Spice Free Italian Restorative Broth

Total time2 hr 15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time2 hr

4.6

(12)

There is something deeply comforting about a pot of golden broth simmering low and slow on the stove, filling the kitchen with the kind of warmth that feels almost medicinal. This recipe leans entirely on whole chicken pieces, root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and turnip, and fresh herbs — thyme, rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley — to build its flavor from scratch, with nothing that could irritate a sensitive system. For anyone avoiding spices, that simplicity is exactly the point: every drop of depth here comes from long, gentle simmering rather than any added heat or seasoning blends. A clever blanching step at the start removes surface impurities from the chicken before the real cook begins, which is what gives the finished broth that clear, clean, almost luminous quality. The result is a broth that is genuinely restorative — light enough to sip straight from the bowl but rich enough to feel like a proper meal when you add the shredded chicken back in. A scatter of fresh parsley at the end is entirely optional, keeping the whole dish as gentle or as bright as you need it to be.

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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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