Chicken Bone Broth Recipe for Fertility and Gut Health

Looking for a recipe for bone broth to boost your gut health and fertility? Wondering if bone broth could help you get pregnant? Take a quick peak at this post. I started making bone broth over ten years ago, and drank this homemade bone broth while struggling with infertility, and it is super easy to make! I also loved it as an easy protein during my pregnancies (I have four kids now!). Enjoy!

If you don’t already know, bone broth is one of the number one nutrient dense foods you should be eating (drinking) while trying to conceive. Actually, no matter who you are in what walk of life you are in, you should probably be drinking bone broth, as it is so linked with gut health. I struggled with multiple infertility diagnoses and I believe that daily bone broth helped me have my second miracle!

The mainstream uses of bone broth are plentiful- helping leaky gut syndrome, or other gut issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, managing or even overcoming food allergies and intolerance, giving your immune system a boost, and helping with conditions like arthritis that are joint related.

But here’s what you might not know- bone broth is amazing for fertility! Whether you have just started, have been trying for a while, or are struggling with a diagnosis of infertility, you NEED to be drinking bone broth, preferably every day.   Also, you should really, really be making your own and not buying it from the store.  You need to use organic bones too, grass-fed, organic if you can find them.

Okay, why is bone broth so good for fertility?  Here’s the thing- you need to absolutely fully nourish your body to have healthy eggs (and sperm).  If you want plump, happy, well-developed embryos, you need to be eating plenty of the right nutrients.  And, bone-broth packs a punch.  Here’s why:

Six Reasons Bone Broth is Great for Fertility

1. Bone broth is made from meat bones simmered for days with vinegar to leach out the goodness.  You get plenty of glycine, amino acids and collagen which helps to heal gut and digestive issues.  Gut and digestive issues are directly linked to many hormonal and fertility problems.
2. As your gut heals, your gut is then able to actually process the vitamins and minerals you are eating in your super clean, high protein, high fat, low carb evidence-based fertility diet. Thus, you are able to actually fully nourish yourself.
3. Bone broth is packed with protein,amino acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and other nutrients that nourish you, help balance your hormones and make you more fertile.
4. Bone broth nourishes your kidneys, and so Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM aka your acupuncturist) love it for helping to replenish Kidney Jing which can be found in bone marrow.  Jing is what your eggs are made of according to acupuncture. There aren’t made substances that include Jing energy, so drink your bone broth every day.
5. Bone broth has 0 carbs and 15 grams of protein making it a perfect addition to your evidence-based fertility diet.  This really helps when you are trying to hit your Protein/Fats/Carbs ratios that are ideal for fertility!
6. Bone Broth is rich in glucosamine and collagen, which as we all know are good for our guts, joint health, and shiny hair, lol, but are may be great for oocyte production (eggs!!) Limited studies suggest glucosamine may actually improve egg health and embryo implantation.

*This post contains affiliate links which at no cost to you provide me with some small change to help keep this blog running! If you decide to buy something I recommend, please consider clicking through one of my links to help support this blog and my family!  Thank you!

Does Bone Broth Improve Egg Quality?

I know it sounds crazy, but there are limited studies that suggest that the glucosamine in bone broth might improve egg quality! And we know that increased nourishment improves egg quality, and that a diet rich in protein improves egg quality. So basically, we’ve got a win-win-win situation with bone broth!

What Bone Broth is the Best for Fertility?

I preferred chicken bone broth, but beef bone broth is wonderful also. You’re going to get the gut health and fertility benefits from either chicken or beef bone broth. Personally I preferred to make chicken bone broth, because I was already cooking a whole chicken each week.

How I Made Fertility Bone Broth (Quickly and Affordably!)

Convinced?  The recipe is painfully simple. You can make it with any kind of organic bones you purchase, but to be efficient and cost-effective, we always make ours with the leftover skin and bones from our weekly roast organic chicken that we make in our Instant Pot.

You can roast yours in the oven, but the Instant Pot makes things fast, doesn’t heat up your kitchen, and you can totally walk away from it (no checking and basting every 20 minutes required. The BEST thing about the Instant Pot is that it is also a SLOW COOKER.  You can do everything in this contraption.

AND it is totally non-toxic- made from high-quality stainless steel. We’ve actually stopped using our crock-pots due to concerns with the ceramic.  Get your Instant Pot and you can gift your crockpot or just keep it for parties!

So, we roast a whole organic chicken, pick it clean and save the meat for our weekly meals, and then put the bones and skin back into the Instant Pot.  Add in some water and a little apple cider vinegar and switch it over to slow cooker mode for 24-48 hours, and let it simmer on its own.  Boom!  Bone broth.  Of course, if you want to you can add all sorts of veggies and seasonings before slow cooking.

AND you don’t have to clean the thing in between roasting and making your bone broth.  If you have to do everything in the stove and then move to the slow cooker you have way more clean up. But if you do have to use the stove, it isn’t the end of the world. You just bring to boil and then keep simmering for a very, very long time.

Also, with the InstantPot you don’t smell the bone broth cooking like you do with a slow cooker or crock pot.  Although I loved the smell- it drove my husband crazy (in a bad way).  So he loves the Instant Pot too!  If you don’t want the full 8 qt Instant Pot or you are looking to save a buck, you can definitely fit a small-medium organic chicken in a 6 qt Instant Pot! We own both sizes because we are crazy addicted to this contraption.

Want to make your Bone Broth fancier?

You can make this as fancy or as simple as you like.  We keep it super simple and efficient.  We’re after all that goodness leached from the bones, and we don’t want to put in a bunch of veggies and herbs that are just going to take a bunch of time to chop and then be strained out.

Of course, their goodness will be leached into the water, so if you have the time and are inclined, add some yummy nutritious stuff like vegetables, herbs, and superfoods! Basic recipes will include onions, carrots, and garlic to improve taste, but I’ve seen recipes that include ginger, fennel, swiss chard, lemongrass, astragulus, reishi mushroom powder, etc.

Basic items that I add can include: onions, garlic, and ginger.

How Often Should I Drink Bone Broth for Fertility?

I drank one mug of bone broth pretty much every day while trying to conceive, because I was so focused on high quality nutrients, and ensuring I hit my ideal protein macros for egg health every day.

Please note that there is some evidence that some bone broths have higher levels of heavy metals, but we don’t really have enough evidence to avoid drinking it while trying to conceive. The benefits outweigh the risks there, in my opinion, unless we get more data.

Do be careful of store bought bone broth which can be very high in sodium.

Finally, some people who are histamine-sensitive may not tolerate bone broth well. Above all, listen to your body!

Alright, without further adieu, here is the recipe!

INSTANT POT SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BONE BROTH FOR FERTILITY