# What is your favorite brand of chicken stock? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 9, 2025, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756 "2025-01-09T08:34:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/1 "2025-01-09T08:34:14Z")
My favorite brand of canned/boxed chicken stock was More Than Gourmet. Unfortunately, I can’t get it any more. Ajinomoto bought the company and is no longer making those lines of retail products. Now I’m looking for another brand that I like. The New York Times did a taste test, and their favorite was Good & Gather, the Target house brand. I suppose I could try that, but I there are so many other brands that they didn’t try in their test. Please share your opinions on the best chicken stocks. And if you also want to chime in about beef, vegetable, or other types of stocks, that would be nice, too. ---
**Author:** ![Petek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/petek/32/1590_2.png) [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/2 "2025-01-09T09:01:19Z")
See the following link for America’s Test Kitchen reviews of various chicken stocks and other information. I don’t think this is behind a paywall, but could be wrong. [The Best Chicken Broth](https://www.americastestkitchen.com/taste_tests/2742-the-best-chicken-broth) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/3 "2025-01-09T15:10:35Z")
I use Better Than Boullion - both chicken and beef. It’s very flavorful. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/4 "2025-01-09T15:14:18Z")
The mushroom Better than Bullion is good too. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/5 "2025-01-09T15:16:00Z")
Me too. Their vegetable stock is excellent also. It has replaced the use of small amounts of tomato paste in recipes for me, and I use it in plenty of other dishes. There’s a low sodium version too. [![](https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Better-Than-Bouillon-B79024-Better-Than-Bouillon-Vegetable-Base-6x8oz_512eac3a-fbc1-4f59-b59c-72c3bba3f572.f3968a121af741e60c0f4a4f957395b2.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=FFFFFF) ](https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Better-Than-Bouillon-B79024-Better-Than-Bouillon-Vegetable-Base-6x8oz_512eac3a-fbc1-4f59-b59c-72c3bba3f572.f3968a121af741e60c0f4a4f957395b2.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=FFFFFF) ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/6 "2025-01-09T15:17:10Z")
I know I’m not answering the question, but my freezer is usually full of frozen quarts of stock. Any time I buy chicken I buy a whole one. When it’s eaten, I toss the bones and skin into a stockpot, add carrots and celery, onions and garlic (leave the skin on the onion for the color), probably handfuls of herbs, a lot of water, and simmer for some hours. Drain it and you’ve got by FAR the best chicken stock. Nothing whatsoever you can buy can touch it for flavor. And the effort involved is minimal. I’m a minimal effort cook generally, and this is minimal effort for huge payoff. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/7 "2025-01-09T15:21:25Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I know I’m not answering the question, but my freezer is usually full of frozen quarts of stock. Any time I buy chicken I buy a whole one. When it’s eaten, I toss the bones and skin into a stockpot, add carrots and celery, onions and garlic (leave the skin on the onion for the color), probably handfuls of herbs, a lot of water, and simmer for some hours. Drain it and you’ve got by FAR the best chicken stock. I do the same! It helps if you have a large freezer. Any time I’ve got a chicken carcass I bag it and freeze it until I’ve got some nice leisurely weekend-time to make some stock. You can also simmer the carcass from frozen so it doesn’t even need the headspace to remember to defrost it in advance. I toss in any old veg I have hanging around which would otherwise be headed for the composter. Tastes great but also make me feel saintly and wholesome. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/8 "2025-01-09T15:22:34Z")
> [@Petek](#): > > See the following link for America’s Test Kitchen reviews of various chicken stocks and other information. I don’t think this is behind a paywall, but could be wrong. > > [The Best Chicken Broth](https://www.americastestkitchen.com/taste_tests/2742-the-best-chicken-broth) Yes, it’s paywalled, so could you possibly just _tell_ us what they rated highly? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/9 "2025-01-09T15:49:13Z")
College Inn, just for the pun value. ---
**Author:** ![Petek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/petek/32/1590_2.png) [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/10 "2025-01-09T16:08:59Z")
The two top picks are - Swanson Chicken Stock - Swanson Organic Chicken Broth Recommended: - Better Than Bouillon Premium Roasted Chicken Base - Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth Recommended with reservations: - Knorr Granulated Bouillon, Chicken Flavor - College Inn Organic Chicken Broth Not recommended: - Kitchen Basics Organic Free Range Chicken Stock - Progresso Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth - Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken Broth - Zoup! Organic Chicken Broth I buy only unsalted stocks/broths, so haven’t tried any of the above. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/11 "2025-01-09T16:24:12Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > College Inn, just for the pun value. Ha! I never caught that before. I’ve been buying and enjoying [Pacific Foods Unsalted Bone Broth](https://www.pacificfoods.com/products/pacific-foods/organic-chicken-bone-broth-2/) lately. **Pro:** I’ve taste-tested several commercial broths / stocks alone, and this seems to be the tastiest, most well-rounded one to me (after adding salt to it-- I only buy it unsalted so it has more versatility in recipes). **Con** : It’s kind of expensive. Also, calling it ‘bone broth’ is a stretch, since when I refrigerate leftovers it stays completely liquid, so it clearly has very little dissolved ‘college inn’. By far the best stock / bone broth, however, is the stuff you make yourself, and it’s pretty darn easy. I throw a Costco rotisserie chicken carcass or two and a few raw chicken wings into an Instant Pot along with onion, garlic, celery, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, and a teaspoon of vinegar. Fill to the top with water, cook for an hour, strain, and you have the best damn bone broth that turns to jelly overnight in the fridge you ever had. I store and freeze it in quart-size freezer bags. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/12 "2025-01-09T20:21:06Z")
Bratwurst: Johnson’s Chicken: Swanson’s ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/13 "2025-01-10T08:38:12Z")
As a cheapo with no particular palate, I vote for a cup of hot water with a store-brand bouillon cube dropped in. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-brand-of-chicken-stock/1012756/14 "2025-01-10T08:59:21Z")
I swear by Better than Bouillon mostly because any half opened box of liquid stock in my fridge has a 50/50 chance of going bad and I always either had to do the “take a tiny sip of cold chicken stock to see if tastes weird” or “dump a cup of stock into my dish and throw it out because I forgot it went bad”. I freeze my home-made stocks after being reduced down into ice cube trays but there’s no way I’m devoting precious freezer space to boxed stock. Hence, why the switch to BtB was a huge quality of life upgrade for me.