gelatin in the soup was fat and it was bad. I remember spooning out the gelatin after I had put it in the refrigerator overnight. I actually threw it away thinking it was fat! Oh my! Little did I know that was the best part and filled with nutrition. Don’t throw the gelatin away!!

Of course you can make bone broth on the stove in a regular pot and let it simmer. There are recipes out there where you cook the stuff for 24 hours. If you are hanging around the house and you’ve got time, this works. I just always do it the quick way, with a pressure cooker. I think the flavor is better too! Now I have to say I have not tried the broth that has been cooked for 24 hours. I’m sure it is probably fantastic too!

So let me tell you…….all pressure cookers are not created equal. I have had many over the years. I started with an oldie that had the rocker on top. It use to scare me to death! I always thought it would explode. I worried using it around the kids.

I have since gotten a  Fissler brand and I love my new pressure cooker!  I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to start cooking with pressure. This new cooker does not have a rocker on top and it is super quiet! It’s a little expensive but a great investment.

Here’s another recipe that you might want to check out using a Fissler pressure cooker. It goes over how to use the pressure cooker and you can see how easy it is!

I bought a 2 piece set . The set came with both a 6qt and a 4 qt pan, a glass lid that fits both pans and then of course the top that you use to seal the pans to go under pressure. I use them both constantly in my kitchen. They can be used like regular pans too.

Please do not be scared off from these recipes if you do not have a pressure cooker! They are so yummy and worth making. Just get out a pan and start cooking! We need to get back into the kitchen! If you make these 2 recipes, you will have made 2 meals with nothing artificial added and you know exactly what is in them! This is the way we need to be cooking folks! This will heal any ailment out there! Just try it!!

One thing I have to add here is that I hope you are all taking vitamins! This will keep your immune system in check!! I’d love to tell you about the best vitamins I’ve ever taken. I can totally tell a difference when I take them. I have more energy and I feel fantastic! They have a money back guarantee and you really should try them! Please let me know if you would like to try them for 30 days, and feel the difference.

Hope you have a great week! Be kind and make someone’s day!!

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Naturally,  Lisa

 

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Leave a Reply to lisawilkins15@yahoo.com

  1. Lyn
    Mar 07, 2016

    This sounds great!! We love homemade chicken soup in our house…don’t have a pressure cooker though! My mom used to blend and purée all the veggies after it was cooked! My mom Always added baby pastina pasta to it and a little parmasesn cheese! Probably an Italian thing!
    Love your blogs!!

    Reply
    • lisawilkins15@yahoo.com
      Mar 12, 2016

      The baby pastina pasta sounds interesting. Never thought about parmesan cheese on it! I’ll have to go the Italian way next time!!
      Thanks for your support!!

      Reply