When I was pregnant with Augie I began researching ways to help speed up my recovery after birth. I stumbled upon the book The First Forty Days, in which the authors provide a bunch of natural ways to help your body heal. One of the recipes in the book was for bone broth. Bone broth is very nutritious and has many health benefits including reducing inflammation, healing the gut, supporting weight loss, aiding in better sleep, and supporting joint health. While I don’t eat meat, I definitely add bone broth to my “pescatarian” diet – hence the quotations. 

Soup is probably my favorite food – it sounds good 100% of the time. A good homemade broth makes all of my soup recipes that much more delicious. So I decided to make a large batch of bone broths to freeze before I gave birth. That way I could simply throw together a pot of soup with rich delicious broth during my recovery. 

I adapted the recipes for chicken bone broth and beef bone broth from The First Forty Days so that I could make them in my Instant Pot. I also adjusted some of the flavors to my liking. 

Chicken Bone Broth

Ingredients

• Carcass of 1 whole chicken or 2 lbs chicken parts 
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, cut in half 
• 2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and halved
• ½ inch knob of tumeric, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 stalks of green onions
• Handful of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

I like to start my chicken bone broth by making shredded chicken off of a whole chicken. That way I don’t waste any parts of the chicken, and I find it easier to buy a whole chicken while I’m at the grocery store rather than make an extra trip to the butchers to get chicken parts. I usually cook the whole chicken in my instant pot and use the shredded meat to make my chicken salad recipe for my husband. With the leftover carcass I can start making my bone broth. 

Leave any skin, juices, and bones from cooking the whole chicken in the instant pot. 

Add in the rest of the ingredients plus about 10 cups of water (cover the ingredients, but don’t over-fill the instant pot).

Lock the Instant Pot lid, turn the valve to SEALING, and set your Instant pot to HIGH pressure for 120 minutes.

Let the Instant Pot naturally release for 30 minutes, then flip the valve to VENTING and let out any remaining steam before removing the lid. 

Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. 

Store in glass jars in the freezer for up to 3 months. *If storing in glass jars, leave an inch or two at the top so the liquid has room to expand. 

Beef Bone Broth

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. beef bones
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 inch knob of ginger, unpeeled and halved
• 2 leeks, white parts only, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• ½ tsp. Whole cloves
• 1 star anise
• Salt and pepper

Directions

On a sheet pan (or two) covered in foil place the beef bones, onion and ginger. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the bones are browned. 

Add the content of the sheet pan to the Instant Pot with the other ingredients. 

Cover the ingredients with about 10 cups of water, careful not to fill the Instant Pot too full. 

Lock the Instant Pot lid, turn the valve to SEALING, and set your Instant pot to HIGH pressure for 120 minutes.

Let the Instant Pot naturally release for 30 minutes, then flip the valve to VENTING and let out any remaining steam before removing the lid. 

Skim off any foam on top. 

Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. 

Store in glass jars in the freezer for up to 3 months. *If storing in glass jars, leave an inch or two at the top so the liquid has room to expand.