The Secret Ingredient For Restaurant-Worthy Chicken Sandwiches At Home

There are some meals that we simply avoid cooking at home, knowing that they'll never match up to what a restaurant can achieve. A chicken sandwich, on the other hand, seems simple enough to master on your own. Yet oftentimes it never tastes quite as good as when a professional makes it. Thankfully, a dash of chicken bouillon is the key to restaurant-quality sandwiches.

The spice comes packed with flavor and it's what Michelle Wallace, owner and founder of B'tween Sandwich Co., swears by it for incredible sandwiches. "I love to add a little chicken bouillon to my seasoning mix or marinades," she told us in an exclusive interview. "It gives that touch of deep chicken flavor and a tiny bit of MSG which helps to boost the overall flavor profile."

Adding this type of seasoning to a chicken sandwich is one of the absolute best ways to use MSG. The powder heightens the flavor tremendously, taking it from a standard dish to something truly mouthwatering. Though poultry already has a naturally savory flavor, bouillon helps to bring it to the forefront with the dehydrated chicken stock and various spices it contains.

If you're in a hurry, you can rub poultry with a pinch of chicken bouillon before cooking it. However, Michelle Wallace mentioned that she likes to add this type of seasoning to her mixes and marinades. This method allows the spice to infuse the entire sandwich's taste with a delicious umaminess that settles into the filet as it marinates.

MSG works pretty well with practically any other flavor profile, but it's especially delicious with sweeter ones. A hot honey marinade brings a fiery, sweet heat to chicken sandwiches and it can definitely be amped up with the addition of some chicken bouillon. Mix honey with red pepper flakes and smoked paprika and add a pinch of the bouillon seasoning. Stir in a dash of Dijon mustard for some tang and finish off with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

This saucy Korean fried chicken sandwich recipe has a dash of sweetness from the honey in the kimchi and sherry in the marinade, but overall, it's tangy, bold, and absolutely better with some MSG. Gochujang paste also offers a spicy, tanginess to the sandwich that becomes even more layered with some chicken bouillon. Sprinkle the seasoning into the marinade and stir well before dipping the fried chicken sandwich inside.