How To Make Chicken Bouillon Powder Recipe

Recipe & Photos courtesy of Mary Shrader of Mary’s Nest

Our thanks to Past Featured Chef, Mary Shrader for sharing this incredibly handy recipe for one of the kitchen’s most important staple items…bouillon.

“To make bouillon powder, you can use broth, stock, or bone broth. Whatever you start with, your bouillon will turn out great.

Bouillon powder of any kind—beef, chicken, or vegetable—is an essential ingredient to have in your pantry. Unfortunately, store-bought bouillon contains assorted chemicals, preservatives, and artificial colorings that we don’t want to bring into our traditional foods kitchen.” ~ Mary Shrader

Prep Time: 5 min
Drying Time: 10 hrs
Total Time: 10 hrs 5 min

US Wellness Shopping List: Bone Broth or Stock

Equipment Needed

Oven or dehydrator
Half-size baking sheet (multiple)
Parchment paper or shallow baking dish (multiple)
Dehydrator fruit leather trays, optional (multiple)
Canning jar or another type of jar with a lid
Foodsaver equipment, optional

Ingredients

16 cups Bone broth, broth, or stock that has been de-fatted
Salt, optional

Instructions

Oven Method

Pour 1 cup of bone broth, broth, or stock into each of your (1) shallow baking dishes or (2) homemade baking dishes that you placed on a baking sheet. (See video to learn how to create a homemade baking dish from parchment paper.)
Place baking sheets with baking dishes into a pre-heated oven at the oven’s lowest possible temperature setting. The oven temperature should be somewhere between 150°F and 200°F.
Allow bone broth, broth, or stock to dry until crisp. This will take approximately 8 hours if your oven temperature is set at 170°F. (The drying process time will be longer or shorter if your oven is set lower or higher than the mid-range 170°F.)
Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the drying time.
Once the bone broth, broth, or stock has dried to a crisp texture, transfer it to a grinder or blender and pulverize until it is a fine powder. This is your bouillon powder.
Transfer the bouillon powder to a jar with a lid. Preferably, add an oxygen absorber to the jar to extend its shelf life. Store in a pantry or cupboard out of direct sunlight. As with all homemade items, it can be difficult to determine exact shelf lives, but this bouillon powder may stay fresh for approximately 1 year. If you detect an unpleasant odor or mold at any time, discard immediately.
Optionally, you may add equal amounts of salt to your bouillon powder to create a product that’s similar to commercially manufactured bouillon crystals or bouillon cubes. (For example, if you have one cup of dehydrated broth, you would add one cup of salt to make a two cup mixture that would have a similar consistency to store-bought bouillon.)
As an extra step to extend your bouillon powder’s shelf life, you can use a handheld Foodsaver to extract as much oxygen out of your jar as possible. (See video for how to use the Foodsaver.)
Alternatively, you can refrigerate or freeze your bouillon powder. It will not change the taste or texture.

Dehydrator Method

Pour 1 cup of bone broth, broth, or stock into each of your (1) shallow baking dishes or (2) homemade baking dishes that you placed on a baking sheet. (See video to learn how to create a homemade baking dish from parchment paper.) Alternatively, you may use “fruit leather” trays specifically made for your dehydrator.
Once you have loaded your dehydrator with all the trays, set your dehydrator to 155°F for 10 hours.
Rotate the trays halfway through the dehydrating process.
Once the bone broth, broth, or stock has dried to a crisp texture, transfer it to a grinder or blender and pulverize until it is a fine powder. This is your bouillon powder.
Transfer the bouillon powder to a jar with a lid. Preferably, add an oxygen absorber to the jar to extend its shelf life. Store in a pantry or cupboard out of direct sunlight. As with all homemade items, it can be difficult to determine exact shelf lives, but this bouillon powder may stay fresh for approximately 1 year. If you detect an unpleasant odor or mold at any time, discard immediately.
Optionally, you may add equal amounts of salt to your bouillon powder to create a product that’s similar to commercially manufactured bouillon crystals or bouillon cubes. (For example, if you have one cup of dehydrated broth, you would add one cup of salt to make a two cup mixture that would have a similar consistency to store-bought bouillon.)
As an extra step to extend your bouillon powder’s shelf life, you can use a handheld Foodsaver to extract as much oxygen out of your jar as possible. (See video for how to use the Foodsaver.)
Alternatively, you can refrigerate or freeze your bouillon powder. It will not change the taste or texture.

Visit Mary’s Nest for the original article and more kitchen tips.

Mary Shrader

Mary Shrader is a former New York City Girl now living the simple life with her husband in Texas. She has been making delicious, traditional foods for over 20 years.

So whether your kitchen is in a city apartment, a house in the suburbs, or on a farm in the country…join Mary on this Traditional Foods journey to create Nutrient Rich Meals that nourish family, friends – and yourself! Visit Mary’s Nest for more amazing recipes and kitchen tips.