How to Make Bone Broth & Soup From A Turkey or Chicken Carcass

Written by Holley Samuel Med, RD, CSSD, CPT

Every Thanksgiving I have hosted thus far (since 2021) I have continued the cooking marathon by making broth & soup with my leftover turkey carcass and turkey leftovers. That bird was too good and too expensive to not use completely, am I right!? This has been a tradition in my family for a while so I am excited to share it with you! I know the steps may seem complicated but I promise this is actually quite simple!

Make the Broth
First, we make the broth:

  • 1 Turkey or chicken carcass

  • Water

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 2 carrots, chopped in thirds

  • 2 celery stalks, chopped in thirds

  • 1 tsp minced garlic

  • 1 TB lemon juice (you can through the whole lemon wedge in there if you like)

  • Bundle of poultry herbs: parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary

  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
1. Add the turkey or chicken carcass to a large stockpot or crockpot & fill with water enough to just cover the carcass
2. Add all other ingredients & bring to a boil
3. Once boiling, give it a stir & simmer for 2-4 hours (the longer you simmer, the more flavorful)
4. Strain out the liquid into mason jars for storage, freezing, or to use in our soup recipe below! Dispose of the other ingredients.

Make the Soup
This is my favorite go to soup recipe using the broth & leftover poultry!

  • 4 cups broth

  • 1 TB olive oil

  • 2-3 cups chicken or turkey cut up into chunks, bones removed; you can also purchase raw chicken or turkey and use this instead of you don't have leftovers; you'll just want to add the raw meat in step 2 instead of the last step so it cooks

  • 2 carrots, chopped and diced

  • 2 celery stalks, chopped and diced

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 1 tsp of each: dried thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, basil, oregano

  • 1 tsp minced ginger

  • 1.5 cups white rice

  • salt and pepper 

  • fresh parsley

Directions
1. Add olive oil, veggies, and dried spices to a soup pot and sauté under medium heat until veggies are starting to become soft and translucent (~3-5 mins)
2. Add broth, raw chicken or turkey if using, salt and pepper, and ginger & bring to a boil
3. Simmer for 20 mins 
4. Add rice & fresh parsley and simmer another 5-10 mins to let rice cook. If using leftover cooked chicken or turkey, add it now
5. Serve warm with bread & optional sprinkle parmesan cheese

This makes a moderate day (30-60 mins training) plate- add extra bread if you have a harder training day on deck or a side salad if you have an easier day on deck! You can also freeze this soup for up to 1 month.

Bone broth is a great way to get in extra protein with key amino acids to support recovery, gut health, and cartilage and tendon health. Making it in your kitchen ensures key benefits that supplements can't even hope to touch! Food first :)

Holley Samuel