ever wondered why the food served at restaurants seems to taste so good sometimes? or how their chicken in particular is always so savory and tasty? i am one of those people who love dining out since no one in my family is a particularly good cook. but we all know that food prepared anywhere else other than at home tends to be a little less healthy (and less hygienic) than desired.
but they are also more tasty! people tend to think that it’s due to a large use of MSG to enhance the taste of the food. in fact it may just be a secret ingredient used, and a much healthier one at that.
my mom cooked a dish of chicken thighs this morning. at first taste, i thought it came right out of the menu at swensen’s. i asked, how did you do it, ma?

she then took out a huge tub of chicken powder and proclaimed proudly that this was the secret ingredient used to marinate the chicken. wooooooooow, i exclaimed.
my brother had brought home a few tubs of these from work, all in different flavors. each of these one-liter tubs makes 50 liters of soup! hotels and restaurants buy hundreds of these every month!
so what exactly are the places that use this chicken powder?
swensen’s, pizza hut (and possibly KFC?) and ke ai ji (cute chicken). a-ha! now the secret’s out! and we can all recreate the same delicious chicken dish at home! but due to the fact that it’s a secret ingredient, i am not allowed to disclose it here.
amongst many other ingredients it contains sugar, spices and soya sauce. one thing for sure is that using this flavoring agent cuts short the work for any chef. my mom didn’t have to add anything else to the chicken except for this powder, and it turned out delicious!
the next time i dine at swensen’s or pizza hut, i’m gonna ask them what they used to flavor their chicken. i wonder what they would say!


goes by the name veron (english) or wanting (chinese). a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a solo traveler. loves cats, coffee, sensual music, yummy food and technology. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.






Aww come on.. Share the secret.. View all comments by anonymous
I am keen to know the secret too. If you could care to share? View all comments by py
Okay okay… It’s a well-known brand of seasoning and this particular chicken powder can actually be found in supermarkets (but not in one-liter tubs of course!). There aren’t too many different brands that carry chicken powder and according to my mom, there are perhaps only two major companies in it.
Clue: It’s certainly not Maggi. View all comments by Veron
The Chicken Wing picture made me drool one litre of saliva *blushed*….I cannot imagine what will happen if i add some lime to it….that’s will be another litre of saliva :P..
If is not MAGGI, then it must be LEE JIN JI….hehe… View all comments by neo
Nope nope it isn’t. Actually those other brands may work just fine. Worth giving it a shot! View all comments by Veron
Btu how did you mother cook it. Did she sprinkle it with the stuff and fry it, roast it? Thanks. View all comments by tia
Hi tia, my mom would marinade the chicken with the powder overnight, and then coat it with the powder before frying. View all comments by Veron
Thanks, Veron. I tried it just sprinkling (Maggi) on the chicken and roasting it the night I read the recipe (coudn’t wait) and it was delicious! It smelled just like chicken restaurants do while it cooked. My husband loved it too. I’m going to try it your mother’s way this week. Thanks again for posting. View all comments by tia
No problem! Hope it turns out lip smacking, finger licking good! View all comments by Veron
Hi Veron, I made it your mother’s way this weekend and it did come out lip smacking, finger licking good! Thanks and thanks to your mother and brother. View all comments by tia
Woot! Awesome! Come to think of it I haven’t eaten this in quite a while. I should probably ask my mom to make it again soon (or pick it up on my own)! View all comments by Veron
fabulous! i like it! View all comments by grace
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