7 Best Substitutes for Chicken Stock Concentrate

The chicken stock concentrate is an all-time favorite ingredient for a whole lot of people. It adds an excellent umami flavor to non-meaty dishes. But what if you’re out of this chicken stock concentrate? Thankfully, there are many other alternatives you can use as a substitute for this concentrate.

What are the substitutes for chicken stock concentrate? Making Homemade Chicken Stock is your best bet. If you have no chicken but you want the exact same umami flavor as that of chicken stock concentrate, then you can use Bone Broth, Vegetable stock, Gravy Granules, Japanese Dashi, or Stock Cubes. If you just need to add a savory liquid to your dish, you can go for a Beer, Wine, or Worcestershire sauce.

In this article, you’ll learn about some of the top best substitutes that are easy to make but equally delicious. We’ve covered some facts about chicken stock concentrate along with its usage as well.

About Chicken Stock Concentrate

In one line, we can say that chicken stock concentrate is the concentrated form of liquid left after boiling a whole chicken with added seasonings of taste.

This stock adds a delicious umami flavor to your food and gives new dimensions to your recipes. Once you’ve tried it, you can’t resist having it again and again. It’ll turn into a savory soup if you add vegetable and shredded meat pieces.

Chicken stock has different variants with just a little twist in the preparation method. For Example, diluted chicken stock, concentrated chicken stock, and powdered chicken stock.

Uses of Chicken Stock Concentrate

The chicken stock concentrate is a quite useful ingredient as it is easy to make in bulk and easy to store for a long. It can either be purchased from the grocery store or made at home easily. You can use it like that;

• Make delicious soups
• Use it with Stews
• Add it to gravies
• Pour on roasted chicken breast
• Use it on rice and its stuffings
• Put in eggplant ratatouille
• Use in shrimp risotto
• Use with glazed carrots
• Put in Quinoa
• Pour on oven-braised chicken
• Use in jellied salads and desserts
• And many more!

7 Best Substitutes for Chicken Stock Concentrate

Sr. No.	Chicken Stock Substitute	Preparation Time
1	Homemade Chicken Stock	2-3 hours
2	Bone broth	4-5 hours
3	Vegetable Stock	50 minutes
4	Gravy granules	Commercially available
5	Japanese Dashi	Commercially available
6	Stock cubes or Bouillon cubes	Commercially available
7	Liquid substitutes like Beer and Wine	Commercially available

1. Homemade Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock is very easy to make at home. On top of that, you can make it more healthy and highly customized according to your taste preferences. The chicken stock available commercially may contain some additives like preservatives and anti-caking agents. They are added for good but these additives can also be harmful.

It’s best to make a healthy and savory stock at home with simple ingredients. No specific ingredients are a must except for chicken. You can throw together whatever you have available on hand at the time. More or less, you can use the following ingredients:

• Whole chicken or just legs, bones, breast, or neck – 1-2 pound
• Chopped onion – 1 large
• Chopped carrots – 2 mediums
• Chopped celery – 2 stalks
• Salt – ½ tsp or more to taste
• Black pepper – ½ tsp
• Crushed garlic – 1 clove
• Fresh parsley or dill – small bunch
• Water – 3 cups or enough to submerge them all

Instructions

Put all the ingredients together in a large pot and bring them to a boil. Reduce the flame and cook uncovered for 1-2 hours till the required consistency is achieved. Strain the stock and let it cool before transferring it to a glass container. Or you can use it directly in your recipe to get a rich savory flavor. You can store it for 5 days in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer.

2. Bone Broth

Bone broth can be made from chicken bones but if the chicken is not available, you can use bones of cattle, pork, or lamb as well. Since ancient times, bone broth is considered a healthy remedy to boost immunity and improve the health of patients. The amino acids, gelatin, and collagen from the bones are great for skin health, tissue repair, and body growth.

Bone broth is a healthier, fattier, and heavier alternative to chicken stock concentrate due to the addition of all the goodness of bone marrow. It provides an intense umami flavor thus use it carefully to avoid overpowering it. For making bone broth, you’ll need these ingredients to make a gluten-free, dairy-free, and keto-approved broth:

• Animal bones preferably marrow bones – 1-2 pound
• Carrots – 2 medium
• Onion – 1 medium
• Celery – 1 stalk
• Bay leaf – 1
• Whole star anise – 1
• Whole cinnamon stick – 1 small
• Black peppercorns – ½ tsp
• Garlic – 1 clove crushed
• Apple cider vinegar – ½ tsp
• Water – As needed

Instructions

Put the bones, onion, celery, garlic, carrots, and water together in a large pot and set to boil. Then simmer it for 10 minutes. Take out all these ingredients from the stock water and roast them in the roasting pan for 10 minutes. Shift them back into the stock water and simmer again at low flame for at least 3-4 hours. Cool it down before transferring it to a closed container or jar. You can use refrigerator broth for 5 days. Bone broth can be stored in the freezer for 6 months.

3. Vegetable stock

Vegetable stock is best suited to all-vegan dishes. It is commercially available in the market as the best healthy substitute for chicken stock concentrate. You dislike the meat but you still love the umami flavor. No worries! You can create the same umami flavor using a mixture of some selective vegetables.

Replacing meat with vegetables has its own benefits like less consumption of cholesterol, calories, and fats. The stock with mere vegetables in it is a little bland. To give it an extra kick, add some spices and seasonings to it to make it flavorful. The ingredients you need include:

• Carrots – 1 small
• Celery – 1 stalk
• Cauliflower – 1 small
• Chopped scallion – 1 small
• Chopped onion – 1 small
• Minced garlic – 2 cloves
• Olive oil – 1 tsp
• Fresh parsley – 1 sprig
• Fresh Thyme – 1 sprig
• Bay leaves – 1 half
• Salt – one pinch
• Spices – as per taste
• Water – 3 cups

Instructions

Chop the vegetables after washing. Heat the oil in a pot and put all ingredients into it. Cook the vegetables for 5-10 minutes while stirring continuously. Add water and spices and bring them to a boil. Low the flame and simmer for half an hour. Strain the stock and discard the vegetables. Seal the stock in an airtight container before refrigeration.

4. Gravy Granules

Gravy granules are made from the extract of meat or vegetables. It contains all the necessary ingredients that are used to make chicken stock. It is just like a natural additive and gives more or less the same thick and rich flavor as that of chicken stock concentrate.

These granules are thickened with gluten-free wheat flour. That’s why it’s an excellent pick for vegans. It is prepared without meat and thus suitable for vegetarians too. It is a bit saltier and should be used carefully.

It doesn’t require any long cooking duration or simmering. Some main ingredients in the gravy granule pack include dehydrated onion, cayenne pepper, paprika, dehydrated garlic, salt, maltodextrin, sugar, potato starch, and wheat flour. The thickness of the gravy will depend on the number of granules used for making the flavoring stock.

5. Japanese Dashi

Dashi is a type of broth served as a basis for various Japanese cuisines. The flavor profile of Dashi is incredibly close to the chicken stock concentrate. The commercial product includes the ingredients like dried sardines, dried bonito flakes, dried shrimp, or other seafood items that add a delicious umami flavor to your dishes.

The flavor of Dashi can be controlled when prepared at home. We can use some traditional Japanese ingredients of our own choice and quantity to make its taste even better than chicken stock concentrate. It can be made vegan-friendly if cold-brewed kombu is used.

I would recommend using the commercially available product of Dashi to enjoy the richness of Japanese cuisine flavor.

6. Stock cubes

Stock cubes, also known as bouillon cubes are a very popular way to substitute for chicken stock concentrate. They are packed in a highly concentrated form with very little moisture thus having a long shelf life.

It is very convenient to use as made in the form of cubes. It saves your time because there is no need of making any measurements before use. Just put one cube in your recipe and enjoy the delicious complex flavor. It is comprised of dehydrated vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, and also the leaves of thyme, bay, sage, and parsley.

It is available in both vegan and non-vegan varieties. You can use the commercial cubes of beef or vegetable stock to replace the chicken stock. Just remember that the level of sodium is high, thus it should be used cautiously in hypertensive patients.

7. Liquid alternatives

All the above substitutes constitute high sodium content that needs to be used carefully. Beer and wine can give that salty depth to your dishes without adding salt. Add half a cup of either pick and then taste. Add more if necessary. You can also use Worcestershire sauce in place of chicken stock. This sauce provides a complex umami-rich flavor to your food.

Bottom line

Now that you know the top best substitutes for chicken stock concentrate, you can never miss giving umami flavor to your dishes.

Whichever alternative you pick, just make sure to adjust the salt accordingly. You can turn the flavor to your taste by adding seasonings of your choice.