CRJ900 Captain reported encountering severe turbulence despite rerouting to avoid storms that were seen in the distance. As there was nothing showing up on radar; the reporter and Center did not know which direction would lead to flying in better weather. The severe turbulence eventually subsided and there were no injuries noted.

Narrative

While level at FL340 we could see in the distance about 50 miles away several thunderstorms starting to form a solid line. Our radar confirmed what we were seeing and I decided that going through that area was not an option. We asked for a 90-degree turn to the right or a western heading. After getting our reroute to the west; parallel to the storms we encountered a layer of hazy skies and some moderate chop. Our radar was not hitting any precipitation and our track looked decent. To be safe we started slowing the aircraft for our turbulence procedures. I already had the FAs (Flight Attendant) sitting down and everything seemed fine. The moderate chop suddenly turned into to light turbulence and shortly after severe turbulence. The plane climbed up and down about 1000 ft. and I saw our VSI was up and down about 1200 ft. I immediately told Center and requested a turn back to the north but without anything showing on the radar; Center or ourselves really had no idea which direction would get us clear of the turbulent weather. Eventually the severe turbulence returned back to moderate chop; I called the FAs; they said no injuries and everyone was OK. At that point I made an announcement and we continued to ZZZ.