Welcome to Mythical Kitchen Picks, the series in which the culinary experts from Mythical Kitchen tell you all about their favorite foods and ingredients. Last week, Lily Cousins shared her favorite brand of frozen chicken chunks, which she turns to for all manner of meals. And today, we’re gonna talk about even more chicken, because Vianai Austin is here to talk about an all-star poultry pantry staple. Read on to find out what Vi sneaks into anything and everything for a big punch of flavor. 

Vi’s Pick: Knorr Granulated Chicken Bouillon

A Latino’s best friend when cooking. For a long time, I thought this specific brand of chicken bouillon was something only Mexicans kept in their pantries—mainly because it was the only other kind of seasoning, besides the classic salt and pepper, my mother, all my tías, and my abuelita would use. It also wasn’t a common spice I saw in my friends’ homes. I was quickly fascinated by it—the texture, the smell, the multiple herbs blended into it, the logo of a big ass chicken head, the fact that it made any and everything taste like chicken noodle soup. Mmmm mmm mmmm. Some would probably say it was an unhealthy infatuation for a 12-year-old. I would even sneak into the kitchen just to grab little nuggets from the jar and eat them straight out of my palm. I can taste it now. Though my love for bouillion isn’t as intense anymore, it remains a favorite ingredient in my kitchen. I sneak it in my french onion soup, sprinkle it over chicken thighs for fun, and add lots of it to my sopita. You can’t go wrong with a solid essence of chicken-flavored anything.

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