The Best Chicken Stock to Stock Up On

The best chicken stock isn’t just the best chicken broth with a different name. Y’all, I learned a lot here today. If you had asked 11-year-old me if she would one day be sitting on a couch sipping a cadre of undoctored chicken stocks out of tiny bowls and taking notes on their “chicken-forwardness,” “herbiness,” and “notes of dog foodiness,” she would have told you that you were cuckoo bananas. But you are not cuckoo bananas, and neither am I, but I am, in fact, at least some percentage chicken stock as of right now, so I better tell you all about it so this newfound knowledge does not go to waste.

First things first: What is chicken stock? Until literally this week I had no idea chicken stock and chicken broth were two different things. Oh how wrong I was. You see, chicken broth is what you get when you boil meat, but chicken stock is what you get when you boil bones. Chicken stock usually takes longer to make and is a bit more concentrated in flavor than chicken broth. That said, if you are wondering when to use one versus the other, the consensus across the internet seems to be broth for when you want other flavors to come through and shine, and stock when you either want more chicken flavor, or a richer, deeper, more umami broth.

Now, what separates good chicken stock from the best store bought chicken stock? There are many factors, and it can depend on what you are looking for, but generally speaking, we were looking for rich chicken flavor, deep umami and meatiness, and no strange or off flavors (like the aforementioned dog food). Many of the best chicken stocks we tried contained not only chicken, but a classic mirepoix (aka a mix of onion, carrot, and celery, pronounced meer-pwah) in the ingredients list, as well as herbs, spices, chicken flavoring, and, in one case, honey (more on that later).

I’m tellin’ ya, we truly did learn a lot here today, so whip out your soup-sippin’ spoons, and let’s talk about the best tasting chicken stock, including the best organic chicken stock and the best low sodium chicken stock.

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Best Herb-Forward Chicken Stock

Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Stock

Amazon

Pacific Foods chicken stock has a hint of herbaceous flavor to it, like rosemary or thyme or tarragon (or perhaps a combo of the three). As organic chicken stock goes, is not as umami or chicken-y as Swanson Organic (which you’ll find at #4 of this list) but it is still solid. If you prefer the flavor of herbs to the flavor of a mirepoix then go with this, I am not one such person, but I am nothing if not objective and can recognize that there are people who would definitely think this is the best chicken stock.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Best Blank Slate

Swanson Chicken Stock

Walmart

Okay, let me start by saying that Swanson Chicken Stock is not bad, but it also isn’t exceedingly tasty on its own. It tastes like salt, chicken, and not much else—but hey, that’s what some people are looking for in the best tasting chicken stock. If you are making a stock-based soup with flavors that will clash with things like celery, onion, thyme, and sage, this is the best store bought chicken stock for you. It is pure salt and umami and nothing else, and that makes it a great blank slate for whatever magic you want to cook up.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Organic Chicken Stock

Swanson Organic Chicken stock

Target

I know you may be skeptical, but Swanson organic chicken stock and regular Swanson chicken stock do not taste the same. Why? Because their ingredient lists are actually quite different! The result is that while this stock is still salty and umami, it also has a bit more depth of flavor than its non-organic counterpart. It even has a hint of black pepperiness, celery, and onion flavor to it (there’s that mirepoix again). All told, this is the best chicken stock if you want something with that Cup Noodles, bouillon-esque chicken ramen flavor.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Low Sodium Chicken Stock

Swanson Unsalted Chicken Stock

Walmart

This unsalted chicken stock smells distinctly like a Costco rotisserie chicken and tastes nice, too. What do I mean by nice? Well, it tastes like rotisserie chicken water, which, as unsalted chicken stock, is sort of what we are looking for here. This is hands down the best unsalted chicken stock we tried, and it tastes exactly like chicken stocks I have made in the past at home from leftover rotisserie chicken bones. It has a solid umami flavor and tastes very clean like pure unadulterated, roasted unsalted chicken and water. If you watch your salt intake, this is the best low sodium chicken stock to stock up on.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Most Unique Chicken Stock

Kitchen Basics Original Chicken Stock For Cooking

Target

This one threw me at first. It has a sweeter, fruitier aroma than the other stocks, and it’s also the most sweet and sour tasting of them all. And while it is very acidic and very flavorful, it doesn’t taste super strongly of chicken, unlike some of the others on this list. I checked the label and it actually contains honey and bay leaves, which makes a whole lot of sense given the fresher, fruitier, sweeter taste. It has plenty of umami flavor as well, with an aftertaste I would describe as grilled onion-y. At first I couldn’t decide if I liked it, and then after a whole Kombucha Girl-style deliberation, I decided it is, in fact, among the best store bought chicken stock.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Signature Select Chicken Stock

Vons

Signature Select’s chicken stock actually made me say “wow!” out loud. Was I prepared to say “wow!” out loud while sipping cold, plain chicken stock? Not in the slightest. It tastes like it is already most of the way to chicken noodle soup. It has a huge kick of of onion flavor and a punch of roasty toasty chicken flavor. Trust us when we say it is an umami bomb. Use this if you want strong chicken and onion flavors in your soup or sauce or what have you. This tastes like a Safeway rotisserie chicken in the best possible way. This tastes like a Thanksgiving gravy. I could (and have, literally for this article) drink this straight. It’s the best chicken stock we taste tested—and it’s certainly the best store bought chicken stock if you shop at an Albertsons-owned grocery store.

Credit: Liv Averett / Vons

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Other products we tried: Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock, Signature Select Unsalted Chicken Stock