Home Recipes Soups Bean Soups White Bean Soups
ByLisa Kaminski
Updated: May 23, 2024
It's soup season! That means you'll want the best chicken broth to make your pots of matzo ball, Italian wedding and wild rice soups. Try our top picks for the coziest bowlfuls ever.
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On a chilly weeknight, there’s nothing cozier than stirring up a quick soup. Whether you prefer matzo ball soup, Italian wedding soupor white chili, there’s one ingredient all these comforting favorites have in common: They start with store-bought chicken broth.
But do you know which box or can you should turn to when making one of these go-to bowlfuls? You’ll want the very best chicken broth after all to make these recipes sing. To find them, our Test Kitchen team gathered up every brand they could find (11 total!) to find the best broth. Looking for a substitute? Learn the difference between bouillon and broth.
Testing Chicken Broth
To judge packaged chicken broth, our team kept in mind the features of a goodhomemade broth. A great homemade broth is savory with the right amount of flavor from aromatics like onion, celery and herbs. Overall, the taste is balanced and not overwhelming—after all, broth is typically a base for soups, stews and other flavorful dishes.
In thistaste test, our team sampled 11 brands. In the end, just four were chosen asTest Kitchen-Preferred.
Best Chicken Broth for Soup
Swanson Chicken Broth
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Most Herbaceous Chicken Broth
Kroger Chicken Broth
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Best Chicken Broth for Cooking
Aneto Chicken Broth
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Best Budget Chicken Broth
Great Value Chicken Broth
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When you’re craving a bowl of comforting chicken noodle soup, our Test Kitchen suggests starting the recipe with Swanson Chicken Broth.
“This is such a good broth for chicken noodle soup,” says Mark Neufang in the Test Kitchen. Swanson’s broth is perfectly savory with the right blend of carrots, celery, onion and a little something extra. “This brand has an almost buttery quality to it,” explains Mark.
Testers described Swanson broth as being comforting and even nostalgic flavor to it. It’s why it’s our Test Kitchen’s favorite for re-creating warm memories on the stovetop.
A flavorful broth is a great shortcut for seasoning soups—especially when that broth is packed with plenty of herbs, like Kroger Chicken Broth.
Every tester on our panel called out the aromatic blend of sage, parsley and thyme. These herbs are classic matches for chicken; in fact, you’ll see these listed in many recipes for poultry seasoning and stuffing.
Consider using this broth anytime you’re making a poultry-forward dish like chicken potpie or chicken and dumplings. The taste of herbs along with a whisper of chicken will really make those recipes sing.
While packaged chicken broth is a go-to for soups and stews, don’t forget that this ingredient plays a key role in recipes like risotto, stuffing and potpies. For when you’re not stirring up soup, our Test Kitchen pros recommend Aneto Chicken Broth.
This near-opaque broth has a mild chicken flavor with plenty of onion and garlic flavor—two essential aromatics for savory dishes. “This makes for a good cooking broth,” explains the Test Kitchen’s Ellie Crowley.
Another reason our team loves this broth: It only uses meat from free-range chickens. Extras like this make spending a little extra on a quality product worth it.
When you’re making big batches of chicken noodle soup, you may want to save a few pennies on ingredients, including broth. The good news is that you can find one of the best chicken broth options right at Walmart:Great Value Chicken Broth.
This Great Value broth costs about $1.25 for a 32-ounce package. That’s a great price for a broth that Catherine Ward in the Test Kitchen describes as smelling like “freshly roasted chicken—real and freshly made.”
You’ll also pick up notes of carrots, celery and sage in this packaged chicken broth—all very welcome flavors when stirring up comforting chicken soups of all kinds.
Taste of Home
Check Out More Test Kitchen-Preferred Products
Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing food, kitchen gadgets and cleaning gear looking for brands that deserve the right to be calledTest Kitchen-Preferred.
If you want to fill your pantry and fridge with the best products, check out these tests:
- The best olive oil
- The best marinara sauce
- The best cornbread mix
Originally Published: January 31, 2023
