Food Guide

Which Is Better For Your Dishes: Chicken Base or Bouillon? Find Out Now!

A fresh homemade chicken base is ideal for the best soup, but chicken bouillon seems to be superior in terms of convenience.

If you are wondering what type of product between the chicken base or chicken bouillon is better for your dish, this article will help.

What is the chicken base?

Minor's Chicken Base and Stock, Great for Soups and Sauces, 0 Grams...

Chicken base is a flavorful, concentrated stock that can be used as an ingredient to create delicious dishes.

It is made by simmering chicken stock longer than the average time to cook chicken stock to let the liquid evaporate and result in a highly concentrated version.

The chicken base has a dark brown color, a saltier flavor, and a more gelatinous texture due to the concentrating process.

It can be used as an alternative for chicken stock, chicken broth, or vegetable stock in any recipe that calls for one.

Since the chicken base has a bolder flavor, you should use less of it compared to the amount of chicken stock needed.

What is chicken bouillon?

Member's Mark Chicken Bouillon Cubes, 32 Ounce

Chicken bouillon is also another form of concentrated chicken stock.

However, it is usually dried and ground into powder or compressed into small cubes rather than being sold in liquid form.

Due to this fact, chicken bouillon has a longer shelf life than chicken stock or chicken base.

It is meant to be kept dried, so you don’t need to store chicken bouillon in the fridge, just make sure the jar or box that contains chicken bouillon is closed tightly so that the contents cannot be exposed to the humidity from the air.

Chicken bouillon is full of flavor and is used to make soup, stew, gravy, or sauce taste better and provide the body to your dish as well.

It is also rich in many essential nutrients that benefit our health in different ways.

What are the differences between chicken base vs chicken bouillon?

Chicken base and chicken bouillon are two different products that are widely sold on the market. Although they are basically the same, the process to make them results in some differences in some criteria:

 Chicken baseChicken bouillon
TextureConcentrated liquidUsually dehydrated and sold in granulated or cube forms
PreparationCan be added directly to the dishShould be dissolved in water before adding to the dish
Shelf lifeShorter, should be kept in the fridgeLonger, can be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container
Where tCan be made at home or bought from a grocery storeMainly bought from a grocery store because the dehydration requires more effort and specialized equipment

What are the similarities between chicken base vs chicken bouillon?

Despite some key differences between chicken base and chicken bouillon, these two products also share some features in common, as mentioned below:

1.     Chicken base and chicken bouillon are basically concentrated forms of chicken stock

Chicken base and chicken bouillon are both made from chicken stock.

After chicken bones are simmered with other aromatic ingredients like vegetables, spices, and herbs for hours, it will be cooked a bit longer so that the liquid is evaporated and concentrated.

2.     Chicken base and chicken bouillon have the same taste and nutritional content

Since both of these products are made from chicken stock, they share their tastes and nutrient values.

When cooking chicken base or chicken bouillon, the resulting dish is flavorful, sweet, and has the taste of chicken.

They also have the same nutritional content, which is rich in protein, minerals like calcium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamins like vitamin A, B6, B12, K, and E.

3.     Chicken base and chicken bouillon can be used interchangeably

The chicken base and chicken bouillon will be exactly the same when cooked.

Therefore, they can be used interchangeably in any recipe that calls for either chicken stock, chicken broth, vegetable stock, chicken base, or chicken bouillon.

There will be no difference in the resulting dish at all.

Which one is better?

Product ComparisonMinor's Chicken Base and Stock, Great for Soups and Sauces, 0 Grams...Member's Mark Chicken Bouillon Cubes, 32 Ounce
Product ImageMinor's Chicken Base and Stock, Great for Soups and Sauces, 0 Grams...Member's Mark Chicken Bouillon Cubes, 32 Ounce
Latest PriceCheck Current PriceCheck Current Price

It’s hard to say which one is better between the chicken base and chicken bouillon because they are basically the same thing with their own advantages due to the different processes.

It will be easier to work with and store chicken bouillon, but most of the store-bought bouillon is high in sodium and contains preservatives.

Meanwhile, the homemade chicken base is fresher and healthier, but it takes more time and effort.

So it’s all up to you to choose a favorite type of chicken stock, either chicken base or chicken bouillon.

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Emily W.

Emily Wong is an Asian-American food writer the founder of Cookindocs.com. With nearly 8 years of experience, she has a passion for making cooking accessible to everyone and sharing her personal experiences with food. Emily's vision for Cookindocs.com is to create a community of food lovers who are passionate about cooking, eating, and sharing their experiences with others. Read my story
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