Last Updated on July 29, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
Meat stock is a great option for those who can’t tolerate bone broth, or who are just in the beginning stages of healing their gut, thyroid or immune system.
Meat Stock vs Bone Broth
Meat stock, is especially rich in gelatin and free amino acids like proline and glycine. These amino acids, along with the gelatinous protein from the meat and connective tissue, are particularly beneficial in healing the connective tissue in the lining of the gut.
Bone broth is different from meat stock because it’s cooked longer, usually 12-24 hours, and contains higher amounts of glutamates, and collagen. Because broth also contains higher amounts of glutamates, it can sometimes be too excitatory for the brain causing negative reactions.
Also, due to the longer cooking time, bone broth is higher in histamines which can increase histamine issues, or anxiety-related issues.
Does Meat Stock Heal the Gut
After a decade of working with clients at my nutrition practice, I’ve found that meat stock is a much better option than bone broth when you’re wanting to heal the gut. The amino acids, along with the gelatinous protein from the meat and connective tissue, are particularly beneficial in healing the connective tissue in the lining of the gut. It’s very gentle, contains less glutamates and histamines, and is calming for the nervous system.
I recommend drinking meat stock for the first 3-4 months that you’re on a healing diet. Then you can consider switching to bone broth once you’ve seen many of your symptoms improve.
Or, if you’ve been on a healing diet for a while, but notice negative symptoms are popping back up, or you are going through a stressful time of life, I recommend switching to meat stock until things improve.
Ingredients for Meat Stock
Whole chicken
Yellow onion – you can also use white or sweet onion
A head of garlic
Carrot
Celery
Apple Cider Vinegar
The basic things you absolutely need are the chicken and apple cider vinegar. Outside of those two ingredients, you can add additional aromatics or even remove the vegetables from the recipe. For a super clean flavor, I often like the combination of chicken, onion, garlic and vinegar.
How to Make Meat Stock
It’s pretty simple! You put all of the ingredients in a large pot, cover with water and let it simmer for 3-4 hours.
How Can I Consume Meat Stock
Drink 1-2 cups a day with Celtic sea salt
Use it to cook rice or beans
Swap out bone broth for meat stock in soups and stews
Can I Buy Meat Stock
I have yet to see it in stores, farmer’s markets or anywhere for sale. So, it’s a food you need to make at home. Thankfully, it just takes about 10 minutes of hands-on work!
Meat Stock
The basic things you absolutely need are the chicken and apple cider vinegar. Outside of those two ingredients, you can add additional aromatics or even remove the vegetables from the recipe. For a super clean flavor, I often like the combination of chicken, onion, garlic and vinegar.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 10 cups
- Category: Soup
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo
Ingredients
- 1 whole 3-4 pound raw chicken
- 1 yellow onion, cut in half
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 1 carrot
- 1 piece of celery
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large pot and cover with water. Heat over low heat until it reaches a simmer. Continue to simmer on low for 3-4 hours. Strain. Pour the stock into glass jars and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10
What do you do with the cooked chicken?
You can use it in salads, soups, etc.
I was going to do a bone broth fast for a few days and read about certain symptoms that make it worse. I have had a cough and sinus issues for several years. I read about meat broth and that was better if you had my kind of symptoms. Would the meat broth be better for me?
I’m not sure if it would be better for you without knowing your full health history, but it’s worth trying!
One head of garlic?
Is that a clove or all the cloves.
All of the cloves = a head of garlic
After refrigerating the meat stock, do you then heat it to drink it?
Yes, I drink it warm.
How often would you recommend drinking it?
Also I’m not sure if you mentioned but can you freeze it? Thank you!
Daily is a great way to get going! Yes, you can freeze it
How long total should I cook stock in the crockpot on low and at what point should I remove the chicken and put the bones back in for it to simmer longer?
May we remove the skin prior to cooking if we have cholesterol problems?
Saturated fats from pastured and organic meats is helpful to reduce inflammation and cholesterol, so I recommend leaving it on there.
I live in a camper and I can’t simmer things for that long, could I possible do this stock in a slow cooker? If so would I do it on high for 3-4 hours?
Yes, you can do this in a slow cooker. High for 3-4 would be a good place to start!
Thank you so much really have help me.
You can remove all the meat from the bones and use as you would any cooked chicken. make sandwiches, wraps,salads etc. Hope that helps.
Hi Carrie! I was wondering if this is the same as bone broth, but with a shorter cooking time? Could I just make it with a chicken carcass like I usually make my chicken stock, but only cook it for 4 hours? I am wondering if I should give my 7-year-old this instead of the usual broth I give her every morning, as she has symptoms like eczema and constipation recurring right now. She seems to have this towards the end of winter every year, and I was also thinking she probably needs to detox but I am not sure what you can give children to gently detox? Sorry for straying off the main topic and asking so many questions, but your post really resonated with me and my daughter’s current situation!
Yes, this is basically chicken soup just cooked longer and is safe for anyone. As for detoxing, your body does this naturally every night while you sleep. Eating more fruits and fresh, lightly cooked veggies but less meat and cheese will help with your daughter’s symptoms gently and naturally.
Thanks Deborah! I replied to Carrie underneath but I actually had your comment in mind as well! I had sn inkling that months of bacon, cheese, tapioca crepes and butternut squash might make it diffucult for her to detox after a while, but the diet aspect is difficult for her, especially in the winter, and it’s s real challenge to get her to try new foods and impossible to trick her! I will keep trying though.
This is different than bone broth as it is cooked for a shorter amount of time. You need to use the entire bird (with the meat) for this recipe. I have a link in the above post to an article that goes into more detail to explain the difference. If you are experiencing heightened symptoms, than meat stock can be a good alternative to bone broth. I wouldn’t suggest a detox for a child unless a practitioner has gone over all of their labs, symptoms, health history, etc. and determined there is a need. For symptoms such as the ones you describe in children, it’s often a need to support the gut with nutrient-dense foods, fermented veggies, and less sugar.
Thank you very much for your response and for your wise advice. She has been on a grain-free, nutrient-dense diet with no refined or added sugar for 4 years now, however she does eat a very limited amount of foods (actually the same every day, especially in tjis season) and no greens, so I know that at the end of the winter there is always a difficult phase as her body craves watermelon that we cannot find yet. The only other fruit she will eat are pears and apples but I think she might have an intolerance to apples as they tend to constipate her like bananas used to before we removed them, although not as bad. She had a severe gluten intolerance before we removed grains and she likely has Asperger’s (difficult to diagnose as she will only speak to us and the tests, at least here in France, require speaking). She has come a long way since her tough toddler days, but I feel we still might have to go through a gaps protocol, although I was hoping we wouldn’t need to removd cheese, tapioca starch and sweet potato which she loves. I think there might also be some heavy metals still standing in the way of her full healing, and we will probably consult a gaps practitioner shortly to get to the bottom of it. It’s actually quite scary to condider removing more foods from her diet and changing our food landmarks again, now that she has found some sort of balance for a while !
My son had severe excema and the health specialist told us to use Jarrow Formulas acidophilus in powder form. We did 1/4 tsp twice a day and before you knew it, his skin healed completely! Prebiotics & Probiotics are good for the Gut health even in children.
Hello, how long does it keep in the fridge and do we just drink one cup daily? Thanks ☺️
Would it be ok to buy store bought like the Maggie Beer brand?
Thanks 😊
It keeps for about a week. I don’t know of a company that makes meat stock, so I’m not sure if that brand would be the exact same thing.
I’m trying to get my histamine down. Is using the ACV still ok? Does it just cook off? Thank you for all your help you do online 😊
Usually the ACV in this stock is ok when trying to also reduce histamine. Of course, ask your practitioner if they think this is a good fit for you!
Hi Marina, here is a link to an article at Carrie’s practice, Biodynamic Wellness. I found it very helpful in learning the difference between a stock and a broth. I hope it helps :o) Waiting to hear Carrie’s recommendations, too.
https://www.biodynamicwellness.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Stock-vs.-Broth.pdf
Thank you very much Karen, I will definitely check it out!
Is the chicken supposed to be raw?
Thanks!
I assumm the chicken is to be raw since it is cooked for 4 hours. – Ea
This is the first time I have seen an alternative to bone broth. I used to take collagen daily but after a while it started nauseating me. I have found I can’t tolerate bone broth either. Perhaps this will work, I would be so happy if it does!
Can I make this in a crock pot or instant pot? We live in the country and don’t have natural gas, cooking something on the stove that long would use up our LP (liquid propane) lol
Yes, you can make it in a crock pot, but I don’t advice making it in an instant pot.
Is that because it would cook too much? Or another reason? Do you recommend bone broth being done in an instant pot?
The high heat will create the same glutamates that are in bone broth, so it really needs to be cooked on low for a few hours. I don’t recommend making bone broth in an instant pot. I’d love to see some testing on the nutrients in bone broth made in an instant pot, so until then, I recommend cooking it the traditional way.
I’m not much of a cook, so have to ask. After 3 hours and removing the chicken meat, do I leave the carcass in the pot to continue simmering for the remaining hours?
It only simmers for a total of 3-4 hours, so I don’t recommend cooking it for longer than that.
Thank you for the recipe! How long can the meat stock be stored in the fridge? And is it okay to freeze? If so, how long will it last?
Can you please define the quantity of the chicken as the weight of chicken varies.
Hi Carrie- I noticed that you don’t include sea salt/Himalayan salt or pepper in this recipe. Is there a reason why? Thanks!
I always salt it after cooking.
I’m new to your site and am excited to try this recipe. Is there any reason I couldn’t also add 3 or 4 chicken feet for the added benefit of extra collagen? TIA.
Adding chicken feet is a great idea!
How much of this should you drink a day if you are just starting on the journey to heal your thyroid.
1-2 cups a day is a good place to start!
I made meat stock yesterday and forgot to put away the jars in the fridge. I found them this morning still out on counter. Would you keep the stock? The chicken cooked until about 6:30 pm. I put in fridge at 8:30 am this morning.
Is there a specific time of day you should drink this? First thing in the morning, before or after a meal, etc? I just made my first batch last night!
Anytime of day is good, but starting your day with the stock can be very beneficial.
Due to my leaky gut, chicken happens to be something that is on my list of food allergies. Does this count? Or is there a beef alternative to this?
I would ask your practitioner if this would be a good fit.
Carrie–could beef marrow bones or another type of meat be subbed for the chicken?
Bones don’t contain meat, so I don’t recommend using those in place of the chicken.
Hi Carrie! I find I do much better using this meat stock recipe over bone broth. Thank you for this help!
In making a new batch this morning I was removing the giblets from the chicken and wondered if you would suggest including those in the pot, or is it best to leave them out?
If better to leave out of meat stock, is there some other way to use them or should I just toss them out?
Thanks for your advice!
You can leave them in, or remove them and use for something else!
I have tried the 5 collagen supplements and it gave me bad heartburn and intestinal gas. I was miserable. I was taking it because my hair is falling out and biotin did nothing. I Also, I now have an immune disorder that seems to be attacking my stomach. I can’t take vitamins (other than sit D and Zinc) everything rips me up. I was hoping the collagen supplements would help my hair and stomach. I had to stop after 5 days of torcher. Will the meat stock help with my hair, or will it bother me like the 5 collagen supplements.
It’s hard to say what the outcome would be. This article might help: https://deliciouslyorganic.net/4-ways-to-reverse-thyroid-hair-loss-naturally/
Hi Carrie,
Thanks a lot for putting up this very informative post about meat stock. Never knew the difference between the both. My son’s recent lab work shows gut dysbiosis and I am looking forward to name this stock for him every week. I love all the details and information resources that you provided. Appreciate it a lot ! Thanks
I also purchased your Thyroid course few months ago and am educating myself on this topic so I can help my hypothyroid son.
You’re welcome!
Would it be okay to add peppercorns, sage, rosemary, and thyme to this? Or other spices?
Sure!
How long does this keep in the fridge?
About 1 week
How does it compare to bone broth with regard to histamine levels?
Most who have histimine issues do much better on Meat Stock because of the lower levels of glutamates.
Is this the same recipe as in your cookbook which says to cook 8-24 hours? Why the difference?
I discuss this above in the post.
how is it made with beef?
This is basically my chicken soup recipe but I add parsnips root. After its cooked can I just eat it as I would chicken soup with the cooked chicken or does it need to be taken without the chicken?
Thank you for all your great advice and information. So helpful!!
Yes, you can eat it with the chicken as a soup!
How long does the broth last in the refrigerator after you make it? Can you freeze it?
About 5-6 days and yes, it freezes very well.
I’ve been in my gut healing journey for a couple months with improved symptoms. Is it too late to start asking this daily? Or is it unnecessary at this point? My practitioner never recommended anything like this.
It’s never too late to start drinking meat stock!
Can I substitute other meats for the chicken?
There is no seasoning in the recipe. Is it okay to add salt and pepper?
Yes, you can add salt and pepper at the end.
Hi, i follow you since years 🙂
i love your content!
i usually use a pressure cooker for this. Is it ok to cook on high pressure? How many hours for stock and for broth?
Also, i was using the whole carcass of the chicken but last time i could only found wings and i had the feeling they were working just fine. Any comments on this?
Thank you so much!
A pressure cooker (in high pressure mode) isn’t a method that can be used to make meat stock. The whole reason that the stock has a specific nutrient profile is because it’s cooked low and slow. Using wings, legs, feet, etc. all work just as well!