How to make chicken stock concentrate from bouillon cubes

If there’s one thing we usually have stocked in our kitchen, it’s chicken stock concentrate (yes, pun intended)!

It’s a fantastic item to keep for cooking as it can bring more flavor to various recipes and has a long lifespan.

The chicken stock concentrate goes well in various liquid-based recipes like soups, stews, and gravies! However, it’s understandable that you have none on hand.

Sometimes, we forget to purchase it during our grocery runs, or we completely forget we ran out of it in the middle of a recipe!

So what’s there to do? What can you use in place of chicken stock concentrate?

You can replace chicken stock concentrate with another acceptable ingredient, of course.

Read on to learn what other ingredients you can use to achieve the savory flavor that chicken stock concentrate offers!

What’s Chicken Stock Concentrate Exactly?

Chicken stock concentrate is made or chicken carcass before it’s used to make bone broth or stock.

That stock is essentially the liquid collected at the bottom of your slow cooker after cooking a whole chicken.

It turns highly gelatinous and rich with chicken flavor once it gets cold!

As a result, you get rich chicken goodness that you can use in so many recipes in the culinary world.

Are There Health Benefits to Chicken Stock Concentrate?

Yes, there are benefits to chicken stock concentrate! Here are some of them:

• This is a nutrient-rich liquid made from chicken bones and their marrow. Because of that, expect the stock to be rich in vitamins A, K, selenium, manganese, among other nutrients! (*)
• The nutrient-rich liquid is also very gelatinous. The gelatin will break down into collagen in our bodies after consumption, which helps with our joining health ad to alleviate osteoarthritis. (*)
• The chicken stock concentrate contains glutamine, an amino acid helpful in gut health. (*)
• This meat-based concentrate contains proteins to keep us feeling fuller without too many calories. It’s helpful for weight loss as the liquid adds rich flavor with its nutrients and low-calorie content. (*)
• Chicken stock and the stock concentrate may also help with our sleep quality. (*)

Besides the health benefits, chicken stock concentrate also offers other valuable advantages in the culinary world, such as:

• Chicken stock concentrate is less pricey compared to boxed or canned chicken stock.
• Concentrated chicken stock has a more versatile taste suitable in most recipes. It offers a great flavor, which you can experiment with by adding herbs and spices.
• Chicken stock concentrate has extra flavor than mere chicken stock.

What Recipes Can You Make With Chicken Stock Concentrate?

You can make numerous recipes with chicken stock concentrate because of its rich flavor profile.

Concentrated stock isn’t only used for sauces and stews, but other dishes, like:

• Roast chicken breast
• Shrimp risotto
• Hainanese chicken with rice
• Braised baby bok choy
• Eggplant Ratatouille
• Quinoa
• Wild rice stuffing
• Glazed carrots
• Oven-braised rosemary chicken
• And so many more!

Usually, you can find chicken stock concentrate in your local grocery store or purchase it online.

But if you have no chicken stock at home, don’t worry. Here are great ingredients you can use to replace chicken stock concentrate:

1. Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock

Chicken broth is the best substitute for chicken stock concentrate. After all, they have the same flavor profile, so these ingredients closely match one another!

However, they do not have the same consistency, with broth containing more liquid than the concentrate. As such, do not add more water to your recipe when using broth.

You can also use regular chicken stock, which is what chicken stock concentrate is made of. Simply reduce the liquid until it reaches your desired consistency.

Use the same amount of broth in your recipe to substitute chicken stock concentrate.

Tips: We suggest you to make homemade chicken broth by simmering chicken carcass, onions, and carrots in a pot of water for 6-8 hours. You can then reduce homemade chicken broth to create chicken stock concentrate!

How To Make Your Own Chicken Stock Concentrate at Home

Get recipe: glebekitchen.com

2. Beef Stock

If you have no chicken stock available, you can always use another meat-based concentrate, like beef.

Beef stock works as an excellent substitute for chicken stock concentrate, though it won’t taste the same as chicken.

That said, it can give your recipe a different flavor that will still closely match the flavor profile you want.

Other than beef stock, you can also try veal stock instead of chicken stock. Veal stock can also add umami flavor to your recipe, which we love!

3. Vegetable Stock

The vegetable broth (or vegetable stock) will offer a ton of flavor to your recipe. However, vegetable stock won’t have the meaty flavor you might be looking for from chicken stock.

That said, it’s worth using vegetable broth to substitute chicken stock concentrate, especially if you are vegan or vegetarian.

You can easily find vegetable stocks from your supermarket, just like chicken stock.

4. Bone Broth

Bone broth is an extremely popular ingredient now, and for a good reason! This broth is made by boiling animal bones and connective tissue for a few hours, which are beneficial for our health. (*)

As such, you can use bone broth as a substitute for chicken stock! However, do note that bone broth is made of different ingredients (like connective tissue), so be prepared for a bit of a flavor change.

Furthermore, bone broth has high salt content, so we don’t recommend adding more salt to most recipes that call for chicken stock concentrate.

Also, don’t add any more water as bone broth is watery.

5. Salt and Spices

We use the chicken stock concentrate to add extra flavor to our dishes. If that’s your main goal, then the simplest and easiest way to replace chicken stock concentrate is through adding salt and your preferred spices, which you already have at home!

There are many herbs and spices to choose from, such as parsley, peppercorns, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and more!

The options are limitless and totally up to you and your desired taste to add umami.

That said, adding salt and other spices won’t get you the meaty flavor you want, compared to using concentrated stock.

Also, we recommend adding a bit of water to dilute your spices to prevent your dish from having an overwhelming flavor.

Fun fact: If you don’t want to add more salt or spices but just want that rich and slightly fatty flavor from chicken stock concentrate, use water and salted butter! Try half a stick of salted butter mixed with half a cup of water, which resembles the fattiness found in chicken stock concentrate.

6. Gravy Granules

Gravy granules are among the best chicken stock concentrate alternatives since they share the same consistency!

This ingredient is very salty and savory, great to use as a thickening agent for your dish. But because gravy granules contain a thickening agent, it’s best to add less of it (or extra water) to maintain the similar viscosity as chicken stock concentrate would provide.

Furthermore, we like that gravy granules can come in different flavors and ingredients, such as vegetables or salted. That way, you can use the most appropriate gravy granules to match the concentrated chicken stock taste you’re after.

While we recommend adding a smaller amount of gravy granules, you can always use the same amount desired from the recipe. It depends on what you prefer.

7. Beer

Before you skip this ingredient, hear us out!

Beer can add a depth of flavor to your meals without any salt, particularly when making stews or sauces.

If you want a deeper flavor but are watching your salt intake, we recommend beer. Begin with half a cup of beer, observe the taste and consistency, then add more if you want.

You don’t get the flavor from concentrated chicken stock, but you will appreciate what your dish will taste like!

8. Wine

We use wine in many cooking applications, particularly stews, for its richness.

You can either use red or white wine as chicken stock concentrate replacements.

Because wine is more liquidy, you may want to add less or adjust the number of other liquids in your dish.

We like red wine in stews for the deep and rich flavor, while white wine is excellent in sauces for its light, delicate flavor.

9. Stock Cubes

Stock cubes or bouillon cubes are other excellent ingredients to substitute chicken stock. These are basically another type of stock concentrate.

It’s best to keep stock cubes in your kitchen since they can last long. Plus, you can find different varieties of stock cubes, whether you want chicken, beef, or vegetable stocks!

Stock cubes are very easy to use since they need to mix with water. Or, you can add the cube directly to your cooking dish.

Since stock cubes are saltier, adjust your dish’s salt content when using it as a great substitute for chicken stock concentrate.

Frequently Asked Questions

For those who still wonder about what chicken stock concentrate alternative for using, we share informative tidbits to take your cooking up to the next level:

What’s the difference between chicken stock and broth?

Chicken broth and chicken stock concentrate sound like you can use them interchangeably, but they are actually different!

The broth is made from chicken and has no gelatin, having a shorter cooking time. The chicken stock concentrate is made from bones and contains gelatin, having a longer cooking time (like a few hours).

The chicken stock concentrate is essentially chicken stock but a reduced version.

We use chicken stock to create chicken stock concentrate or vice versa.

What is Hellofresh chicken stock concentrate?

Hellofresh chicken stock concentrate is a pre-made, shelf-stable chicken stock that can be used in place of ordinary chicken broth or stock in recipes. It has a long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature.

The concentrate is made with real chicken broth, so it packs a lot of flavor. It’s also low in sodium and free from additives and preservatives. This makes it a healthy and convenient choice for cooking meals at home.

Use the concentrate to add flavor to soups, stews, rice dishes, or any other dish that needs a boost of savory goodness. It’s also great for making gravy or sauce. Just dissolve the desired amount in hot water and you’re good

Wrapping It Up

Can’t find chicken stock concentrate? No problem, there are many other ingredients you can use in place of chicken stock concentrate from our list, depending on what you need it for.

If you just need a little bit of liquid to add flavor to a dish, you can use wine, beer, or even water with a little bit of seasoning. However, if you need something more substantial, like for making soup or gravy, you can use beef, pork, or vegetable broth instead.

Whatever you use, just make sure to adjust the seasoning accordingly so that it adds flavor and doesn’t overpower the dish.

We hope that you got to find an excellent chicken stock concentrate replacement that suits your taste and dish!

Next time you’re out of chicken stock, try these alternatives for a change.

Happy cooking!

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