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Writer's picturejordanswellness

Have You Ever Wanted to Use the Whole Chicken?

If you have cats or dogs, here are some ideas to extend the life of what you buy at the grocery store. Something that, I promise, your four-legged friends will gobble up, and you will be happy with all of the nutrients that your furry friend will gain from these simple tips and tricks. Also, if you are like me, you will feel like a superstar for reducing your waste in the kitchen.




Yes, you read that right, the whole chicken - the bones, organs, and all. I get so giddy in the kitchen when I use every bit of an ingredient, or save scraps with a vegetable broth or homemade dog food in mind. For this post, I will describe how I use the whole chicken or turkey. Please note, that the last tip for a bone puree will not work with beef bones.


We have a compost pit in the backyard, but there is something to be said for using every part of an ingredient, and not just waiting for it to breakdown in a pile of food scraps. If you have a dog or a cat, this will not only cut down on waste, but save money on food for your four-legged family members.





First, bake the chicken or turkey how you prefer and enjoy. If you are going to use the bones for a broth and the puree, I would recommend rinsing them beforehand because our four-legged family cannot always digest the herbs and spices we love.


Here's a quick recipe that I did with a 15-pound turkey, recently:


Ingredients:


15-pound turkey

1/2 cup homemade chicken broth (see recipe below)

2 lemons

2 yellow onions, quartered

5 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon thyme

1 tablespoon sage

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon ghee (or butter)


Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

  2. Remove the thawed turkey from the plastic bag and empty the organs and neck from inside the cavity. Rinse and pat the turkey dry. ** Keep the organs and the neck. I usually put them in a mason jar and place in the fridge or freezer, until I need them.

  3. Place the turkey on a roasting rack.

  4. Add three cloves of garlic under the skin of the turkey.

  5. Melt ghee and rub the turkey with the clarified butter. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the lemon juice over the turkey.

  6. Mix the spices together and massage over the turkey. Stuff the turkey with remaining cloves of garlic, lemon wedges, and onion quarters.

  7. Add chicken broth to the base of the turkey pan, but do not pour over the turkey - it will wash the spices away.

  8. Place the turkey in the oven for 3.5 hours. Once cooked thoroughly (the center of the turkey should reach 165 F), let rest for about 15 minutes.



Second, make a bone broth. I usually keep the rinsed bones from previous meals in the freezer, and once I have enough to make broth, I will pull out of the freezer to use. Because we also use the broth for our dog, we try not to add spices until the broth is complete, and we split the broth amongst the three of us. I usually make a 48-hour bone broth - the longer it cooks, the more nutritious it will be.


If you are making this broth for yourself, I would recommend adding two stalks of celery, carrots, one yellow onion, two cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. If you are making with a four-legged family member in mind, you can omit the onion, salt, and pepper (or all of the veggies).


If you are curious about garlic and how it will affect your dog, you may be interested in learning that you can feed your dog garlic. Garlic will provide your dog with amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Garlic can also help detoxify the body, enhance liver function, and help improve circulation. If you want to read more, check this blog out.


Ingredients:


24 thigh bones (or more)

2-3 chicken carcasses or 1 large turkey carcass

9-12 cups of water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (helps pull out all of the nutrients of the bones)

3-4 stalks of celery

3-4 whole carrots

1 yellow onion, cleaned and quartered

4 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


  1. Add all of the bones to the crockpot. At this point, I usually add the necks in the crockpot, as well. *To note: poultry necks are higher in fat, so if you are being cautious with your dogs intake of fats, you might want to save for a later batch.

  2. Make sure that the pot is full of bones and the water is not filling the pot more than two inches of water above the bones, you want your broth to be dense.

  3. Set the crockpot to low for 24-hours. I usually do this a second time, but it depends on your own preference for how long you would like to cook the bones.

  4. With a few hours left, steam the organs for about 5-7 minutes on each side. I like to keep the organs on the top of the broth. This can be achieved simply by balancing the organs on the top of the bones. If you are giving your dogs organs, a slight cook is all you need, as most of the minerals and nutrients that are going to be absorbed will be done best, raw. Chicken organs will obviously cook faster due to the size, so keep an eye on this step.

    1. Once the organs are cooked on the outside, let cool and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Organ is so good for dogs (raw is best, but when it's not from a farmer, I semi-cook).

  5. Once the timer is complete on the crockpot, strain the broth. I use a spider to remove the larger pieces of the bones and place them to the side (usually in my blender to prepare for the next recipe).

  6. Then, use a mesh strainer and pour the broth through to remove any smaller bones or other less appetizing ingredients.

  7. *A good trick, if you have time, is to allow the broth to fully cool, and then place in the fridge to remove the fat solids before pouring into the storage container of your choice. You can also do this if you double strain your broth into a storage container. Just know that you might have a 1/4 inch thick fat solid that you have to break in order to get to your broth.

  8. Once the broth cools, it will be an almost gelatinous texture (not as much as beef bones). This is how you know that you have the right ratio of bones to water, and your broth is high in nutrients, amino acids, and minerals.

Three Quick Reasons Why Bone Broth is Beneficial:

  1. Good for joints - Contains high dosages of glucosamine and other joint protecting compounds

  2. Helps the liver detox - Contains the amino acid glycine, which helps the liver filter out toxins

  3. Promotes a healthy gut - The gelatin in bone broth is insanely helpful to soothe the gut lining and repair any large holes (which causes leaky gut!)



Third, grind the bones into a puree. This is what we give our dog in addition to his homemade food. It helps with his digestion, and just like the broth, the leftover nutrients that are still in the bones are so good for him.


Ingredients:


All the bones and bits scooped from the broth

1/2 - 1 cup (just made) broth


Directions:

  1. Place as many bones as you can to fill your blender.

  2. Add enough broth to get the blender going.

  3. Blend until smooth. It should look like a tan creamy puree.

  4. Scoop into a mason jar.

This should last 5-7 days in the fridge and it freezes well, just know that the consistency, when it thaws, is less smooth than after blending due to the water separating out. We usually give no more than 2 tablespoons of bone puree per meal.


Three Quick Reasons Why Bone Puree is Beneficial:

  1. Contains Calcium - helps prevent arthritis

  2. Contains Phosphorus - helps the bone-building process

  3. One-to-One Ratio - it's important to feed your dog calcium and phosphorus together for your dog to truly gain the benefits, and a bone puree sticks to this ratio


I hope you enjoy these recipes and new ideas. More importantly, I hope that your furry family member enjoys the broth and bone puree. Check back for more information as to why a raw diet, raw organs, and bone broth is so beneficial for your dog.


Disclaimer:The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a veterinarian.


Enjoy! xx

Jordan



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