Chicken broth and beef broth carry many health benefits, including supporting joint health and your immune system. They are in various meals, adding strong flavor and juiciness to your recipe. When it comes to animal broth, there are several you can choose from. This article will discuss the difference between beef and chicken broth. What are the differences and nutritional facts, and when to use which one? Read more below!
When it comes down to it, chicken broth has a milder taste and is easier to use in an assortment of recipes, but the beef broth is fantastic for your mood and gut health.
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Chicken Broth vs. Beef Broth: What is the Difference?
Before discussing the differences between chicken and beef broth, let's touch on what broth is. To make broth, you can use a variety of different animals or even vegetables.
To make a broth, you will want to place the type of meat and bone you are using, herbs, and water in a pot and simmer for up to 24 hours. Also, broth cooks great in a slow cooker. Remember, the longer you cook the broth, the more powerful the flavor!
Now on to the differences between the two most popular broths; the first difference lies in which animal the broth comes from. Chicken broth is made with chicken bones and meat, and beef broth is made with beef bones and beef meat.
When it comes to making your broths, chicken is the easiest one.
In addition, when cooking the broth, beef takes longer because the bones are denser and thicker. Furthermore, chicken bones and meat are easier to find. You may even have some lying around after a chicken dinner!
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Texture and Taste
The texture of beef and chicken broth is similar. They both are smooth liquids and cook well in various soups and stews; some even drink broth straight. This is because both beef and chicken broth offer excellent health benefits!
The chicken broth is more versatile and tastes milder than beef broth. It is often in many different soups and stews. Chicken broth can also be added to vegetables or even noodles in place of water while simmering. In doing so, the noodles or vegetables will have a mild yet delicious flavor.
On the other hand, beef broth is more intense and distinctive than chicken broth. So when using beef broth, you will definitely be able to tell!
Health Benefits
Now on to the health benefits; beef and chicken have plenty of them. With this said, let's review a few of the health benefits of each.
Chicken broth is excellent for helping joint pain. This is because chicken broth has type II collagen. This type II collagen is helpful when treating osteoarthritis.
Chicken broth is also great for boosting the health of your skin and replenishing electrolytes.
Beef broth carries its own set of benefits as well. Beef contains glycine, actually more than chicken! This specific ingredient is excellent at helping you relax and sleep. Meaning eating beef broth promotes sleep.
Apart from helping you sleep, glycine also increases serotonin. You know what happens when your serotonin increases, right? Your mood increases, and you become more joyful. Beef is also great for stomach health!
Chicken Broth vs. Beef Broth Nutritional Value
This nutritional values chart is a great way to capture the health differences between chicken and beef broth quickly. Take a look below to see the comparisons.
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What Is Chicken Broth?
Chicken broth uses animal bones, carcasses, meat, herbs, water, and vegetables like carrots. After the chicken and liquid simmer for a long time, up to 24 hours, the fluid you are left with will be a delicious, mild liquid used in various dishes, including soups, stews, or even gravy.
What is Beef Broth?
Beef broth cooks in a very similar fashion, except this time around, beef bones and meat are the main ingredients. The meat will simmer and cook down, adding to the beef broth's intense and bold flavor.
Beef broth is also used in soups and stews, but the flavor is more concentrated!
- 4-serving meals starting at $3.77 per serving (up to 25% cheaper than HelloFresh).
- Incredible variety with 10+ weekly meal options, delivered directly to you.
- Easy to prepare meals ready in 30-minutes or less.
What is the Difference Between Broth and Stock?
The main difference between broth and stock lies in the ingredients used to make it. The broth will use animal carcasses, meat, bones, herbs, and occasionally vegetables. On the other hand, stock only uses animal bones and does not typically include seasoning. This is so it can be used in diverse recipes.
Can You Switch Out Chicken Broth for Beef Broth?
It depends. If you are in a hurry and do not have time to run out and grab the correct broth, you can substitute one for the other.
There are a few factors you will need to remember before doing so. First, the beef broth has a strong, sometimes intense, flavor. Chicken broth, in contrast, is more mild and versatile. The mild nature of chicken broth lends well to being used in several recipes. Then again, beef broth may produce a pretty strong flavor and create too intense of a flavor when it comes to your main course.
Therefore, before substituting one for another, consider the meal you are preparing; if it's a hearty dish, adding beef broth may be okay. A lighter dish may not take well to the substitution.
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When to Use Chicken Broth?
Some great recipes out there call for the use of chicken broth. Here are a few great ones!
- Chicken enchiladas
- chicken and sausage
- Chicken pot pie soup
- Chicken and broccoli
The mild flavor lends well to being added to many different recipes!
When to Use Beef Broth?
Beef broth is excellent in soups and stews. Here are some recipes that call for the use of beef broth:
- French onion soup
- Beef stew
- Beef broth pasta
- Shepherd's pie
- Pot roast
- Beef and broccoli
One Last Note
- The main difference between beef and chicken broth is their main ingredient. Beef broth uses beef bones, while chicken broth uses chicken bones and carcasses.
- Beef broth, due to its intense flavor, does best in hearty dishes. Meanwhile, chicken broth is better in a lighter dish.
- Chicken broth is lower in calories, fat, and cholesterol compared to beef broth, making it a healthier choice.
Beef and chicken broth have fantastic health benefits, so much so that many people drink the liquid straight without adding it to a recipe! Some health benefits include promoting sleep, mood-boosting, joint pain, and gut health.
When it comes to flavor, beef broth will win every time. It has a strong, intense flavor that bodes well in soups and stews, like beef stew! Chicken stock, on the other hand, is mild and more versatile. As a result, it can be used in various ways.
If you need to substitute one for the other, it's a possibility, though paying close attention to the flavor differences is essential.
- 4-serving meals starting at $3.77 per serving (up to 25% cheaper than HelloFresh).
- Incredible variety with 10+ weekly meal options, delivered directly to you.
- Easy to prepare meals ready in 30-minutes or less.
Lastly, chicken and beef broth can be made at home, though they differ from stock! The main difference between the two is the animal that is used. Broth also uses the animal's meat in addition to the bones, whereas stock implements the bone and water.
Whether you enjoy the mild flavor of chicken broth or beef broth's strong and bold taste, both liquids add flavor, health benefits, and uniqueness to your recipes. You cannot go wrong with either broth, whether you eat it in a stew or drink it straight!
This excellent chicken pot pie makes great use of chicken broth:
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Chicken Pot Pie
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Ingredients
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
2–4 TBSP flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp sage
1 cup frozen/canned corn
1 cup frozen/canned peas
1 cup sliced carrots (cooked)
1 lb chicken, cooked and sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Pie crust, top and bottom
Instructions
- Pre-cook and slice chicken and carrots.
- Melt butter in a large pot over the stove on medium heat. Add diced celery and onion. Cook until desired tenderness. (I like to let mine get really soft, 10-15 minutes.)
- Add flour until well-coated, then quickly add chicken broth before the flour mixture starts to burn. Stir until mixture thickens to desired thickness, adding more flour if needed.
- Add sage, salt and pepper. Add corn, peas, carrots (I pre-cook mine so they are already soft) and cooked, sliced chicken.
- Mix until well combined and all ingredients are heated through.
- Place bottom pie crust in a baking dish and pour in the pot pie mixture. Add the top crust and pinch the two crusts together to help keep the pie from boiling over.
- Wrap in foil and store in the freezer until ready to use.
Cooking:
- Let pot pie thaw in fridge before cooking.
- Bake uncovered in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or according to crust instructions.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
If baking frozen: Remove plastic wrap or foil before baking. Bake at 475º for 15 minutes, then at 375º for 45 minutes.
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