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Homemade Chicken Bouillon Cubes

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By Snejana Andreeva

on Nov 03, 2023

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Imagine having your own homemade healthy chicken bouillon cubes made from wholesome, natural ingredients with just a few simple steps!? Well, I’m here to blow your mind 🤯. No longer will you need to read through the long list of mysterious ingredients on the back of those store-bought stock cubes.

  • Why You’ll Love Chicken Bouillon Cubes
  • How to Prepare Chicken Bouillon Cubes
  • Nonna’s Tip 🤌
  • Variations and Substitutions
  • How To Use These Chicken Bouillon Cubes
  • Best Served With
  • Similar Recipes
  • Common Questions
  • Homemade Chicken Bouillon Cubes Recipe

Get ready to revolutionize your seasoning game with these nutritious flavour bombs that will add incredible layers of flavor to your soups 🍜, stews, sauces, gravies and more!

Why You’ll Love Chicken Bouillon Cubes

Not only are these homemade chicken bouillon cubes budget-friendly , but they can last for 3-4 months without any preservatives. Speaking of preservatives, did you know most commercial bouillon cubes have up to 500 mg of sodium per cube 😱?!

My homemade chicken bouillon cubes dish up an impressive 12 mg of sodium per serving and are made without any additives, artificial colouring or flavour enhancers. Just some good old simple kitchen staples as ingredients and a blender to fuse it all together.

The best part is that these are completely customizable . You can use any cut of chicken 🐓you prefer, swap out the vegetables, add or remove spices – it’s entirely up to you. So why not give it a try and enjoy the goodness of homemade bouillon cubes without worrying about preservatives and excess sodium 🧂?

How to Prepare Chicken Bouillon Cubes

To prepare these chicken bouillon cubes start by adding the vegetables to a large pot of water on the stove, and turning the heat 🔥 to medium-high .

Let the soup come to a boil, add the chicken and salt, reduce the heat to low, and let the concoction simmer for a minimum of 45 minutes .

After this duration, carefully remove the chicken 🍗 and let the broth and vegetables cool . The tender-boiled chicken is perfect as a salad topper or can be repurposed in my Chicken Salad recipe.

Once cooled, remove the vegetables from the broth using a slotted spoon 🥄 and add them to a blender along with some of that delicious chickeny broth.

Blend the mixture until it reaches a smooth consistency, pour into an ice-cube tray and freeze ❄️.

Once frozen, either cover the ice-cube tray with a lid if available or transfer the frozen cubes into a large Ziplock bag for convenient freezer storage.

Nonna’s Tip 🤌

Make sure to cool the veggies and the broth before blending. Adding hot liquids to a blender is dangerous as heat can cause expansion.

Homemade Chicken Bouillon Cubes - 3

Variations and Substitutions

Here are some ways you can make these homemade chicken bouillon cubes your own:

  • Experiment with different flavor profiles by adding other vegetables like mushrooms 🍄, bell peppers, fennel, butternut squash, sweet potato 🍠, or anything else that’s lying around in your fridge.
  • If you don’t want to use chicken, feel free to use other meats such as beef, turkey, or fish to make the stock.
  • If you’d like to make this vegan or vegetarian-friendly , omit the meat entirely and make my Vegetable Stock Cubes !
  • Add herbs and spices 🌿 to enhance the flavor. Some great additions would be thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, parsley, cayenne pepper, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, or even some ginger for an extra immuno-boost.
  • Instead of salt 🧂, you can use alternatives such as nutritional yeast, soy sauce, tamari, or even Vegeta (my Eastern Europeans know 😉).
  • Consider making different shapes and sizes of the cubes. Larger cubes might be suitable for big batches of soups and stews, while smaller cubes might be appropriate for quick seasoning.
  • If an ice-cube tray is not available, consider using a baking sheet. Line the baking dish with parchment paper, spread the purée evenly using a silicone spatula or spoon, and freeze ❄️ until solid. Remove the frozen block from the baking sheet and cut it into equal-sized squares . Wrap each square into foil (or parchment paper on top of foil) and transfer them into a Ziplock bag ready to be stored in the freezer.

How To Use These Chicken Bouillon Cubes

  • Throw them into rice 🍚 as it cooks for extra flavor.
  • Add 1-2 squares to a cup and pour hot water on top. You can add a pinch of salt and sip away when you feel under the weather.
  • Sneak it into pasta sauces for picky eaters. You can also take a look at my Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce .
  • Use it as a base for any bean or lentil stew 🍲. A perfect example would be my Coconut Chickpea Stew .
  • Make Pastina Soup by adding 1-2 cubes to a pot of water, then add the salt and pastina. When the pastina has cooked, take it off the heat and add grated Parmigiano on top. Enjoy!

Best Served With

A bowl of The Best Chicken Soup Ever, garnished with chopped parsley, features shredded chicken, rice, carrots, and celery in a clear broth, with a wooden spoon resting inside the bowl. - 4 A bowl of The Best Chicken Soup Ever, garnished with chopped parsley, features shredded chicken, rice, carrots, and celery in a clear broth, with a wooden spoon resting inside the bowl. - 5

The Best Chicken Soup Ever

1 hr 50 mins

A bowl of hearty lentil soup, known as The Best Lentil Soup, with chopped vegetables and fresh herbs, garnished with basil leaves and a spoon resting in the bowl. - 6 A bowl of hearty lentil soup, known as The Best Lentil Soup, with chopped vegetables and fresh herbs, garnished with basil leaves and a spoon resting in the bowl. - 7

The Best Lentil Soup

50 mins

A white bowl filled with rigatoni pasta coated in creamy orange tomato sauce, topped with grated parmesan and fresh basil—a classic from The Modern Nonna, perfect if you're searching for easy meal ideas inspired by European recipes. - 8 A white bowl filled with rigatoni pasta coated in creamy orange tomato sauce, topped with grated parmesan and fresh basil—a classic from The Modern Nonna, perfect if you're searching for easy meal ideas inspired by European recipes. - 9

Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce

35 mins

A plate of white rice topped with chickpea curry garnished with chopped cilantro. A fork is scooping the curry. In the background, a small bowl of fresh cilantro is visible on a white surface. - 10 A plate of white rice topped with chickpea curry garnished with chopped cilantro. A fork is scooping the curry. In the background, a small bowl of fresh cilantro is visible on a white surface. - 11

Creamy Coconut Chickpeas

15 mins

Similar Recipes

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Vegetable Stock Cubes

2 hrs 25 mins

A bowl of Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup with a yellow broth, garnished with chopped herbs, and a wooden spoon resting inside the bowl. - 14 A bowl of Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup with a yellow broth, garnished with chopped herbs, and a wooden spoon resting inside the bowl. - 15

Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup

1 hr 5 mins

A close-up of a bowl of Hidden Veggie Soup featuring yellow chicken noodle soup with wide noodles, shredded chicken, and sprinkled fresh herbs, served in a light-colored bowl. - 16 A close-up of a bowl of Hidden Veggie Soup featuring yellow chicken noodle soup with wide noodles, shredded chicken, and sprinkled fresh herbs, served in a light-colored bowl. - 17

Hidden Veggie Soup

50 mins

A close-up of Easy Pastina Soup, featuring a bowl filled with small pasta, possibly orzo, in a golden broth. A spoon lifts some pasta, and the comforting soup is garnished with chopped herbs. - 18 A close-up of Easy Pastina Soup, featuring a bowl filled with small pasta, possibly orzo, in a golden broth. A spoon lifts some pasta, and the comforting soup is garnished with chopped herbs. - 19

Easy Pastina Soup

50 mins

Homemade Chicken Bouillon Cubes - 20

Common Questions

Yes, you can definitely use other vegetables. Either add to the vegetables I used in this recipe or substitute them with what you have in the fridge. Some suggestions are mushrooms, bell peppers, fennel, butternut squash, or sweet potato.

Absolutely! Instead of chicken, consider using beef, turkey or even fish.

You most definitely can! To make this recipe vegetarian, simply omit the meat. You can also check out my Vegetable Stock Cubes !

Yes, a stick blender or immersion blender will work, but keep in mind the texture may not be as smooth.

My favourite silicone ice-cube mold is linked HERE !

Yes, you can use any ice-cube tray or silicone mold. Feel free to experiment with different shapes or sizes. Keep in mind that a silicone mold will be easier to work with as the cubes slide right out, while a plastic tray is more rigid.

If an ice-cube tray is not available, consider using a baking sheet instead. Line the baking dish with parchment paper, spread the purée evenly using a silicone spatula or spoon, and freeze until solid. Remove the frozen block from the baking sheet and cut it into equal-sized squares. Wrap each square into foil (or parchment paper on top of foil) and then transfer them into a Ziplock bag ready to be stored in the freezer.

These frozen stock cubes will last in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.

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Video

Equipment

  • ▢ Soup Pot
  • ▢ Blender
  • ▢ Nakiri Knife
  • ▢ Large Ice Cube Tray
  • ▢ Spider Spoon

Ingredients

  • ▢ 2 celery ribs , washed and cut in half
  • ▢ 2 carrots , washed, peeled, and cut
  • ▢ 1 onion , whole, peeled
  • ▢ 1 leek , washed, cut in half and quartered
  • ▢ 5 garlic cloves , measure with your heart
  • ▢ 8 cups water , you can also add less
  • ▢ 6 chicken thighs , boneless, skinless but you can add any cut of chicken that you enjoy
  • ▢ salt , to taste

Instructions

  • ▢ In a large pot, add the water. Add the vegetables and put the soup on the stove.
  • ▢ Turn the heat on medium-high and let it come to a boil.
  • ▢ Add the chicken and salt. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for a minimum of 45 minutes.
  • ▢ After 45 minutes, take out the chicken. You can use the chicken in salads or for any other recipe like my Chicken Salad .
  • ▢ Let the broth and the veggies cool.
  • ▢ Once cooled, take out the veggies with a slotted spoon and add them to a blender with some of the broth.
  • ▢ Blend until smooth. Pour into a large ice-cube tray and freeze.
  • ▢ Once frozen, you can cover with a lid if your tray has one or transfer into a large Ziplock bag.
  • ▢ Note: the cubes will last you for months. The quantity will depend on how big the ice-cube trays are and how much water evaporates during cooking.

My Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Homemade Chicken Bouillon Cubes

Equipment

  • Soup Pot
  • Blender
  • Nakiri Knife
  • Large Ice Cube Tray
  • Spider Spoon

Ingredients

  • 2 celery ribs washed and cut in half
  • 2 carrots washed, peeled, and cut
  • 1 onion whole, peeled
  • 1 leek washed, cut in half and quartered
  • 5 garlic cloves measure with your heart
  • 8 cups water you can also add less
  • 6 chicken thighs boneless, skinless but you can add any cut of chicken that you enjoy
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • In a large pot, add the water. Add the vegetables and put the soup on the stove.
  • Turn the heat on medium-high and let it come to a boil.
  • Add the chicken and salt. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for a minimum of 45 minutes.
  • After 45 minutes, take out the chicken. You can use the chicken in salads or for any other recipe like my Chicken Salad .
  • Let the broth and the veggies cool.
  • Once cooled, take out the veggies with a slotted spoon and add them to a blender with some of the broth.
  • Blend until smooth. Pour into a large ice-cube tray and freeze.
  • Once frozen, you can cover with a lid if your tray has one or transfer into a large Ziplock bag.
  • Note: the cubes will last you for months. The quantity will depend on how big the ice-cube trays are and how much water evaporates during cooking.

Video

Nutrition

Homemade Chicken Bouillon Cubes https://themodernnonna.com/homemade-chicken-bouillon-cubes/ November 3, 2023