Paraben 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 Italian-style restorative broth is built on bone-in chicken pieces, carrots, parsnips, turnip, celery, and a trio of fresh herbs — nothing processed, nothing packaged, just clean, whole ingredients from start to finish. That simplicity is exactly what makes it such a reliable choice when you need to be confident about every single thing going into your bowl. A clever blanching step at the very beginning draws out surface impurities before the real simmer even starts, which gives the finished broth that clear, luminous quality you'd expect from a proper Italian kitchen. The long, gentle cook — just under two hours at a lazy simmer — coaxes every bit of flavor from the bones and vegetables without rushing or overcooking. You can serve it as a pure, restorative broth or pull the tender chicken meat back in for something more substantial. Either way, it's the kind of recipe that feels like it's doing you good from the very first spoonful.
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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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