Rocco DiSpirito Says Home Cooks Aren't Using Enough Of This Powdered Ingredient

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To exist in the modern world is to always be juggling a million different things. This can make it hard to find the time to craft a flavorful meal from scratch. But chef Rocco DiSpirito has an underutilized solution for any home cook short on time, and it comes inside an unassuming jar that you can find in almost any supermarket soup aisle for a steal: bouillon powder.

In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, the "Everyday Delicious: 30 Minute(ish) Home-Cooked Meals Made Simple" cookbook author recommended chicken bouillon powder as a quick and easy way to add an extra layer of flavor to your dishes. "The bouillon powders that are out there now are really good," DiSpirito said. "I used to poo-poo that stuff, but now cooking at home, I really understand how you're always grasping for more flavor, more texture, more love."

Chicken bouillon powder is often interchanged with chicken powder, despite being slightly different, with chicken powder offering a meatier stronger flavor. Bouillon powder is essentially a dehydrated, concentrated flavoring made from a blend of chicken extract, flavorings, herbs, and salt. "It's got a million brand names, but most of the time you're talking about basically some sort of concentrated poultry flavor, which almost always has MSG," DiSpirito said, speaking to the fact that manufacturers will often add additional seasonings and MSG to enhance the umami flavor. "A lot of home cooks, like my mom and other people's moms, and in the Asian kitchen, they're using MSG a lot."

That said, it's also important to note that there's a difference between chicken bouillon powder and chicken bouillon. The latter are stock cubes seasoned with extra herbs, vegetables, and spices, which creates a rich, full-bodied stock flavor that's great for soups, stews, and gravies, usually with a more traditionally Western flavor profile. Meanwhile, chicken powder provides a purer chicken taste and salty, umami-rich flavor that makes it popular in Asian cooking. The trick is to try a few different ones and find which one works best for you. There are many versions available online, like this Lee Kum Kee chicken bouillon powder, or this Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon powder.

Chicken bouillon powder can instantly upgrade a Chinese rice or stir-fry dish, deepen the flavors of an Indian masala curry, or bring another layer of umami goodness to a Japanese katsudon. Not only that, but it can also be used in more than just Asian dishes as an extremely versatile flavoring that lends itself well to a variety of cuisines. With a pinch of chicken bouillon powder, you can give some savory depth to a salsa verde or posole, add complexity to a risotto, amplify the existing flavor of a chicken pot pie, or even sprinkle it on your popcorn. So if you ever find yourself cooking in a time crunch, reach for the chicken bouillon powder to add instant flavor.