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This homemade chicken bouillon powder is rich, savory, and full of umami flavor! Made with real cooked chicken, dried shiitake mushrooms, herbs, and nutritional yeast, this concentrated chicken powder is perfect for quick broths, soups, and stir-fries—it melts into hot water like magic.
In this post, I’ll show you how to make a long-lasting bouillon seasoning using leftover chicken or turkey. We’ll cover storage tips, broth ratios, and how to avoid clumping or overly salty blends.
Main Ingredient Notes
My healthy homemade chicken bouillon is a pantry staple made with real, whole ingredients that pack serious flavor in every spoonful. Here are the key components for the perfect taste and texture.
- Real chicken or turkey: This is what sets my recipe apart—most bouillon powders don’t include actual chicken! I use finely chopped, cooked chicken or turkey to give the powder a meaty depth and natural richness.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: These add an essential layer of umami that mimics the savory flavor of traditional Asian chicken bouillon. Don’t worry—they won’t overpower the blend. The mushrooms are here to enhance the chicken flavor and add a nice hit of umami.
- Tip: See the recipe card for how to use fresh shiitake as a substitute.
- Olive oil: A small amount of oil helps the powder bake evenly and prevents the ingredients from burning or turning bitter. It also adds a touch of fat, which rounds out the flavor and improves the texture of the finished powder.
How to make chicken bouillon powder
Making chicken stock powder at home is simple and so much more flavorful than store-bought. Here’s how to make your own in just 30 minutes:
Step 1: Blend the dried shiitake mushrooms
Add the mushrooms to a high-speed blender and blend on high until they become a fine powder. Let it rest for a couple of minutes before opening the lid so the mushroom dust can settle.
Step 2: Chop the cooked chicken or turkey
Use a food processor to pulse the cooked chicken until it’s broken down into small crumbles—similar in size to coarse breadcrumbs. This helps everything bake evenly later.
Step 3: Combine the ingredients well
Transfer the chicken crumbles to a parchment-lined sheet pan with the mushroom powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and nutritional yeast. Drizzle with olive oil and toss well to coat evenly—this prevents burning. Spread the mixture thin so it roasts evenly without steaming.
Step 4: Bake and stir
We’ll bake, stir, and finish baking at a reduced temperature. Fluffing midway prevents clumps and helps everything dry out more uniformly. Lowering the heat for the second bake gives the powder a toasty, concentrated flavor without burning.
Step 5: Blend again into a fine powder
Let the mixture cool slightly, then transfer it back to the food processor. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes until very fine. This is what gives it that smooth texture that dissolves easily in water.
Step 6: Cool completely and store
Let the chicken powder seasoning cool fully to room temperature—this is important to avoid clumping. Once cool, transfer to an airtight container. It will naturally gain moisture in the fridge, but it’s still safe to use. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month, or freeze for up to 3 months.
How to use chicken bouillon seasoning
This DIY umami seasoning is so versatile and convenient for adding depth of flavor to broths, soups, stews, stir-fries, and more. Gluten-free and made with no MSG, this is a great chicken bouillon replacement to add flavor to your favorite dishes!
- In soups: It’s perfect in my Whole30 cup noodles, Asian chicken noodle soup, Taiwanese chicken rice soup, or this creamy silken tofu kimchi soup.
- In fried rice: Add even more depth of flavor to my Chinese sausage fried rice or this Panda Express fried rice copycat recipe.
- In a stir-fry: Sprinkle your chicken stock powder into a stir-fry, like this savory Chinese beef and cabbage stir fry, for an instant flavor boost.
ChihYu’s helpful tips
- Use real chicken or turkey that’s already cooked and cooled. This helps the powder blend evenly and gives it a rich, meaty flavor that most bouillon powders lack.
- Let the mixture cool completely before storing. Even a little warmth can create condensation and lead to clumping.
- This is a concentrate—it’s stronger and saltier than a typical seasoning. Start with small amounts and adjust to taste, especially if using it in place of salt.
Homemade chicken bouillon
Video
Ingredients
- 160 g dry shiitake mushrooms (see notes for fresh shiitake)
- 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken or turkey
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- ½ tbsp garlic granule
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), or 325°F (165°C) for a convection oven.
- Add the dried shiitake mushrooms to a high-speed blender and blend on high until they become a fine powder, about 30 to 40 seconds. Let the powder sit for 2 to 3 minutes before opening the container to allow the dust to settle.
- In a food processor, finely chop the cooked chicken or turkey until it resembles small crumbles.
- Transfer the chicken to a large parchment-lined sheet pan. Add the mushroom powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and nutritional yeast. Drizzle with olive oil and use a spoon to mix everything together until evenly coated.
- Spread the mixture into a thin, even layer. Bake on the middle rack for 10 minutes.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and gently fluff the mixture with a fork. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (165°C), or 300°F (150°C) for convection. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Let the mixture cool slightly, then transfer it back to the food processor. Blend until the mixture becomes a very fine powder, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Let the mixture cool completely to room temperature. Once fully cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. For longer storage, freeze in small portions (e.g., zip bags or jars) for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that since there are no preservatives, the flavor may become more subtle over time.
Notes
- Quick broth ratio: To make an instant chicken broth, mix 1 tablespoon of my homemade Chicken Bouillon Powder with ½ cup (120 ml) of hot water.
- Using fresh shiitake mushrooms: Finely chop fresh shiitake mushrooms in a food processor. Spread them on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes. Stir and bake for another 20 minutes, then cool for 5–10 minutes. Blend with cooked chicken until very finely chopped, then follow Step 4 of the main recipe.
- Storage Tips (Read This!):
- This is a homemade powder with no preservatives, so it won’t be as dry or shelf-stable as store-bought versions. Even after baking, storing it in the fridge can introduce some moisture over time, so the powder may feel a little less dry.
- It’s best to use it within 1 month if kept in the fridge. For longer storage, freeze in small airtight containers and use within 3 months for best flavor and texture
- Flavor balance: This is a concentrated bouillon powder—meant to be salty and flavorful so it holds up when diluted into broth or used as seasoning to replace salt. The dried mushroom adds natural umami and mimics the flavor of traditional Asian chicken bouillon. Use in small amounts and adjust to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Definitely gonna try this! Will this work in Asian soups? I usually buy a Chinese brand chicken powder and it would be great to try to make my own. 🙂
Yes! See my homemade cup noodles for example! :)) https://iheartumami.com/whole30-cup-noodles/
I wonder if I could make mushroom bouillon by omitting the chicken. We don’t eat meat but have bought a jar of S. Korean mushroom bouillon that I’d like to imitate. It does makes a difference to our vegetarian soups. I would love to see you craft a mushroom bouillon
Thank you.
Thanks so much, Chris. And thank you for the wonderful question and suggestion. I was just thinking about the same thing. I will be working on a shiitake mushroom version, soon!
I’m a little leery of nutritional yeast. How important is it to this recipe?
It’s important to have it. It adds a cheesy flavor without the dairy.
Hi hi! I’m loving all your recipes! Can this be stored in the freezer so it can last longer?
Hi Catherine, thank you! They stay fresh in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Freezer should be longer but it will be less fragrant. 🙂
Made today for the first time. Had to used dried portobello as the store was out of dried shiitake. Tastes great, but next time I need to add more salt – the only ingredient I didn’t actually measure. And, I might up both onion and garlic. But, it’s good and I’ll really appreciate having this to help with quick, tasty, good-for-you meals.
It didn’t get as dry as I expected it to get.
Also, I put some in two small containers and put in the freezer. Has anyone else tried freezing?
Thanks!
HI Kim, thank you! Bouillon tends to be more salty in flavor so please feel free to season with more salt. Oven temperature varies. Maybe add 5 extra minutes bake time to see if it becomes drier. 🙂 It stays fresh in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. I haven’t tried freezing it. It should stay longer in the freezer but the fragrance might decrease though.