The Best and Worst Supermarket Chicken Broths | The Taste Test

Store-bought chicken broths vary drastically from one brand to another. Which is best? Lisa and Valerie share their top picks.

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[johnlord]

Always Better Than Bouillion. First taste, forever taste ... never go back to anything else. This is the GOAT.

[jessicavalentine]

I discovered Better Than Bouillon while working for a chef. Keeps forever when refrigerated. A total secret ingredient, not just for soup😊

[matttypes]

We’ve all been there, you open a carton of chicken stock only to not use it all and it gets wasted. Powder bouillon just plain sucks. Switched to better than bouillon a few years ago and not looking back.

[MarcusRefusius]

My wife is a 75 year old lady whose parents both came here from China, and is a WIZARD in the Kitchen.
She goes through Better than Bouillon like Midwesterners go through peanut Butter and Jelly. We buy the BIG Jar. Cheers

[mjam]

Been using Better Than Bouillion for years and now they have a plethora of flavors and varieties.

[karenleavitt]

I always use Better than Bullion. We live in RV and buying boxes of chicken stock takes too much room. I also really like the taste.

[Nozoki]

Better Than Bouillon is the goat. Got me through the flu last year. I sipped on that for a week.

[villagesteader]

It’s either homemade or BTB, sometimes a combination. We gave up on boxed stock, there’s just 2 of us and the waste was horrendous!

[michaelwest]

I had an old cat that had kidney failure and needed more fluids than her water intake. The therapy involved subcutaneous IV sessions. Try poking your cat with a needle twice a week. They have a remarkably long memory. I finally had the epiphany that I needed to get her to take more fluid on her own and my first thought was chicken broth. I tried about a dozen options that she just would not drink. I finally hit a winner with Swanson reduced sodium chicken STOCK. It kept her alive for another two years. About two thirds of the samples in this test were on my fail list and my cat picked the winner. So I am able to truthfully say to the losers "My cat wouldn't eat it".

[giseleaparecidadesouza]

What I did after I bought a carton of chicken stock was if I didn’t use it all, I would just get an ice cube tray and pour the remaining stock in the ice cube tray and freeze it, then I would pop them out put them in a bag and label it chicken stock. This way you could take the cubes out that you need to do your desired recipe. I don’t know why there has to be waste when you can just freeze it and use it as needed.

[adamborgia]

Better Than Bouillon. You can titrate the flavor or intensity. Also, with their other flavors, such as the Vegetable bouillon, I have mixed the two, giving more notes and flavors for certain dishes.

My favorite other trick though is to pick up one of the Costco rotisserie chickens for $4.99, pick off all the meat I want for various things, or maybe freeze some meat for another day, and then instead of chucking the bones, I throw it all (including skin) into a large pot of water. It’s faster than breaking down a whole chicken, and since I already used other parts for other meals, at such a good price, it’s an all-around great way to stretch your dollar.

[Liafram]

Lisa - we don't need you to be nice. We want you to be honest.

[jaydietrich-lrlh]

I keep Better than Boullion in the fridge, but if I plan ahead for a big soup or gravy, I buy a carton or two of Swanson's. I'm glad that you agree because since losing a lot of my taste due to C-19, cooking has been a real struggle for me. Still my taste is changing so tests like this go a long way in building my confidence. Thank you very much!

[Brighton]

Anyone else take years to realize that College Inn = Collagen (a protein that adds smooth texture to broth)? I had seen the name for years, but never read it out loud. But once you speak it, you realize that it’s a pun. Good job, marketing team!

[MsShaunaM]

Knor chicken powder is good if you add it to rice or making a brown sauce for Asian dishes.

[mysticwanderer]

It's not just about taste versus taste it's also about sodium. As a chef, I always buy no sodium stock or broth for my pantry. I make my own or get restaurant quality stock for private dinners. A key to intensifying the flavor of many sauces is reduction. Any of the Better than Boullion types or full sodium stocks/broths reduce down to a liquid that is far too salty for use even when cut with cream or a bechamel. One of the best brands of readily available stocks in the grocery store is Kitchen Basics which I use or Swanson when I don't have Kitchen Basics. As stated the Better Than Boullion and some of the powdered products are good for quick marinades. You want to be cautious about using them for longer marinades,

[grahammcfadyenhill]

I keep a jar of Better Than Bouillon in my fridge and I use it frequently. For large quantities, like a pot of soup needing stock in litre quantities, I will buy Swanson Chicken stock and freeze any leftovers as stock cubes.

[RonLeedy]

I use the whole line of Better Than Bullion. The Chicken is a bit salty but I can adjust the rest of my recipe. Its also gluten-free whereas many of the box broths but wheat product as a shelf stabilizer. I can take a spoonful of the paste with hot water and some roux (also stored in my frig) and make a quick midweek gravy.

[takeusaway]

Personally, my favorite is the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. Somehow, it's even more chicken-y than the Roasted Chicken base. We go through jars of that stuff so quickly, absolutely delicious!

[simonsavelyev]

I always keep a jar of BtB in the fridge! Great episode