Chicken Broth Options, Explained with Side-by-Side Photos

There are a ton of options out there for chicken broth or stock. We put four common chicken broth options on the counter for comparison: A) Kettle & Fire, B) Knorr bouillon, C) Better Than Bouillon, and D) homemade chicken broth.

We tend to keep all four in the house and use them for different jobs, so a quick comparison can be helpful. While most nights we reach for two in particular, a cup of any lifts dishes, soups and stews with clean, chicken-forward umami.

Broth basics

• Flavor profile: Bone-based liquids tend to read deeper and more roasty. Concentrates push seasoning forward. Boxed broths are consistent and mild. Store labels often blur “stock” and “broth,” so taste and nutrition panels matter more than the front. Choose unsalted or reduced-sodium when you want control.
• Body and viscosity: Natural gelatin is the difference you feel on a spoon. Feet, wings, backs, and necks increase gelatin and help a stock set when chilled.
• Salt management: With bouillon and bases, start lighter than the label and season up. Reduced-sodium boxed or base products give more room to reduce without harshness.
• Reduction behavior: Gelatin-rich liquids reduce into glossy ribbons and coat the pan cleanly. Low-gelatin, high-salt liquids can taste sharp when driven down. If a broth is thin, a touch of unflavored gelatin can improve body.

Format

What each one is

• A: Kettle & Fire Classic Chicken Bone Broth is a boxed bone broth simmered from chicken bones and aromatics, ready to use out of the carton.
• B: Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon is a concentrate you dissolve in hot water. Directions are simple: one cube makes about two cups of broth, and the granulated version gives teaspoon conversions for the same strength.
  • Where does the flavor come from? Knorr’s ingredient lists for chicken bouillon include salt, flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate, fats and starches that carry flavor, chicken fat or dehydrated chicken, aromatics such as onion and parsley, and nucleotides like disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate that amplify savory notes. The brand also notes that if MSG is added, it is listed clearly on the label as not all flavors or packages contain MSG. 
• C: Better Than Bouillon Organic Roasted Chicken Base is a spoonable, concentrated paste that you dilute with hot water. The brand’s guidance is one teaspoon of base to one cup of hot water when you want broth strength.
  • If you look at the classic Roasted Chicken Base label, you’ll see how that savory profile is built: roasted chicken, salt and a little sugar, hydrolyzed soy protein, dairy solids, starch, and umami boosters such as disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate. The reduced-sodium version shifts the formula toward yeast extract and maltodextrin to keep flavor while cutting salt. Those components explain why a small amount seasons a pot so quickly.
• D: Homemade chicken broth is a bone-based stock made with collagen-rich parts like feet. This batch we made was all feet, but we typically save excess chicken bones in the fridge until a standard freezer bag is filled. Then we add chicken feet, roast off the bones and made an easy broth. As it cooks, collagen in the bones and joints turns into gelatin that gives sauces shine and cling.

Side-by-side lineup

A) Kettle & Fire, B) Knorr bouillon, C) Better Than Bouillon, and D) homemade chicken broth

Spoon cling

Characteristics by option

A: Kettle & Fire Classic Chicken Bone Broth

• Color: clear golden to light amber
• Body: low to medium
• Salt room: best with reduced-sodium cartons if you plan to reduce or finish with salt at the end
• Best use: sipping, poaching, quick soups

B: Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon

• Color: bright golden
• Body: low to medium, depends on dilution
• Salt room: lower at label strength; start light and adjust
• Best use: grains, beans, quick background seasoning

C: Better Than Bouillon Organic Roasted Chicken Base

• Color: clear golden
• Body: medium when mixed lightly
• Salt room: good if you mix to taste; check sodium per teaspoon on the label
• Best use: fast soups and quick sauces

D: Homemade chicken broth

• Color: deep straw to light amber. This can be darker is roasted bones are used.
• Body: high and softly gelled when chilled
• Salt room: full control
• Best use: sipping, grains, beans reductions, pan sauces, risotto, poaching, soups, sauces