Easy And Delicious Turkey Bone Broth Recipe

Turkey bone broth is nourishing and healthy and a great way to use up the leftover bones and trimmings from poultry. Let me walk you through the process.

Thanksgiving is over.

Family and friends have all gone home and your beautiful golden bird has been reduced to a few pieces of meat and a pile of bones.

You start cleaning up and get ready to throw the bones away.

Wait! Don’t do it!

Did you know that pile of bones has something left to give?

“I knew that!” you say.

“Turkey broth”, you say.

And you are absolutely right! Turkey broth is delicious and makes great soup and turkey gravy.

But what if we went one step further? What if we make bone broth?

“What’s bone broth?” you say.

I’m so glad you asked! 

Bone broth is what happens when you add an acid (like apple cider vinegar) and let your broth simmer away until all the minerals from the bones transfer into the liquid.

You’ll know when that happens because the bones will start to crumble.

Not only does the broth taste good, but now it contains the minerals that our bodies need to build strong bones and re-mineralize our teeth. It also contains gelatin that can help improve our joint health.

I try to have this wonderfully healthy and delicious elixir in my pantry at all times.

So I always make sure that I make a roasted turkey that’s quite a bit larger than what I’ll need to feed everyone at dinner.

That also gives me lots of turkey leftovers, which I love. I slice what’s left of the breast for sandwiches and dice up the rest for soup and Turkey Turnovers.

Now comes the bone broth part.

Turkey Bone Broth Recipe

Ingredients

• turkey carcass and other turkey bones
• 2 onions
• 12 whole cloves
• 1 whole head of garlic
• 2 large carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 bay leaves
• other herbs like parsley or thyme
• peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• several cups filtered water
• 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar

Equipment

• large stockpot
• strainer
• butter muslin
• large bowl

Instructions

The carcass and all the random bits of meat and skin get tossed into my big stockpot. (I use this same recipe for chicken stock as well.)

I cut a few onions in half and stud then with cloves and toss them in.

Then I throw in a head of garlic and any left over carrots and celery from the veggie tray (sadly, there weren’t any left this year), and add a couple of bay leaves.

Throw in some sea salt and about a dozen peppercorns.

This turkey broth recipe is really very flexible. Just use the vegetables that you have in your crisper drawer.

Then I put in enough water to just cover the bottom of the pot and stick it in a 450°F oven for 30 minutes.

Roasting the bones and vegetables gives the stock a deeper, richer flavor.

After the 30 minutes of roasting, I add enough water to cover everything. Then I add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar (a couple of Tablespoons), and put it on top of the stove over medium high heat.

When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer.

Skim any scum that comes to the surface.

The longer it simmers, the better it is for you. I like to put it on and let it go for 12 to 24 hours (or even longer).

Or, you can put it in a large crockpot and let it go for a few days. I walk you through Beef Bone Broth in the crockpot here.

You will probably need to add some water from time to time to keep everything covered.

After you’ve let it go for at least 12 hours, check the bones. Are they crumbly? If they are, you’ve gotten all of the good stuff out of them.

Now its time to strain the broth.

Place a colander or strainer over a large bowl. Add a couple of layers of butter muslin or use a cotton pillow case inside the strainer.

Now remove the bones and veggies and pour the broth into the strainer. You can hang the butter muslin to help it drain if you want to. 

Discard the bones and solids, and place the broth into the refrigerator for a few hours so the fat can solidify on the surface.

I like to just leave it there overnight, but it will need 4 or 5 hours to cool off.

Then simply remove the fat from the surface and put it in containers for storage. 

I, of course, put it in canning jars.

Storing homemade turkey stock

You can simply put the jars in the freezer, or you can pressure can them.

If you choose to freeze, make sure you leave a generous 1 – 2 inch headspace. The broth will expand as it freezes and you don’t want the jars to crack!

I usually can mine because that way I don’t have to remember to get it out of the freezer to thaw.

If you would like to pressure can yours, head on over to the Beef Broth post for the instructions!

Not that I would ever forget to get something out of the freezer to thaw…but, ya know, some people might. 

It makes a great base for soup or gravy and can also be used in any recipe that calls for chicken broth/stock, like my Chicken & Broccoli in Wine Sauce. 

What’s your favorite way to use turkey or chicken broth?

Frequently Asked Questions About Turkey Bone Broth

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