Place a large stockpot or 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat.
Once hot, add the oil, place the ham bone in the oil and get a good sear on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Slowly add in the chicken stock along with the garlic powder, and onion powder to the pot.
Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower to a simmer. Simmer for at least an hour.
Using tongs, take the ham bone out and set aside on a plate to cool.
Add the collards to the pot. You may need to do this in batches and stir them in to wilt.
Add the seasoned salt, black pepper, and chili flakes. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours or until desired tenderness.
Once the ham bone has cooled to the touch, pick off any remaining meat.
Add the meat back to the pot, stir in the butter and let it melt.Then serve!
Video
Notes
If you don’t have a ham bone, you can use two ham hocks. Score the ham hocks all the way around before searing in the oil, complete the recipe as listed.
You must use unsalted chicken stock and unsalted butter since we are adding a lot of seasoned salt. Trust me, the greens need the seasoned salt but using regular chicken stock/butter will make them overly salted.
I like to use the bagged collards that are already washed and chopped. You can find this in the produce section, so easy!
Mustard greens can be substituted for the collards.
This recipe is one of those where the longer it simmers the better it gets. Feel free to put these on in the morning and have them simmer away all day, covered, stirring occasionally all the way until dinner time.
Any leftover cooking liquid is fantastic added to soups or sopped up with a little cornbread.