Believe it or not, chicken broth made without garlic and onion can be a delicious thing. The secret to a luscious, low FODMAP chicken broth is leaning into chicken meat and fresh herbs to impart a wonderful rich flavour.
Low FODMAP Chicken Broth – 2 Ways
The only difference between the two low FODMAP chicken broths in this blog is the chicken. The rest of the ingredients remain the same.
In option 1, you use a whole chicken carcass (skin and meat removed) plus 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs to boost the chicken-y flavour. In option 2, you use 9 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs.
Option 1 allows you to make use of the leftover bones and scraps of a roast or rotisserie chicken.
Both options make use of meat to infuse the broth with a richer and more robust flavour. In addition, both options allow you to use the meat and minimize waste.
Low FODMAP Ingredients and Alternatives
Leeks. The green parts of leeks are low FODMAP up to 75 grams. Similarly, the green parts of green onion are also low FODMAP. In both of these alliums, the white parts are high in FODMAPs and should be avoided on the low FODMAP diet.
Celery. 10 grams of celery is low FODMAP according to the Monash FODMAP app. Assuming this soup makes 4 servings, we can use 40 grams of celery in this broth. Of course, not all the mannitol in celery will leach out into the broth so we could potentially use more, but sticking with 40 grams ensures the broth remains low FODMAP.
Parsnip and Carrots. Parsnips and carrots are very low FODMAP, and as part of the classic mirepoix mix used to flavour soups, sauces and meats, they’re essential to any chicken broth.
Parsley, Thyme and Bay Leaves. Herbs are very low FODMAP, which is why we lean into them to enhance flavour when we can’t use high FODMAP ingredients like garlic and onion. Parsley, thyme and bay leaves are common herbs in chicken-based meals, but other options include dill, sage and rosemary.
Chicken. Meat and bones do not contain FODMAPs.
Tips for Success
- If you’re using a rotisserie chicken carcass, remove the skin as it may have been seasoned with garlic and onion.
- After bringing the broth to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Your simmer should be characterized by a few small bubbles constantly breaching the broth’s surface.
- If you simmer at a rolling simmer (vigorous bubbles), you risk “fatiguing” the ingredients (ie. cooking the sh*t out of them).
- If there are no bubbles at all, you won’t reach a warm enough temperature to cook the chicken and extract flavour from the ingredients.
- Don’t fret if your broth turns to jelly after a night in the fridge. Once you warm it, the broth will liquify again.
- This jelly is the result of collagen leaching out of the chicken bones and into the water and it’s perfectly healthy.
What to Serve with Low FODMAP Chicken Broth
- Make a low FODMAP soup like my low FODMAP Chicken & Buckwheat soup.
- Cook whole grains like brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat in low FODMAP chicken broth to add flavour.
- Poach chicken in LF chicken broth.
- Make flavourful mashed potatoes by boiling the potatoes in LF broth.
- Low FODMAP Cozy Chicken Casserole.
- Braise collard greens in LF broth (try this Braised Collard Greens recipe without the onion).
Low FODMAP Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- 1 chicken carcass + 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (or 9 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs)
- 1 large parsnip peeled, chopped in half
- 1 large carrot peeled, chopped in 3 pieces
- 40 grams celery
- 50 grams leeks (green parts only)
- handful parsley (I prefer curly parsley for this recipe)
- 15 sprigs thyme
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large stock pot and bring to a rolling boil with the lid on.
- Reduce head to medium-low with lid on but slightly askew to let some steam out. Simmer broth for 2 hours. A few small bubbles should constantly break the surface of the broth. If your broth is motionless, turn the heat up a bit.
- After 1 hour of simmering, remove the chicken thighs and place on a cutting board. Remove and discard skin from thighs. Chop meat into bite size pieces and store in the fridge until needed. Place bones back into the broth for the last hour of simmering.
- *If preparing this broth with 9 chicken thighs, remove 6 thighs and follow instruction #4.
- Once the broth is done, strain it to remove the ingredients. Return broth to the pot and let cool for 30 minutes, then scrape away and discard any fatty skin that develops on the surface.
xoAndrea, RD
