Nitrate & Nitrite Free Italian Restorative Broth
There is something deeply comforting about a pot of golden broth simmering low and slow on the stove, filling the kitchen with the scent of fresh herbs and sweet root vegetables. This restorative Italian-style broth is built entirely from whole, unprocessed ingredients — bone-in chicken, carrots, parsnips, turnip, celery, and a generous bundle of fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary — so you know exactly what is going into every bowl. For anyone avoiding cured meats, packaged stocks, or processed flavor enhancers that often sneak nitrates and nitrites into otherwise innocent recipes, this one is a clean, worry-free alternative made entirely from scratch. The technique matters here: a quick blanch at the start pulls away surface impurities, and a long, lazy simmer coaxes out a broth that is genuinely golden and clear rather than murky or flat. Keeping the heat low and resisting the urge to rush past the two-hour mark is what gives the liquid that silky, restorative quality that store-bought versions simply cannot replicate. You can serve it as a pure, soul-warming broth or pull the tender chicken from the bones and add it back in for something more substantial. Either way, this is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your cold-weather rotation.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 lbs whole chicken pieces (bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks), fresh — not previously frozen and thawed more than 24 hours ago
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
- 2 medium parsnips, peeled and halved crosswise
- 1 medium turnip, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium onion, peeled and halved
- 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 10 cups cold water
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the chicken pieces in a large 6–8 qt stockpot and cover with 10 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately drain and rinse the chicken under cold running water. Wipe out the pot. This blanching step removes surface impurities and produces a clearer, cleaner-tasting broth.
- 2
Return the rinsed chicken to the clean pot. Add the carrots, parsnips, turnip, onion, celery, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprigs. Pour in 10 cups of fresh cold water — the water should cover the chicken and vegetables by at least 1 inch.
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