Chicken Stock

High FODMAP

Typical portion

Any typical portion High

Fructans

Chicken stock is High FODMAP, since most commercial versions are built on a base of onion and garlic that flavors the whole pot.

Onion and garlic in the mix bring Fructans, which land it at high across any typical portion, so the size of your ladle doesn't rescue it here.
Ready-made stocks, cubes, and pastes almost always lean on these aromatics for depth, though homemade batches let you control exactly what goes in.

Simmer your own stock using the green tops of spring onions and a splash of garlic-infused oil for that savory backbone without the fructans.

Why chicken stock is rated high

Chicken stock is high FODMAP because of what usually goes into the pot alongside the chicken. The classic base of onion, garlic and often leek bulb is loaded with fructans, and fructans are water-soluble, so they pass from the vegetables into the stock as it simmers. The chicken itself is plain protein and brings none. This rating is estimated from what the stock is made of rather than from a measured serving, and the ladder gives one answer: high at "Any typical portion". There is no lower serving to fall back on, which matters for a liquid that so often goes into rice, risotto and soup in large amounts. The way through is a stock made without onion or garlic.

What changes your risk

Onion, garlic and leek bulb in the base These are the only reason chicken stock rates high. The same bones and water without them make a stock that no longer carries the fructans.
Straining it clear changes nothing By the time the stock is strained, the fructans have already leached out of the onion into the liquid. A golden, perfectly clear stock is just as high as an unstrained one.
Absorbed into rice or grains When rice or a risotto drinks up the stock, the fructans go with it. Cooking the dish longer does not break them down, because heat does not destroy FODMAPs.
Bouillon cubes, powders and liquid concentrates Most list onion powder or garlic powder, and dissolving them in water does not dilute the problem away. Check the full ingredient list for onion, garlic and leek every time.
Stacking in the same bowl Chicken noodle soup made with wheat noodles, dumplings or matzo balls made from wheat, or a side of garlic bread all add fructans to a meal that already has them from the stock.

Swaps

Chicken stock made without onion or garlic fills every role the ordinary one does. A low FODMAP chicken broth recipe shows the method: chicken carcass or wings simmered with leek leaves, the green tops of spring onions, carrot, parsley stems, thyme and peppercorns, with garlic-infused oil added at the end. Fresh ginger and a few chives also lift a chicken soup without onion. If you would rather buy it, choose a stock labelled onion- and garlic-free and still read the ingredient list. Be wary of the lookalikes: "chicken broth", "bone broth", "low sodium" and "organic" versions are usually made with the same onion and garlic base, so the label words alone do not make them lower.

How to lower the load

A batch of onion-free chicken stock is the most useful thing to have in the freezer on a low FODMAP diet, because it unlocks soups, risotto, pan sauces and rice cooked in stock. Roast the carcass first for a deeper colour, simmer it gently with leek leaves, spring onion greens and carrot, then strain, cool quickly and freeze in labelled containers. For chicken soup, build the bowl around that stock with carrot, potato or rice, and rice noodles or gluten free pasta in place of wheat noodles. In restaurants and takeaway, chicken soup, risotto, ramen and most pan sauces start from ordinary chicken stock, so ask what the stock is made with.

Common questions

is chicken stock low fodmap

No. Ordinary chicken stock is high FODMAP at "Any typical portion", estimated from what it is made of, because onion and garlic in the base release fructans into the liquid. A stock made without onion or garlic is the low option.

is chicken broth high in fructans

Usually, yes. Broth and stock are made the same way with onion, garlic and often leek bulb, and those bring the fructans. The chicken itself does not.

can i have chicken stock on the elimination phase

Ordinary chicken stock is high, so it does not fit the elimination phase. Homemade stock without onion or garlic, such as a low FODMAP chicken broth, or a product labelled onion- and garlic-free, can take its place.

what can i use instead of chicken stock in risotto

Use chicken stock made without onion or garlic, simmered with leek leaves, spring onion greens, carrot and herbs, and start the risotto in garlic-infused oil instead of onion. Ordinary vegetable stock is not a swap because it is built on the same onion and garlic base.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Chicken Stock is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by HPLC. Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.