It seems like everyone on social media is trying bone broth hot chocolate, which people claim is a nutritious delicacy that tastes much better than it sounds.
The healing properties of chicken noodle soup have been lauded for generations, at least anecdotally, and the comforting classic known for soothing a cold has actually been scientifically proven to have an anti-inflammatory effect on those with upper respiratory infections. In a 1978 study, subjects drinking chicken noodle soup showed increased mucous velocity and reduced nasal air flow resistance compared with subjects drinking hot or cold water.
Bone broth, which is made from boiling raw or roasted bones and bone marrow for up to 24 hours, has a higher nutritional content than the chicken broth found in chicken noodle soup, due to the longer boiling time.
Influencers online seem divided on which bone broth flavor — beef or chicken — to use for bone broth hot chocolate, so choose whichever seems more appetizing to you.
You can use store-bought bone broth or make your own, which allows you to better control the nutritional content and avoid those ingredients — such as sodium and artificial flavoring — that are often added to commercially produced bone broths. While you may not have any animal bones lying around the house to boil into a broth, you can pick some up from a local butcher.
And apparently, many Chattanoogans do just that. Jenna Foster, front of house manager at Main Street Meats, says customers ask all the time about bones for making bone broth.
“We sell out every two weeks,” she says of the beef and marrow bones sold by the Chattanooga restaurant and butcher shop, which processes a cow — or completes all the steps involved with turning the animal into meat for sale — every other week.
Nicole Rains at Don’s Meat Shop says beef bones are also a popular item at the Hixson butcher shop, both for customers who want to make bone broth and for those who want something special for their canine companions.
Femur bones produce the best broth when boiled, as the shop cuts them in a way that leaves the marrow exposed, she says.
Bone broth contains nutrients, including amino acids, minerals and protein such as collagen, and has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve gut health, according to a 2021 study.
In addition to transforming bone broth into a sweet treat, the cacao used to make bone broth hot chocolate also has purported health benefits. It contains flavonoids, which are antioxidants that studies show reduce cell-destroying free radicals and calm inflammation, according to a Harvard Health Publishing article.
The following recipe is a good starting point for bone broth hot chocolate first-timers, but feel free to play around with the amounts of any ingredient to adjust the flavor, or add a scoop of collagen powder for extra protein and a frothy consistency.
Make-Your-Own Bone Broth Hot Chocolate
What you need:
1 cup milk
2/3 cup bone broth
2 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder
1-2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
Scoop of collagen powder, flavored or unflavored (optional, adds protein and frothiness)
Dash of vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
What you do:
Heat milk and bone broth on the stove, add other ingredients and whisk together. For a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender.