The One Ingredient Upgrade That Will Improve Nearly All Of Your Chinese Dishes

We are all familiar with chicken bouillon, but have you ever used chicken powder in your recipes? Not to confuse you, but it turns out the two products are not one and the same. While powdered or cubed bouillon is seasoned with dehydrated vegetables, herbs, and spices like onion, garlic, celery, parsley, and turmeric, chicken powder is usually just chicken, with maybe a little salt or MSG only, so the flavor is closer to that of a simple roasted chicken. This makes chicken powder a versatile ingredient, adding a strong, real chicken taste to recipes, and according to chef Shirley Chung, it is especially suited for Chinese cuisine.

"The benefit of using chicken powder over broth or stock is you can get that instant flavor, adding umami without adding liquid to the dish. Especially when it comes to stir fry dishes," says Chung, a native of Beijing who immigrated to the U.S. to study and work in Silicon Valley but ended up attending culinary school and eventually working in restaurants with the likes of Thomas Keller and José Andrés. 

The chef emphasized chicken powder's use, saying, "Dry and properly glazed is what we're looking for in a good stir fry, not wet and brothy."

Shirley Chung says it's very common — and beneficial — to add chicken powder to a variety of Chinese dishes. She states, "Stir fry, braised meat, poached chicken and vegetables, pretty much 98% of Chinese dishes can benefit from chicken powder." In fact, many traditional recipes actually include it as an ingredient, and is not advisable to substitute it for bouillon.

Think about enhancing your hot pot broths with a bit of chicken powder, or adding it to a classic congee recipe for an even richer flavor. But don't limit yourself to Chinese foods — chicken powder can also enhance a Thai noodle dish, or an Indian curry like butter chicken. Chicken powder adds a meaty punch of umami to many dishes, and because it doesn't have more complex spice notes or aromatic flavors, it is truly versatile. It's a welcome ingredient in marinades and soups, as well as casseroles, noodles, pasta, rice, pan sauces, and cream sauces. Once you try cooking with chicken powder, it is sure to become a staple in your pantry arsenal. You can buy it in some grocery stores, but if you're struggling to find it locally, purchase some online, for example this Lee Kum Kee brand. Although labelled bouillon, it's more like what you'd get in a Chinese grocery store than a bouillon cube.