• I keep my chicken bones in the freezer till I need them to make more chicken bone broth. So if you do the same then make sure you take the bones out of the freezer a good 12 to 24 hours before you want to start making your broth.
• You might want a nice big cleaver for this job. But a tough kitchen knife that you don't mind blunting a bit will do the job too.
• On your cutting board, lay your chicken bones and try to chop them in half lengthwise while making sure to never have your fingers too close. After all, you're trying to chop hard enough with a sharp enough blade to cut through bone, so make sure they aren't your bones.
• If you feel uncomfortable with this step or don't have a knife, then skip this step and use the whole bones.
• Add the chicken bones, water, and vinegar to the stockpot and leave to stand on the counter for half an hour to an hour.
• Bring the stockpot with the chicken bones to a boil, making sure to skim off any scum that rises to the top.

Keeping the bone broth at the right temperature

• At this stage, you can choose between several options.
• You can leave it to simmer on the stove.

  Simply leave it on the stove for a minimum of 12 hours but ideally more around the 24-hour time mark. I'm not a fan of this method since it takes up stove space. But if you have neither a slow cooker nor thick blankets, it is a good option.
• You can use a slow cooker.

  Instead of bringing it to a boil on the stove, you could add the bones, vinegar, and water to your slow cooker. Then set it to low for 18 to 30 hours. It needs that bit longer because it takes longer to get to temperature. This is a nice and easy way that is very hands-off that gives you a delicious chicken bone broth that is beautifully clear.
• Or you can use my favourite method, which is the haybox or fireless cooker method.

  After it has come to a boil, you can simply leave it to simmer for 10 minutes. Then pop it into a big towel that you then wrap up into more blankets. You can do this using a box or basket that hold the blankets. Or you could put it in the bed and wrap all the blankets around it. Or you can simply have a pile of blankets in your hallway that hide a pan. You could even have your toddler kiss it goodnight as mine does.

  Make sure to bring it back up to temperature after every 12 hours so that it never drops below 70 C or 160 F. And repeat until in total it has been about 24 to 60 hours. This is because although temperature loss is minimal, it does still lose heat.

Straining and finishing touches

• After your chicken bone broth has been simmering and infusing with goodness for long enough, it is time for straining the liquid off. Keep in mind that the longer it simmers, the more nutrients and goodness it will have been able to extract.
• I find that the easiest way to do this is to strain your broth with a mesh strainer. Into your second largest pan so that it can hold all of your bone broth while it is cooling down. It can also be nice if you keep the lid on your stockpot at an angle as you would normally do for straining other things. This will prevent any bones from falling into your strainer. Which makes straining it a bit more challenging.
• If you want, you can already taste it immediately and add some salt to taste. Or you can wait until you will actually use it in whichever meal you create with it. I prefer personally to salt it afterwards. Since I often use it to make homemade ramen noodles. And that allows me the freedom to flavour it however I like.
• If you prefer the flavour of more typically French type broths and stocks. Then you might like to add some onion, celery, and carrots. As well as some herbs that you would often find in a bouquet garni, like bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. This will give you a chicken bone broth that might taste more familiar to you. Since it is how most western kitchens flavour their stocks and broths.
• Once the chicken bone broth is to your liking. You can store it in a closed container either in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for a couple of months.