Low Histamine Chicken Broth is one of the most popular staples at our home. It is a must for gut healing and is so easy to prepare. We used to cook our broth for hours in low heat, but then discovered we were suffering from histamine intolerance. For a moment I thought we were going to have to give up this wonderful food. After consulting with a nutritionist that specializes in histamine intolerance I learned a few tricks to keep histamine producing bacteria at bay and still enjoy the healing benefits of home made chicken broth.
But why broth, you might ask? Because cooking meats containing connective tissue, bones and organs will offer an abundance of nutrients. One in particular is called Glycine which is a naturally occurring amino acid. It supports digestion by regulating the synthesis of bile salts and secretion of gastric acid, according to Sarah Ballantyne in her book The Paleo Approach. Glycine promotes digestive health, proper function of the nervous system and wound healing. If you have a sensitive tummy, you know what we are talking about. A leaky gut needs healing and bone broth will offer and abundance of nutrients that are easy to digest and will help your gut heal.
To enhance the benefits of the broth even more I added turmeric, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory. We also make sure to add an egg yolk (filled with omega3, vitamin D and K2) and teaspoon of fermented garlic juice (for its anti-hitamine properties and the abundance of probiotics it offers) to every cup. For digestive health you may drink a cup everyday or add this broth to many dishes such as soups and sauces. For more information on the benefits of broths, pressure cooking and histamine intolerance, check out my recipes Low Histamine Bone Broth and All Day Chicken!
Low Histamine Chicken Broth
To make this recipe we used our InstantPot, which is an electric pressure cooker. I add lemon because I like a little zest in my broth, but that is optional. I usually remove all the veggies from the broth once it's done, puree and freeze them in little silicon trays, adding a cube to my daily cup of broth. I also remove the chicken (whole or its parts) and bake it in the oven at 375F for 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- Chicken - 1 whole or quartered
- Onions - 2 medium
- Carrots - 4 large and quartered
- Celery - top 1/2 of a stock
- Lemon - 1/2 (optional)
- Sea salt - 1 Tbsp
- Real Salt Organic Natural Season Salt - 1 tsp
- Celery salt - 1 tsp
- Oregano - 1 tsp dried
- Tumeric - 1 tsp
- Onion powder - 1 tsp
- Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker, add all ingredients.
- Add filter water until all ingredients have been covered (approximately 2 quarts).
- Add apple cider vinegar.
- Set stove heat to high until pressure builds up (approximately 30 min.). Once pressure is stable, set heat to medium-low.
- Cook for 1 hour.
- Strain broth, serve or freeze right away in silicon trays.
(6 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)
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Hi. You mention is this recipe that you used an Instant Pot, so why do you only include stove top instructions for making this stock? I need to know how long to set my instant pot for and how to adjust the heat. Thanks.
Thank you of your comment! You want to set your instant pot for 90 minutes!
I set mine for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the meat…
Hi, Amy! Thanks for your reply. I have heard pressure cooking keeps more of food nutrients versus the slower cooking process. This is an interesting article you can read about pressure cooking and how is more nutritious for you than other methods of cooking: http://www.foodrenegade.com/pressure-cooking-healthy/
Hi there,
I don’t have an instant pot yet; can you tell me how long I should simmer broth on the stove top to get optimal flavor and maintain low histamine?
thanks
That’s tricky, because you would need to cook your broth longer, but if you keep temperatures high, I would say between 2-4 hours to get nutrients out of the bones. The issue with slow cooking is the temperature that takes a while to rise. Hope this is helpful!
Hi,
I see vinegar on the high in histamine list and it’s been a ingredient that some suggest should be avoided. Is apple cider vinegar different? If not, is there something about the cooking process that will reduce the histamine? Also, some information says to use only fresh or frozen herbs, not dried. Is oregano an exception, or is a histamine level on it insignificant? Finally, How long can I freeze the broth and still be safe?
Thanks.
Yes, you are correct. Fermented foods like ACV are high in histamine due to their friendly bacterial content. But, as you said, in this case, the amount is small compared to the finished product. I use ACV to pull more nutrients out of the bones, but you can leave it out if your histamine bucket is too full and you find you cannot tolerate it. The broth will still be very nutritious. If you are deep freezing it you should be ok up to 6 months!
My daughters food list from her MD says she can use rice vinegar. I don’t know what the difference is, but just a thought.
My nutritionist told me ACV is ok because it is alkalizing vs acidifying like other vinegars. Thx for recipe! Hoping to try to put meat n veg into hot water to get temp up quicker. I haven’t heard a lot of positives about pressure cooking food. Would love to hear what you have heard. Thx!
Hello,
I am just wondering if you remove the skin from you chicken as this is also high in histamine?
Hi, Carolyn! Thanks for your comment. No, I do not remove the skin in my chicken. I make sure to get my meat as soon as it gets delivered to the butcher or farmer, so as fresh as possible. I also make sure to make the broth right away. I don’t let my chicken hang out in the fridge 🙂 But you are right, if the chicken is not super fresh, there will be more histamine present in that meat. What you could do instead of remove the fat is seared the chicken in a pan and then make the broth.
I am having trouble reading the comments because it cuts off the right side.
Hi, Joan! What browser are you using so I can test? Thank you!
Turn your phone. I had the same problem but can read everything after turning my phone to landscape view.
Can you also use this recipe but use Beef? Would that work? I am intolerant to chicken, thanks
Yes, you can use beef. There is a bone broth recipe in this blog you could try instead of the chicken! http://delicatebelly.com/low-histamine-bone-broth/
Why do you bake the chicken longer in the oven after pressure cooking? Isn’t it already fully cooked?
Also, how does the purreed veggie cube turn out into your cup of broth? Do you drink it or eat it this way more like a soup? I’m wondering about the texture. Great idea 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for your question! I cook the chicken a bit more to brown it and make it more crispy. As for the purred veggie cubes I use them for quick soups. My kids no longer have issues with texture due to all the healing in the gut. They really enjoy it!
Sounds great thank you!
How would this recipe change if starting with a frozen chicken?
Hi, Eryn – if you have an instant pot, the timer will adjust based on the temperature of the meat when you started cooking. If you use a regular pressure cooker or pan, I would pressure cook it for an hour or cook for 2 hours in a regular pan. Then check the constancy of the chicken and color of your broth. You want a nice brown and rich broth and your chicken should fall apart if you try to pick it up. Hope this is helpful.
I thought onions is a big No No for dogs? Sorry, maybe this recipe is intended for humans
Hi, Hanne! Yes, the recipe was designed for humans. But I am sure you could tailor it to your dog.
If I don’t have a slow cooker or a pressure cooker..could you tell me for a big pasta pot on the stove?
Yes, a big pot would work as well!