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Next time you’re feeling sick, remember: not just any stock will do.
If you don’t make your own chicken broth (made with meat) and stock (bones), there’s plenty to choose from at the supermarket. To help find the best, Chef Amy Bach of New Rochelle-based home-meal-delivery company Dinner in Hand tasted six broths. “My criteria for a good store-bought broth or stock is intense chicken flavor, no msg, and low salt.” So which met her criteria? See below.
Trader Joe’s Free Range Chicken Broth
“Watery; just a hint of chicken flavor. It would need to be reduced to get any kind of intense flavor out of it.”
Health Valley Low-Fat Chicken Broth
“Rich in color and I see chicken fat floating around—good signs for flavor. However, the taste was watery and flat.”
Swanson 100% Natural Chicken Broth
“It has a bouquet—I smell herbs like you would in a homemade stock. A pretty golden yellow color. I can taste the herbs and seasonings.”
Kitchen Basics Original Chicken Cooking Stock
“The color is great but I’m not tasting chicken. In fact, the flavor is nondescript.”
Campbell’s Chicken Broth
“The color is good, but there is too much salt—and this is coming from someone who loves salt. Underneath the salt, however, there is some good chicken flavor.“
College Inn Chicken Broth
“Good, garden-y nose. I can taste chicken and vegetables, including green peppers.”
