How To Make Turkey Broth

When Thanksgiving is over and you have eaten your fill of leftovers, don't toss the turkey bones. They are useful for making your own turkey broth or stock. Broth is not hard to make at all, and it tastes great. You can make a whole batch and use what you can that week then freeze the rest.

There are some recipe items that are easy to make at home, and they taste so much better. Broth is one of those things. I use chicken or turkey broth almost every week in the recipes I cook - I use it instead of water when making rice, it is great as a base for soups (like in Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup or Stuffed Pepper Soup in Slow Cooker), and it's needed when you make your own cream of chicken sauce (like in Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole).

I love making my own broth because then I know exactly what is in it. No mysterious ingredients that you can't pronounce, just ingredients that will make your broth taste great.


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How To Make Turkey Broth

Broth vs stock....what is the difference? Broth is made when you use both meat and bones to make  your liquid, stock is when you use bones with little meat to make your liquid. Whichever one you call it, it has a rich flavor that will be wonderful in your upcoming recipes.

Ingredients to Make Turkey Broth

• bones from one turkey
• 2 carrots - sliced into inch long pieces
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-2 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
• Water (about 7 cups depending)

Cooking Tools

• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Stock Pot - 12 - 15 quart pot
• Measuring Cup
• Freezer Bags
• Colander
• Strainer

Recipe Instructions

Add your turkey bones and cut up vegetables to your stock pot. Add your bay leaves to the pot.

 Add water to your stock pot. The amount of water depends on how large your turkey is, you will want to cover the bones.

Cook on med-high heat until boiling. Cover, reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours. Your home will smell wonderful while it is cooking! Remove from heat and cool for an hour.

Throw away the bones and vegetables. Place a colander into a large glass bowl. Pour the broth through the colander to catch large pieces you may have missed.

If you are using the broth this week for recipes, you can then use a glass measuring cup and fine mesh strainer to add the broth to mason jars.

You can strain the broth into freezer bags if you will be using the broth later. I usually use different size freezer bags so I will have small 2 cup bags for making rice, pint bags for making sauces, or gallon bags for soups.

There you go! An easy way to make flavorful turkey broth that is made with fresh ingredients. This broth will be a delicious addition to your favorite recipes.