Having homemade chicken bouillon powder as a pantry staple ensures I provide a better option for my family than store-bought bouillon. I know it’s full of homemade goodness without inferior ingredients degrading its nutritional value.
Make this chicken bouillon recipe using homemade bone broth and enhance the flavor of a stew, gravy, vegetable soup and more!.
Chicken broth can be used to add flavor to many foods. The best broth is made from chicken bones, but powdered chicken broth is easy to use when time is short and you still want the taste of homemade broth. With a few tips, powdered chicken broth can be turned into a tasty base for soups, stews, rice dishes, and more.
Benefits of Homemade Broth from Powder
There are several benefits to making broth at home with chicken broth powder instead of buying it in a can or box.
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Cost savings – Homemade broth is cheaper per cup than most prepared broths. Broth powder is an affordable way to make broth yourself.
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Control over ingredients – With homemade broth from powder, you control exactly what goes into the broth. Store-bought broths often contain preservatives, MSG, and other additives.
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Flexibility with flavors – Customize the broth by adding extra vegetables, herbs, or spices. Tailor the flavor profile to complement your intended dish.
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Convenience – Whip up broth in minutes by just adding water and powder. No long cooking times required like traditional homemade broth.
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Less sodium—A lot of ready-made broths have a lot of sodium. Homemade allows control over the salt content.
Powdered chicken broth mixed with water is a great way for home cooks to make a quick and cheap broth that doesn’t have the added chemicals that most store-bought broths do.
Tips for Making Chicken Broth from Powder
The basic process of making chicken broth from powder is straightforward – mix the powder with water and simmer briefly. However, there are some useful tips to maximize flavor:
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Use the right ratio of powder to water – This is key to achieving the right concentration of broth. More on proper ratios coming up.
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Add extra flavor – Chicken broth powder on its own can taste plain. Enhance flavor with aromatics like onion, celery, garlic, carrots, and herbs.
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Simmer briefly – After mixing and adding any extras, bringing the broth to a brief simmer melds flavors and improves the taste.
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Use good tasting water – Since water makes up the bulk of the liquid, its quality impacts flavor. Use filtered water or spring water instead of tap for the best tasting broth.
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Season thoughtfully – Add salt, pepper, herbs, and spices to taste. But go easy on extra salt until the broth has reduced and flavors have concentrated.
Following these useful tips will coax the most flavor out of chicken broth powder and elevate it closer to the taste of slow simmered homemade broth.
How Much Powder Per Cup of Water?
The proper ratio of chicken broth powder to water is key for an optimally flavored broth. Follow the guidelines on the package as a starting point. Standard mixing ratios are:
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Regular concentration: 1 teaspoon powder per 1 cup water
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Double concentration: 2 teaspoons powder per 1 cup water
For a lighter broth, stay on the lower end of the recommended range. For a richer, more savory broth, use more powder per cup of water.
As a general rule of thumb, 1 tablespoon of chicken broth powder per cup of water is ideal for most purposes. This yields a nicely concentrated broth.
For reference, here are some common chicken broth powder to water ratios and their uses:
- 1 teaspoon per 1 cup water – lower sodium broths, soups with lots of other ingredients
- 1 tablespoon per 1 cup water – versatile all-purpose broth
- 2 tablespoons per 1 cup water – concentrated broths for gravies and sauces
The best way to achieve the concentration you prefer is to add the powder a little at a time, tasting as you go, until the broth tastes good to you.
Tips for Using Chicken Broth Powder
Here are some additional tips for buying, storing, and using chicken broth powder:
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Check the expiration date – Broth powder can lose flavor over time. Use powders within the best by date for optimal taste.
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Store properly – Keep broth powder in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Improper storage can cause premature flavor loss.
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Whisk aggressively – Whisk the powder vigorously as you add it to water to prevent clumping. Alternatively, use a blender.
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Simmer for 5-10 minutes – Heating the broth for a few minutes improves flavor by dissolving the powder fully and infusing any aromatics.
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Add it early in cooking – Get the most mileage from broth powders by adding to dishes at the start of cooking so the flavor distributes.
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Use in rice – Chicken broth is excellent for enhancing the flavor of rice. Use in place of water when cooking rice.
Following these tips will help you make the most of chicken broth powder’s convenience while still achieving homemade taste.
Simple Chicken Broth Recipe from Powder
This easy recipe uses chicken broth powder as a shortcut to a tasty homemade broth.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoons chicken broth powder
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 parsley sprigs
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions:
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In a medium pot, combine the water, chicken broth powder, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Whisk well to dissolve powder.
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Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Taste and season with salt if needed. Remove bay leaf before using.
The vegetables and herbs add extra flavor dimension to this easy chicken broth. It can be used immediately or refrigerated for later use in soups, stews, and more. This basic formula can be adapted with different vegetable and herb combinations.
FAQs About Chicken Broth Powder
Here are answers to some common questions about making and using chicken broth powder:
What’s the shelf life of chicken broth powder? Unopened, it typically lasts 12-24 months. Opened, it will last 4-6 months in an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place.
Is it better than bouillon or broth cubes? Powder dissolves more easily than cubes and incorporates into dishes smoothly. It’s a matter of personal preference which format you prefer.
Can you use chicken broth powder to replace water in recipes? Yes, you can substitute broth for water in many recipes. Use a ratio of 1 tbsp powder per 1 cup water to replace 1 cup liquid.
What’s the difference between chicken broth and chicken bouillon? Broth is made from simmering bones/meat, while bouillon has chicken flavoring added instead of actual chicken. Broth powder contains dehydrated broth.
Can you use chicken broth powder to make gravy? Yes, broth powder mixed with water makes an easy and flavorful liquid for gravy. Use 2 tbsp per cup of water for concentrated gravy broth.
Tips for the Best Homemade Chicken Broth
While chicken broth powder offers convenience, there’s no disputing that slowly simmered homemade broth has superior depth of flavor. For the very best homemade chicken broth:
- Use a whole chicken carcass plus extra chicken parts like wings, necks, and feet
- Cook at a bare simmer for 6-24 hours
- Add onions, carrots, celery, parsley, peppercorns, and bay leaves
- Skim any foam that rises to the surface while simmering
- Strain the broth through a mesh strainer before use
- Cool and refrigerate overnight, then skim off the hardened fat before use
The long cooking time extracts more gelatin, nutrients, and flavor compounds from the chicken parts compared to quick broth. But when time is limited, quality chicken broth powder makes a tasty shortcut.
Conclusion
Making your own chicken broth from powder is easy and infinitely better tasting than most canned and boxed broths. With the proper powder to water ratio, a few flavor-boosting ingredients, and a brief simmer, you can make delicious broth for cooking in a flash. So ditch the high sodium store-bought broth and enjoy homemade flavor with chicken broth powder instead.
How to Tell If Freeze Dried Bouillon Is Done
If the broth feels cold to the touch and does not crumble or break apart easily, it’s not done. Return the trays to the freeze dryer for 2-hour increments until done.
Chicken Bouillon Recipe Step-by-Step
Whether you choose the dehydrator or freeze dryer method, you must first reduce your bone broth.
- For freeze drying, cut your homemade chicken broth in half. For dehydrating, cut it by at least 1/5th and ideally 1/20th. Put it in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat until it’s almost gone. Homesteading Tip: Keep an eye on it! You don’t want it to burn in the pan or evaporate.
- After reducing, skim off any scum that may have formed on top and strain if you want to.
- Let the broth cool all the way down (overnight in the fridge works best).
- Once you’re ready to dehydrate or freeze dry the food, skim the fat off the top of the broth.
Using your dehydrator for broth takes a bit of time, but the result is the perfect replacement for the chemical-laden bouillon cubes at the grocery store. Here’s how to turn your broth into a shelf-stable bouillon powder after you’ve cut the volume by at least one fifth.
- Fill the dehydrator trays halfway with your reduced, cooled, and skimmed chicken broth. Place the trays on a flat surface.
- Set the dehydrator temperature to 140°F.
- It’s important to be careful when putting the trays in the dehydrator because it’s easy for things to spill.
- Flip it over and put it back in the dehydrator for another 24 to 48 hours. When it comes off the tray in one piece,
- When the dried broth looks clear and readily breaks apart, it’s bouillon and ready to be stored.
- Take the bouillon out of the trays and break it up. Then, put it in a food processor or high-powered blender and pulse it a few times to make a powder.
Store-bought freeze dried broth is expensive. However, if you have a home freeze dryer, you can make it at a fraction of the cost.
- To keep things from sticking, line your freeze dryer trays with parchment paper. You can also buy silicone cube molds from Harvest Right.
- If you want to make them flat, see the picture above for how to do it. Place your trays on a flat surface and fill them ¾ full of broth or the silicone molds.
- For best time and energy management, freeze the broth trays overnight before you use them.
- Before putting frozen trays of broth in your freeze dryer, chill it for 20 minutes.
- The manufacturer will tell you how long to put your frozen trays of broth in the freeze dryer.