Out of Chicken broth, one case
Can you substitute bone broth for chicken broth?
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Chicken bone broth
1 cup for every cup of chicken broth
Yes: use chicken bone broth cup for cup in place of chicken broth. It is simmered longer, so it has a deeper flavor and more body, and soups and sauces come out a little richer. Taste before you salt, because cartons range from unsalted to fully seasoned, and thin it with water in a delicate dish. Beef bone broth also works in the same amount but changes the color and the flavor.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Use the same amount and hold back the recipe's salt until you have tasted the dish.
- Best for —
- soups and stews
One casethe full chicken broth card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup chicken broth | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicken bone brothsoups and stews | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Chicken bone broth, thinnedplain rice and couscous | ¾ cup broth + ¼ cup waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Chicken stockany recipe that calls for chicken broth | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 4 | Beef bone brothbeef, mushroom and onion dishes | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Bouillon cube + watertopping up when you are short | 1 cube + 1 cup waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Sweetened or flavored bone broth powder | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Chicken bone broth
deeper and more savory, a little fuller on the tongue
Chicken bones simmered for many hours. It does everything chicken broth does, with a stronger chicken flavor and more gelatin.
- Best for
- soups and stews, gravy and pan sauces, rice, grains and beans
- Prep
- Use the same amount and hold back the recipe's salt until you have tasted the dish.
- Where it fails
- Sipping broths flavored with ginger, turmeric or herbs carry those flavors into the dish. Read the front of the carton.
Homemade or refrigerated bone broth may be a soft jelly when cold. That is gelatin, and it melts back to liquid as soon as it warms.
Chicken bone broth, thinned
close to ordinary chicken broth
The same broth let down with a little water, for dishes where a strong, rich broth would take over.
- Best for
- plain rice and couscous, light vegetable soups, poaching chicken or fish
- Prep
- Stir the water into the broth before measuring it into the recipe, then taste for salt.
- Where it fails
- Nothing specific. If the broth is already mild, skip the water.
Chicken stock
clean chicken flavor, a little less seasoned
Stock is also made from bones, and cartons labeled stock and bone broth are close to the same thing. It is often less salty than broth.
- Best for
- any recipe that calls for chicken broth
- Prep
- Taste for salt at the end; stock is usually sold with less of it than broth.
- Where it fails
- Nothing specific. Unsalted stock used with no added salt tastes flat.
Beef bone broth
beefy and darker
It works by volume, but it is darker and tastes of beef, so the dish changes character.
- Best for
- beef, mushroom and onion dishes, stews, chili and braises, gravy for red meat
- Where it fails
- Chicken noodle soup, cream sauces, risotto and anything pale or delicate, which it turns brown.
Bouillon cube + water
salty and savory, thinner than bone broth
A chicken bouillon cube dissolved in hot water is the pantry fallback when the carton of bone broth is not enough for the recipe.
- Best for
- topping up when you are short, soups and rice
- Prep
- Dissolve the cube fully in hot water and leave out the recipe's salt until the end. Follow the package if it gives a different amount of water.
- Where it fails
- Sauces that boil down: the salt concentrates quickly.
Sweetened or flavored bone broth powder
Bone broth protein powders are sold as supplements, and many are flavored with vanilla or chocolate or sweetened.
- Best for
- drinks, as the label directs
- Where it fails
- A flavored or sweetened powder ruins a savory dish. Only a plain, unflavored powder mixed as the label directs is broth, and it is usually unsalted.
Tips for substituting chicken broth
4 tips- Soup: cup for cup. If the carton is seasoned, add the recipe's salt at the end, a pinch at a time.
- Rice and grains: use the same volume of liquid the recipe gives. Bone broth does not change the liquid-to-rice ratio.
- Pan sauces and gravy: bone broth has more gelatin, so it reduces to a glossier, stickier sauce. Stop reducing a little earlier than usual.
- Compare the sodium line on the two cartons. That tells you more about how to season than the words broth, stock or bone broth do.
Questions
5 questionsWhat is the difference between bone broth and chicken broth?
Mostly time and what goes in the pot. Chicken broth is usually made from meat and simmered for an hour or two. Bone broth is made from bones and simmered for many hours, which draws out more gelatin and gives a deeper flavor. In cooking they are interchangeable by volume.
Do I need to dilute bone broth?
Usually not. Use it cup for cup. For plain rice, a light soup or poaching, where a rich broth would dominate, use ¾ cup of bone broth and ¼ cup of water for each cup of chicken broth.
Can I use beef bone broth in place of chicken broth?
By volume, yes, 1 cup for 1 cup. It is darker and tastes of beef, so it fits stews, chili and mushroom or onion dishes. It is the wrong choice for chicken noodle soup, cream sauces and risotto.
Can I use bone broth in chicken noodle soup?
Yes. Use chicken bone broth in the same amount as the chicken broth. The soup has a stronger chicken flavor and a little more body. Taste before adding salt.
Is bone broth saltier than chicken broth?
It depends on the brand. Some bone broths are sold unsalted for sipping and some are fully seasoned. Check the sodium on the label and season the dish at the end.