The Bare Bones of Chicken Broth The quick answer
Chicken bone broth is the lightest, most versatile, and easiest to make. It is the everyday sipping broth and the classic reach-for when you are under the weather, backed by a famous university study on chicken soup, with the honest twist that broth alone was not the active part.
- Light, golden, and the most familiar and beginner-friendly broth.
- A source of collagen and protein, like other bone broths.
- The famous cold-easing effect came from whole chicken soup, not broth alone.
- Its real gifts when sick: warmth, hydration, sodium, and easy protein.
- Simmers faster than beef, usually 8 to 12 hours.
Chicken bone broth is where most people start, and for good reason. It is light, golden, endlessly versatile, and the most forgiving to make. It is also the broth wrapped up in the oldest home remedy there is, so it is worth separating what the science actually shows from the folklore.
Why Chicken Bone Broth Is the Everyday Choice
Chicken bone broth is mild and approachable, which makes it the easy daily sipper and an all-purpose cooking base. You can build it from a roast chicken carcass, saved backs and wings, or a mix, and it gives up its collagen and flavor faster than dense beef bones, so it is quicker to make. Adding chicken feet or wing tips is the trick to a broth that gels.
Chicken Bone Broth and Colds: What the Science Really Says
The idea that chicken soup helps a cold is not just folklore. In a much-cited study published in the journal Chest, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that chicken soup mildly slowed the movement of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, an anti-inflammatory effect that could ease the congestion of a cold. Here is the honest twist most articles skip: the researchers found that broth alone was not the active part. It was the whole soup, vegetables and all. Lead researcher Dr. Stephen Rennard put it plainly.
“I think it’s the concoction.”
Dr. Stephen Rennard, University of Nebraska Medical Center
So when you are sick, chicken bone broth’s real gifts are the ones that need no asterisk: warmth, hydration, sodium to replace what you lose, and easy, sippable protein for when you do not feel like eating.
Other Benefits of Chicken Bone Broth
Like every bone broth, chicken broth is a low-calorie source of protein and collagen, it is gentle and easy to sip when your stomach is off, and its glycine has been studied for a small role in restful sleep. The benefits are broadly the same across types, so for the full, sourced rundown, see our guide to bone broth benefits. The honest summary: nourishing food that may support a healthy routine, not a cure.
Chicken Bone Broth Nutrition
A cup is light: low in calories, with a few grams of protein and small amounts of minerals. Chicken broth is generally a bit lower in gelatin and protein than beef, which is exactly why it feels lighter to drink. The amounts vary with the bones and the cook, so treat it as a nourishing contributor rather than a precise supplement.
How to Make Chicken Bone Broth
Chicken bone broth is the most forgiving to make. Start with a carcass, backs, and wings, and add feet or wing tips so the broth gels. Cover with cold water, add a little vinegar, and keep the pot at a bare simmer rather than a rolling boil so the broth stays clear. Chicken bones give up their goodness in eight to twelve hours. Add onion, celery, and a few peppercorns toward the end, strain, and cool. For ways to use and store it, see how to use bone broth.
A Note on Safety
Chicken bone broth is a safe everyday food for most people. Watch the sodium in store-bought versions, and if you are pregnant, nursing, feeding a baby, or managing a health condition, check with a professional first. This page is information, not medical advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chicken bone broth good for colds?
It genuinely helps you feel better, mostly through warmth, hydration, and sodium. The famous study found the cold-easing effect came from whole chicken soup, not broth on its own.
How long does chicken bone broth take to make?
Less time than beef. Eight to twelve hours of gentle simmering is usually enough to draw out the collagen and flavor.
Why did not my chicken broth gel?
It likely needs more collagen-rich parts. Adding chicken feet or wing tips, and using a little less water, gives the firm, jiggly set people look for.
Is chicken bone broth healthy to drink every day?
For most people, yes, as a low-calorie source of protein and hydration. Choose lower-sodium options if you are watching salt, and vary your diet beyond broth alone.
Is chicken bone broth the same as chicken stock?
They overlap, but bone broth is cooked longer to pull out more collagen, so it is richer and more likely to gel than a quick stock.
Sources & References
Independent, third-party sources. No brand-funded or competitor-commissioned studies are cited as evidence; where cited research was industry-funded, that is noted in the text.
[1] Rahimi N, Launico MV. “Biochemistry, Collagen Synthesis.” StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf, U.S. National Institutes of Health. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507709/
[2] Rennard BO, et al. “Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis In Vitro.” Chest, 2000; University of Nebraska Medical Center. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11035691/
[3] “Chicken Soup Study.” University of Nebraska Medical Center Newsroom. www.unmc.edu/newsroom/2021/05/25/chicken-soup-study/
[4] “Bone Broth: Benefits, How To Make and Nutrition.” Cleveland Clinic. health.clevelandclinic.org/bone-broth-benefits
[5] Monro JA, et al. “The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets.” Medical Hypotheses, 2013. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306987713000133