Secret Ingredient in Your Favorite Chicken

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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?

Chicken Thighs marinated with secret ingredient

Chicken Thighs marinated with secret ingredient
Unknown

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!

About the Author

Veron Ang is the founder and chief editor of Sparklette. She lives in Singapore and has dined and traveled across the world. She also runs Sparklette Studio, a web design and development firm. If you'd like to connect with her, head on over to the contact page or follow her on Twitter: @sparklette.

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13 responses

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anonymous
July 16

Aww come on.. Share the secret..
Reply
py
July 16

I am keen to know the secret too. If you could care to share?
Reply
Veron
July 16

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.
Reply
neo
July 16

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…
Reply
Veron
July 16

Nope nope it isn’t. Actually those other brands may work just fine. Worth giving it a shot!
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tia
October 14

Btu how did you mother cook it. Did she sprinkle it with the stuff and fry it, roast it? Thanks.
Reply
Veron
October 14

Hi tia, my mom would marinade the chicken with the powder overnight, and then coat it with the powder before frying.
Reply
tia
October 29

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.
Reply
Veron
October 31

No problem! Hope it turns out lip smacking, finger licking good!
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tia
November 3

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.
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Veron
November 3

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)!
Reply
grace
November 16

fabulous! i like it!
Reply
Suzanne
September 20

I think you’ll find the second ingredient in ‘chicken powder’ is MSG (mono-sodium glutamate).
Very unhealthy :-(
Reply