Any home cook knows perfectly well how to make chicken broth—the recipe is very simple, and no special culinary skills are required. This dish is primarily chosen when you need to quickly get a sick person back on their feet, but it also serves as a great base for soups. Bone broth is just as popular, but we’ll explain how meat broth differs from bone broth and which one is actually better to prepare.
Which is better to drink: bone broth or chicken broth, and what to cook with
The authors at Very Well Health compared chicken and bone broth—the benefits of both dishes proved undeniable, although some differences were identified. The nutritional value of bone broth is undeniable, thanks to the chemical composition of the "base" itself and the duration of cooking. However, chicken broth also has its advantages—let’s examine each type of soup separately.
Bone broth
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To make a good bone broth, cooks place chicken or beef bones in a pot, cover them with cold water, add vinegar, and simmer everything for at least 4 hours. During this time, all the nutrients from the bones leach into the liquid. The actual content of these nutrients varies depending on how the broth is prepared, but on average, according to studies, 1 cup of broth contains up to 10 grams of protein.
This high nutritional value is due to the large amount of amino acids in its composition, which are the building blocks of protein. They, in turn, have a direct effect on the body—they participate in the building and repair of tissues, support the immune system, and promote the production of hormones and enzymes.
Studies show that regular consumption of bone broth helps reduce inflammation in the body, improve gut health, and enhance nutrient absorption. The same medical data indicates which broth is best for the joints—bone broth has the most beneficial effect on them.
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Chicken broth
Chicken broth is also made with bones, but, as a rule, there is still meat on them. Moreover, sometimes cooks use entirely meat-based parts of the carcass—for example, fillets. If you examine data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it becomes clear why bone broth is better and more nutritious—it comes down, at the very least, to the amount of protein per serving. One cup of chicken broth contains 6 grams of protein, while bone broth, as we’ve already mentioned, contains up to 10. However, in addition to protein, chicken broth is rich in iron, calcium, potassium, and folate—the natural form of vitamin B9.
Which broth is the healthiest – a comparative analysis
If you examine the analysis conducted by experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it becomes clear how meat broth differs from bone broth:
- caloric value (bone broth – 46 kcal per 1 cup, chicken broth – 86 kcal);
- protein (bone broth – 9 g per cup, chicken broth – 6 g);
- fats (bone broth – 0.5 g per cup, chicken broth – 5 g);
- Carbohydrates (bone broth – 0 g per 1 cup, chicken broth – 8.5 g).
This comparison table shows that bone broth is far superior to chicken broth. It contains small amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, and manganese. These same substances are also found in chicken broth, along with vitamins B6, B2, B3, and selenium.
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