Substitution for Knorr chicken broth help! 

eyeris2011
eyeris2011 Posts: 15
edited September 24 in Recipes
What alternatives can I use to add flavor my food I am currently using knorr chicken broth for a lot of what I cook ….because for some weird reason since I can remember that’s what my mom uses for a lot of the food and mostly on soups ….but I freaked out when I found out the large amount of sodium 1 tsp contains…please help!!….If you cook at home what spices are best to use that are not so high in sodium please advise me

Replies

  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
    (bump -- curious too)
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    Tried Mrs Dash?
  • Harris Teeter carries a no-salt added, organic chicken broth that tastes great and has less than 100mg of sodium per serving. It's the best I have found. If you can't find this--Pacific Organic, low-sodium works well
  • kaityray
    kaityray Posts: 15 Member
    Low Sodium chicken broth, (Trader Joe's).
  • tschram12
    tschram12 Posts: 28 Member
    You can make your own chicken broth, or veg broth. Not sure but it should be healthier than the other stuff. Chicken, carrotts, onion, celery, baylleaf. boil and strain. Keep in the freezer and use when needed.
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I think I have every spice know to man in my kitchen, they take up an entire shelf in my pantry. I have all of the "Mrs. Dash" blends and find they are great for flavor.
    Sometimes your recipe really needs that broth though so I now roast, or slow cook a chicken at least once per week, or every other week just to save the broth for future use.
    I roast the bird on a bed of onions, celery, and carrots, rub olive oil on it and put about a cup of water in the bottom. I can then strain the broth out after cooking and put it into seperate small tuperware containers and freeze.
  • Homemade chicken broth is incredibly easy to make, especially if you have a slow cooker. Just throw in 1 whole chicken (innards removed), 1 onion quartered, 2-3 stalks of celery, 2-3 stalks of carrots, bay leaves and black peppercorn if you have it. Cover the whole thing with water. Can simmer for as long as 12 hours in the crock pot or bring to a boil in a large stock pot and simmer on low heat for 3 hours. Cool, strain & store. Tremendous flavor and you control the salt in your final dish by not adding salt to your stock.
  • maffydavison
    maffydavison Posts: 51 Member
    What alternatives can I use to add flavor my food I am currently using knorr chicken broth for a lot of what I cook ….because for some weird reason since I can remember that’s what my mom uses for a lot of the food and mostly on soups ….but I freaked out when I found out the large amount of sodium 1 tsp contains…please help!!….If you cook at home what spices are best to use that are not so high in sodium please advise me

    Without knowing how you're using the broth, it's hard to come up with substitutions, but I'll give it a whirl.

    If commercial broth has too much sodium, and you need a base for soup, make your own. Roast a chicken. Take the meat off. Lightly sautee a mirapoix (carrot, celery, onion) add them to a stock pot, add the chicken carcass, add only the amount of salt (or its substitute) that you want, pepper, and whatever spices you like -- I a use herbs de provence blend, but you may want less aromatics, so just use what you like...oregano? tarragon? whatever.

    If you are using broth to cut down on the fat when doing a sautee, use a little wine instead. If I'm making some veggies for dinner, I may spray some Pam on a non-stick pan, sautee onions, for example, and then add the firmer veggies like cabbage or broccoli or whatever, add a little wine, which deglazes the pan, scrape up all the brown goodies in the bottom of the pan, iand put a glass cover on (so I don't overcook them) and let them steam to done.

    Last night, I macerated some fruit for a stuffing using some apple juice. I put 2 cups of dried fruit in a pot, added 1 cup of apple juice and 1/4 c applejack brandy and a sprig of rosemary, brought it to a boil, then added some left-over brown rice (1 c) and cooked until the liquid evaporated. I took the rosemary out and threw it away, and put the rice/fruit mixture in some pork tenderloins that were ready to pop in the oven.

    What you add to food for flavor depends upon what you want it to taste like. Wine in the sautee doesn't really add much flavor as much as it cuts down on the fat. If you want more flavor in something like that, play with your spice cabinet. Spinach and nutmeg are natural friends, for example, and I use a touch of nutmeg in my vegetarian lasagna that just perks the flavor up and even non-vegetarians like it so much they've asked me for the recipe. It's a common, easy recipe, so I know it's just that little something extra that makes it seem somehow richer.

    If you have a specific recipe that you'd like to punch up, just ask. You can friend me, if that makes communicating on MFP easier. I am just finding my way around this program.

    Good luck!
    ~Maffy
  • I printed all these great tips and will try them during the week……Thank you ALL for them great tips …………….VERY helpful!…
    I have heard a lot of Mrs. Dash spices on this website but have not given it a try. I’ll make sure to add it to my grocery list and will defiantly make the homemade chicken recipes and use as I cook my food during the week.
    I mainly use the Knorr chicken broth for Spanish rice, most of my soups that contain chicken, salsas, you name it I would add it to everything for flavor lol! (Horrible stuff) …but since I want to cut down on sodium I am trying to cook with less salt and more herbs…
    I am also trying healthier recipes for my family……I am trying to bake more instead of frying and just little things hear and there I am changing in my home, that can help my family and I eat healthier meals

    Thanks again!
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