If you love seasoned fries, you’re going to love chicken salt.
For the uninitiated, you’re probably wondering what the heck is chicken salt. Is it chicken? Is it salt? The answer is yes. And it’s amazing on everything.
What is chicken salt?
Australia has a secret umami bomb you may never have heard of. Basically, it’s a seasoning blend full of punchy, mouth-watering, umami rich flavors. It’s the default seasoning blend sprinkled on fast food fries down under. It’s beloved and revered and sprinkled on just about anything to add a fairy dusting of flavor.
What is chicken salt made of?
Gourmet versions start with roasted, braised, dried, salted chicken, which is then dehydrated and blended with salt and a variety of spices. The usual seasoning suspects are salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper.
Commercial versions on the other hand is made with chicken bouillon (more on that below). Basically, it’s chicken flavored spices.
Why is it called chicken salt?
Surprisingly (for me) chicken salt is called thus because it actually contains chicken. Although some commercial ones may not, the original recipe definitely has chicken bouillon in it.
Who invented chicken salt?
Chicken salt comes to us via Australia from Peter Brinkworth, a chicken shop owner in the 1970s. Originally, this spice blend was for his roast chicken, but when the shop sold in the late 70s, the new owners (the Mitani’s) reformulated it and sold it commercially as a seasoning. The rest is history.
Chicken salt is now the most common seasoning on fries in Australia. Ironically, the version that Mitani now sells is completely chicken free, instead comprising of sea salt, rice flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
How to make chicken salt
It’s as simple as taking all the ingredients below and mixing them together evenly. Afterward, store in an air tight container.
Chicken salt ingredients
- chicken bouillon powder: this is what is going to give us our chicken flavor. Take a look at the chicken powder ingredients, making sure that chicken is an ingredient. It’s what’s going to give your chicken powder that huge umami flavor you’re looking for. More on chicken bouillon powder below.
- garlic powder: garlic powder is straight up garlic that has been dehydrated and ground up into a fine powder. Make sure you get garlic powder, not garlic salt. You want to get a garlic powder that has only dehydrated garlic. Garlic powder is a perfect way to add pure garlic flavor without peeling fresh cloves.
- onion powder: same for the onion powder. Onion powder should be only dehydrated onion ground into a fine powder for pure onion flavor.
- sweet paprika: a touch of sweet paprika adds a hint of smokiness, a pop or red, and a bit of a sweet fruity flavor.
- salt: you need salt for this the best part of making your own is that you can customize the amount of salt. You can even leave it out entirely, or use a sodium-free substitute.
Short cut chicken salt
If you want all the flavors of chicken salt and don’t want to roast a chicken, dehydrate and powder it, this shortcut is for you. The secret ingredient is chicken bouillon powder.
What is chicken bouillon?
Bouillon is French for “broth” so chicken bouillon is essentially chicken broth. It’s colloquially used as a term for condensed broth/stock that’s available as cubes, granules, powder, paste, or liquid. Chicken bouillon is an amazing short cut to adding chicken flavor to just about everything. It’s used a ton in Chinese cooking.
When shopping for chicken powder, look for one that contains chicken. It’s up to you whether or not you want to look for an MSG free powder – there’s lots of discourse on MSG (most of it incorrectly stating that’s it’s horrible and unnatural). Personally, we have no issue with it. My favorite for pure chicken flavor with no other spices is Lee Kum Kee chicken bouillon powder. It’s made with chicken meat, skin, and fat. Lee Kum Kee also makes a MSG-free chicken bouillon, but I haven’t tried it and can’t vouch for it.
Vegan chicken salt
If you’re vegan or vegetarian you can still enjoy chicken salt – just use a vegan chicken flavored powder like Orrington Farm’s.
Why make it at home?
You’re probably wondering why I’m urging you to make this, even if you are Australian.
- It tastes amazing. It’s like ranch seasoning or everything bagel spice but much, much more savory and flavorful.
- Even if you do live in Australia, a lot of the commercial ones contains a heck-ton of preservatives.
- You can control the salt content and flavors. The less salt you use, the more chicken flavor you get. You are in control of the sodium content.
- If you’re vegetarian or vegan you can make a chicken-free version.
- It makes a fun, quirky, custom gift for all the chicken lovers in your life!
What can you use chicken salt on?
Basically, everywhere you want a bit of extra umami. Try it on:
- fries for an authentic Australian takeaway classic
- popcorn
- roasted vegetables
- on the rim of a bloody mary or caesar
- sprinkled on rice or even added to the rice while cooking
- mashed potatoes
- cheesy potato balls
- roast chicken
- baked potatoes
More amazing seasoning powders
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp white pepper see notes
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl.
- Stir everything together until evenly mixed.
- Use immediately or store in an air tight container in a dark space for up to 6 months.
