Best Chicken Broth: Our Taste Test Results, From the Winner to the Skip-It List

Introduction

Chicken broth is one of those pantry staples that quietly does the heavy lifting in the kitchen. It adds depth to simmering stews and hearty soups, and it is the backbone of savory classics like risotto and gravy. The problem is the wall of options at the store: liquid broth in one-quart boxes, powdered and cubed bouillon, and thick paste concentrates all compete for your attention.

To find out which ones are actually worth buying, we put ten leading supermarket chicken broths through a side-by-side taste test, sipping them straight and then cooking with them in a batch of risotto. The differences were bigger than we expected.

What to Know Before You Buy

Here is something surprising we learned while researching: almost every chicken broth at the supermarket starts as a thick broth concentrate made by large food manufacturers most shoppers have never heard of. Food scientists customize each concentrate to a client brand’s specifications, and it is then shipped out to names like College Inn and Swanson to be reconstituted for the shelf.

One common question is the difference between broth and stock. Most manufacturers, recipes, and food sources use the terms interchangeably, and so do we. On the store shelf, broth and stock are effectively the same thing. Liquid broth is made by cooking large volumes of chicken meat and bones in water under high pressure, then adding vegetables for flavor. Tomato paste and turmeric often show up for color, while flour or potato starch can appear as thickeners.

Bouillon takes a different route: liquid broth is dehydrated into solids and milled into powder, and hydrogenated fat is often added to mimic the little oily bits floating on homemade broth. Packaging and shelf life matter too. Liquid broth lasts only three to four days after opening, or about three months in the freezer. A single jar of Better Than Bouillon contains the equivalent of 38 cups of broth and keeps for roughly two years from its manufacturing date.

The Winner: Swanson Chicken Stock

Swanson Chicken Stock was the clear standout of the tasting. It poured a clean, pale gold with no strange specks or floating residue, and it delivered the thing every broth should deliver: it actually tasted like chicken. The flavor was mild and delicate without being watery, balanced between salt, savoriness, and genuine chicken character, and it did not taste artificial the way some competitors did. Several tasters compared it to the broth their families made at home.

In the risotto test it held up beautifully, adding chicken flavor without overwhelming the dish. Tasters described it as bright and umami-rich, and the tasting panel rated it highly enough to name it the overall winner of the ten-broth lineup.

Also Excellent: Swanson Organic Chicken Broth

The organic version from the same brand joined Swanson Chicken Stock at the top of the results. Both landed in the highly recommended category, making Swanson the box-format winner of the entire tasting. If you prefer an organic option, this is the one to reach for with confidence.

Best Buy: Better Than Bouillon

Better Than Bouillon took the best buy spot, and it earned it on both flavor and practicality. This is a thick paste concentrate that you reconstitute in boiling water at home, and one jar yields the equivalent of 38 cups of broth. Tasters found it intensely chicken-forward in a good way, with a savory character some compared to instant chicken ramen or classic chicken noodle soup. Yes, it is salty, but you can simply dilute it a little more when you want a lighter hand.

It also dissolved far better than the powdered bouillon in the lineup, tasting like a liquid broth rather than something reconstituted. Practically speaking, it is hard to beat: it lives happily in the fridge for a long time, so you are always ready, and you can dial the dilution up or down depending on the dish. Some home cooks even stir a little of the paste directly into stir fries to add flavor without adding moisture.

Recommended: Pacific Foods Chicken Broth

Pacific Foods earned a recommendation in our tasting thanks to its chickeny flavor. It is a solid middle-of-the-road choice for shoppers who want a carton broth that tastes of real chicken without off notes.

Recommended With Reservations: Knorr and College Inn

Two more products made the recommended list, but with reservations. Knorr Bouillon Powder is one of the two common non-carton formats, made by dehydrating broth into a powder. In the glass, tasters noticed granular residue, a very strong salty flavor that felt one-note, oddly thin and watery at the same time, and little floating herb flecks and fat globules that made it look less than appetizing. It did not dissolve as cleanly as the paste-style concentrate, and it tasted noticeably reconstituted rather than like liquid broth.

College Inn also landed in the recommended-with-reservations tier. Neither is a product we would steer you toward first, but both are workable if they are what you have on hand.

What We Would Not Buy

Not every product earned a recommendation, and a few actively disappointed us. Progresso Reduced Sodium was one of the biggest surprises. Despite the name, it actually contains a higher amount of sodium than some other brands in the lineup, since “reduced” only means reduced compared to that brand’s own regular product. Tasters also picked up fishy notes and a lingering acidic brightness that carried into the risotto. It received our lowest rating.

Zoup! Chicken Broth looked promising in its glass jar and carries a higher price than most of the lineup, but it fell flat. The carrot juice in the recipe gave it a bright orange color that stained our risotto yellow, and tasters described the flavor as one-note and slightly burnt, more like buttery water than chicken broth. Kitchen Basics, Zoup!, Kettle & Fire, and Progresso all landed in the not recommended tier.

Practical Tips for Using Broth at Home

A couple of small tricks make broth easier to live with. If you keep Better Than Bouillon on hand, a small spoonful of paste can add flavor to a stir fry without adding moisture, which is handy when you do not want extra liquid in the pan.

For carton broths in Tetra Pak-style boxes, there is a simple pouring fix: open and pour with the spout positioned on top rather than on the bottom. Air can get into the carton as you pour, so the broth glugs and splatters far less.

Conclusion

The taste test produced a clear hierarchy. Swanson Chicken Stock and Swanson Organic Chicken Broth are the box winners, Better Than Bouillon is the versatile best buy with unbeatable convenience, and Pacific Foods is a dependable recommended option. Knorr and College Inn are usable but flawed, while Kitchen Basics, Zoup!, Kettle & Fire, and Progresso are the ones we would leave on the shelf. Match the format to how you cook: cartons for everyday use, and a jar of paste concentrate if you want broth always ready in the fridge.