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Secret Ingredient in Your Favorite Chicken

Ever wondered why the food served at restaurants seems to taste so good sometimes? Or how their chicken in particular is always so savoury 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 more calorific (and probably 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
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She then took out a huge tub of chicken powder and proclaimed proudly that this was the secret ingredient used to marinate the chicken. Wow!

My brother was given a few one-litre tubs of these powder from a client, all in different flavours. Each of these tubs makes 50 litres 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. 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 flavouring 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 you dine at Swensen’s or Pizza Hut, ask them what they used to flavour their chicken. I wonder what they would say!

Tags: chicken, seasoning, Swensen's

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Responses Leave a comment

anonymous

Aww come on.. Share the secret..
Reply
Posted July 16, 2006 at 11:01 am
py
183 comments

I am keen to know the secret too. If you could care to share?
Reply
Posted July 16, 2006 at 6:33 pm
Veron
3439 comments

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
Posted July 16, 2006 at 6:53 pm
neo

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
Posted July 16, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Nope nope it isn’t. Actually those other brands may work just fine. Worth giving it a shot!
Reply
Posted July 16, 2006 at 7:24 pm
tia

Btu how did you mother cook it. Did she sprinkle it with the stuff and fry it, roast it? Thanks.
Reply
Posted October 14, 2006 at 4:04 am
Veron
3439 comments

Hi tia, my mom would marinade the chicken with the powder overnight, and then coat it with the powder before frying.
Reply
Posted October 14, 2006 at 11:41 am
tia

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
Posted October 29, 2006 at 5:27 am
Veron
3439 comments

No problem! Hope it turns out lip smacking, finger licking good!
Reply
Posted October 31, 2006 at 2:53 pm
tia

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.
Reply
Posted November 3, 2006 at 1:19 am
Veron
3439 comments

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
Posted November 3, 2006 at 2:50 pm
grace
1 comment

fabulous! i like it!
Reply
Posted November 16, 2007 at 11:10 am
Suzanne
1 comment

I think you’ll find the second ingredient in ‘chicken powder’ is MSG (mono-sodium glutamate).
Very unhealthy :-(
Reply
Posted September 20, 2009 at 12:53 am