Ask Casey: Store-Bought Chicken Broth

Nothing beats homemade, but have you ever come across a chicken broth for cooking that does not taste horribly artificial (and does not contain MSG, yeast etc labelled as “spices”)?

You’re absolutely right–you’re never going to get the same poultry-infused goodness from a can or a box as you do from making your own broth, and it’s truly hard to make a case for store-bought versions. I taste-tested a number of off-the-shelf options as research for your questions, and the depressing answer is that I can’t wholeheartedly recommend a single prepared broth that tastes amazing. There are, however, two brands that I keep in my pantry for quick fixes.

Out of all the readily-available boxed broths, I give my seal of approval to the Whole Foods 365 house brand, which lists “organic chicken concentrate” as the second ingredient and “organic spices” at the tail end, but trends closer than the rest to an authentic broth flavor. It’s also cheaper than my other preferred option, Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock, which also lists “chicken flavor” as the second ingredient but notes all the specific spices involved.

Both of these impart a clean taste without some of the lingering oniony overtones, sodium overload, or even worse, absolute lack of flavor in the boxes and cans cluttering the local supermarket aisles.

You’ll never catch me using them as a base for chicken soup–that’s the time to buy the whole chicken and throw it in the stockpot–but I’ll use them in place of water for cooking rice and grains, add some in place of the full amount of cream to my mashed potatoes and sauces, or quickly deglaze a pan if I don’t have any wine open.

A few words about the additives you mentioned: As I noted in an earlier post on umami, glutamates/glutamic acid are found in all proteins, and are what give salty foods their deeply savory flavor. Manufacturers will often add these in various processed forms to boost your impression of their product as “rich” and as such, it’s hard to find an option that has a naturally brothy taste without going overboard.

Autolyzed yeast extract and hydrolyzed soy protein, both of which are in the vegetarian option Better than Bouillon, are types of processed glutamic acid to help it mimic the mouthfeel and flavor of an animal protein-based broth. And as glutamic acid is the main component in MSG, it’s something to be aware of if you have sensitivity. Livestrong (surprisingly) has a clear, easy-to-understand breakdown of the process used to autolyze yeast and the ongoing controversy between naturally-occurring glutamates versus processed glutamates.

Ask Casey taste-tests it all so you don’t have to. Got any more cooking conundrums or dining-out issues? Bring it on at caseyATgoodfoodstoriesDOTcom.