Where to Find Chicken Broth in the Grocery Store – A Detailed Guide
Finding chicken broth at the grocery store is a piece of cake if you know where to look. As a home cook and food blogger, I often need chicken broth for recipes Over the years, I’ve mastered the art of hunting down chicken broth in any grocery store
In this detailed guide, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about locating chicken broth efficiently. We’ll cover the primary areas to check, alternative spots to scope out, how to decipher the labels, and commonly asked questions. Let’s begin the great chicken broth expedition!
The Main Chicken Broth Hot Spots
Nine times out of ten, you’ll locate chicken broth in the soup or broth aisle. This section goes by a few names, including “Soup & Broth,” “Stocks & Broths,” or just “Broth.” Head straight there first.
Within the soup aisle, scan the shelves for various chicken broth options:
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Canned Chicken Broth – The classic. Often affordable and easy to store.
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Box/Carton Chicken Broth – Typically viewed as higher quality than canned. Look for Tetra Pak packaging.
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Low Sodium Chicken Broth – Great for people restricting sodium.
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Organic Chicken Broths – Made from organic chickens. Healthier but pricier.
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Concentrated Chicken Broth – Concentrated paste to dilute with water. Saves storage space.
Alternative Chicken Broth Zones
Sometimes, chicken broth pops up in random aisles:
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International Foods Aisle – May carry ethnic broth options or imports.
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Natural/Organic Aisle – Common spot for organic and gluten-free types.
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Meal Kits Section – Some meal kits include chicken broth packets.
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Refrigerated Produce Section – Occasionally houses fresh chicken broth.
Decoding Chicken Broth Labels
Reading labels is crucial when choosing a chicken broth. Watch out for:
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Broth vs Stock – Broth uses meat, stock uses bones. Stock is richer.
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Sodium Content – Check levels, especially if limiting salt intake.
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Ingredients – Avoid additives and preservatives. Stick to simple.
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Organic Seal – Verify certified organic, if it matters to you.
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Flavor Profile – Some contain herbs and spices. Pick optimal flavor.
Frequently Asked Chicken Broth Questions
Let’s tackle some common chicken broth FAQs:
Is making your own broth cheaper?
Generally, yes. Using leftover bones and scraps reduces waste. But it takes more time/effort.
What’s the difference between broth and stock?
Broth focuses on meat, stock on bones. Stock is richer and more gelatinous.
Can I drink chicken broth alone?
Absolutely. It makes a soothing, hydrating beverage. Great when you’re sick.
Does chicken broth need refrigerating before opening?
Nope, shelf-stable broth in cans/cartons keeps until opened. Then refrigerate.
What if my store is out of chicken broth?
Grab bouillon cubes or try vegetable or bone broth as substitutes.
Can I use broth past the expiration date?
Use caution. If unopened, it may be fine shortly past the date. Watch for spoilage.
Is there vegan “chicken” broth?
Yes! Made from veg broth and herbs/spices to mimic chicken flavor.
What’s better – cubes or liquid broth?
Cubes are handier for storage but often have more sodium and additives.
Should I add broth to my dog’s food?
Yes, but use low-sodium and avoid onion/garlic. Check with your vet.
Can I freeze leftover broth?
Yep! Freeze in ice cube trays or larger bags for future use. Keeps for months.
Chicken Broth Hunting Tips & Tricks
Here are my top strategies for finding chicken broth:
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Head straight to the soup aisle first. Nine times out of ten, that’s where it lurks.
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Be thorough – check top and bottom shelves. Sometimes it’s hidden.
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Ask for help if you’re stuck. Store workers often know the layout best.
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Check expiration dates and pick the freshest option.
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Grab a few extra cartons. It’s handy to have chicken broth stockpiled at home.
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Make note of alternate locations for next time. Stores vary in layouts.
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Look high and low – occasionally it ends up on weird shelves.
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Don’t just scan at eye level. You’d be surprised where it might turn up.
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If desperate, head to customer service. They can lookup locations in their store system.
Chicken Broth Tips & Substitutions
Chicken broth is incredibly versatile. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
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Add to rice, quinoa or oatmeal for extra flavor.
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Use as the base for soups, stews and sauces.
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Pour over meat and veggies before roasting for extra moisture and flavor infusion.
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Add a splash to chili or pasta water for enhanced taste.
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Whip up quick pan sauces by simmering with wine, herbs and stock.
If you can’t find chicken broth, these make solid substitutions:
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Vegetable broth
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Beef broth
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Mushroom broth
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Water + chicken bouillon powder/paste
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Water + a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire
Get Creative in the Kitchen with Chicken Broth!
Other good chicken broths
If you want a lighter bone broth with greater ingredients transparency: Pacific Foods Organic Bone Broth Chicken Unsalted (about $5.50 per quart) is a respectable runner-up to the Good & Gather bone broth. Compared with that one, this bone broth is lighter in body and chicken flavor, and it’s more rounded out with vegetables, herbs, and spices. The Pacific Foods bone broth also stands apart from the competition in that the label fully spells out the ingredients, listing water, organic chicken, organic vegetables (onions, carrots, celery), and so on. On most of the broths and stocks we tasted, the labels listed only “chicken broth” or “chicken stock” as the first ingredient. The Pacific Foods bone broth is a good all-purpose choice for most recipes, and it would even make a fine soup base with additional carrots, onions, and fresh herbs.
For a decent and economical supermarket option: The College Inn Unsalted Chicken Stock (about $2.60 per quart) is a solid choice. It got different grades from the testers: I thought it was okay, and Winnie ranked it as her number-two pick. In her notes, Winnie wrote that this stock had “decent chicken flavor” that was “pleasant and clean.” She also found it “surprisingly rich” given the “fairly clear straw color.” I put the College Inn Unsalted Chicken Stock squarely in the middle.
For a supermarket brand with more intense, chicken-y flavor: Swanson Unsalted Chicken Cooking Stock (about $3.20 per quart) is inoffensive and was available at most of the supermarkets I shopped at while researching this guide. Winnie and I were split on the flavors we picked up in this one—she detected a charred onion flavor, whereas I thought it had a pleasant bit of gaminess, like a stock made from a more mature chicken. We think it’s one of the better-tasting big-brand chicken stocks that most folks can find at their local supermarket.
This is not a comprehensive list of everything we tested in previous iterations of this guide, just what’s still available.
Swanson Organic Low-Sodium Free-Range Chicken Broth (about $4 per quart) doesn’t taste terrible so much as it doesn’t taste like much of anything. Even though this broth had a “cleaner” flavor than most of the others we dismissed, it was insipid, thin, and described as “weaksauce” by our blind-taster.
The Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth Low Sodium (about $3.30 per quart) was too weak on chicken flavor and aroma for the price. An onion-powder flavor, while not overtly offensive, dominated and lingered on the palate.
Target’s Good & Gather Organic No Salt Added Chicken Broth (about $2 per quart) is very affordable for an organic product, and we think we know why: In our tests it was watery and barely tasted like anything, chicken or otherwise. If buying organic is a priority, you’re better off spending slightly more for a quart of the Imagine organic low-sodium broth.
“Milky white” and “bland” best describe Whole Foods 365 Organic Chicken Broth Low Sodium (about $2.50 per quart).This broth stood out for its lack of both flavor and color. We detected a faint chicken aroma, and that’s about it.
To paraphrase Winnie, our blind-taster, the Progresso Chicken Broth Unsalted (about $2.70 per quart) tasted like the plastic from the carton more than anything else. I also thought this one was plasticky, with a strong onion-powder and yeast aftertaste.
Intense onion flavor dominated Swanson Unsalted Chicken Broth (about $2.50 per quart). The chicken flavor was there, but the yeast extract in the ingredients took over and lingered on the palate for a while. If Swanson broths and stocks are the best option at your local supermarket, skip this one and grab either the Unsalted Chicken Cooking Stock or the Organic Low-Sodium Free Range Chicken Broth.
I don’t like to drag subpar products through the mud, but the Rachael Ray Stock-in-a-Box Low-Sodium Chicken Stock (about $3.00 per quart) was one of the worst we tasted. It had no discernible chicken flavor or aroma. Instead, it was watery and plasticky tasting, with an unidentifiable off-flavor that lingered way too long on the palate. The Rachael Ray stock is the only one we tested that’s made from watered-down chicken stock concentrate, not chicken stock or broth. And the difference was glaringly obvious.
We don’t know which ingredient made Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock (about $3.30 per quart) taste so sour. The only clue we could gather from the ingredient list was “natural flavor.” In our tasting notes, we agreed that the strong acidic flavor was the most memorable characteristic. Winnie called it “thin” and mused that it “might be worse” than the Rachael Ray stock.
The Best and Worst Supermarket Chicken Broths | The Taste Test
FAQ
What aisle is chicken broth normally in?
Where found. Chicken broth is usually found in the canned goods section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Where is chicken broth stored?
Chicken broth can be stored in a cupboard or pantry for months at a time. Boxed chicken broth is a popular and reliable pantry staple for good reason!
Can you buy chicken broth in the supermarket?
Yep! There are all sorts of broths available, usually in tetra packs near the soups at the grocery store. You can get chicken, beef, vegetable, mushroom, and sometimes fun ones like pho and roasted garlic chicken!
Is chicken stock and chicken broth the same thing?
Did you know that chicken stock and chicken broth are not the same? Chicken stock comes from the bones, is more gelatinous and has more anti-inflammatory benefits than chicken broth. Broth from chicken is generally lighter in taste and thickness than stock, and is based on the meat, not the bones.