It’s our nation’s most iconic seasoning, yet most people don’t know what’s in it.
Chicken salt – that beloved yellow dust that’s been coating chips (and fingers) for almost 50 years – is actually a blend of surprising ingredients, and no, there’s no actual chicken in it.
A clip from an American comedian, Frankie Marcos, a.k.a Frankie M Comedy, has Aussies shocked after he revealed how our favourite chip topper is made.
Holding up a yellowy chip, Marcos says: “In Australia, they have chicken salt, which is a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and MSG – so it’s straight crack.
“We don’t have this back home – we have salt and pepper, but this ruins your life because it’s delicious.”
The video went viral as expats and locals scrambled to process the information.
“Wait, I’m an Australian and there’s no chicken in chicken salt?” one asked.
“I’m a 45-year-old Aussie and never considered once what was in chicken salt. Thanks,” another noted.
Frankie is spot on – traditional chicken salt recipes typically blend salt, garlic powder, onion powder, spices like paprika, and often MSG (monosodium glutamate) as a flavour enhancer.
The MSG myth
Using MSG, which was the most shocking reveal for many, gives the salt blend its umami taste.
It’s found naturally in foods like tomatoes and cheese, but it’s long been controversial due to myths about “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” causing headaches or nausea.
The term was first used by a US physician in 1968, who questioned some of the symptoms he experienced after eating at several Chinese restaurants. After subsequent media coverage, MSG gained a negative public perception, which was only exacerbated by harmful race-based stereotypes about the cuisine.
However, studies have failed to show a link between MSG and widespread reactions, and health authorities like Food Standards Australia New Zealand deem MSG safe for the general population.
That said, some sensitive people still report headaches from it, so moderation is encouraged.
Chicken salt’s origin story
Chicken salt traces back to the early 1970s in Gawler, 40 km north of Adelaide, where Peter Brinkworth invented it at his chicken shop to flavour rotisserie chickens on the spit.
“When we were putting chickens on a spit … and sprinkling them with different condiments, I thought, well, this is a bit silly. Why don’t I just make up one condiment to sprinkle on the chickens and give them a bit more flavour and appearance?” Mr Brinkworth told SBS Food.
He mixed paprika in for colour and used MSG for the kick.
“That’s the main thing that has made chicken salt what it was. MSG had that real flavour bomb,” he said.
Mr Brinkworth also ran a wholesale chicken business, and when local takeaway stores bought his chickens, he supplied them with chicken salt.
One shop owner had a revelation and said, “Gee, that’s good on chips!” which led the idea to take off.
By 1979, food manufacturer Mitani bought the recipe, commercialised it, and it exploded into every fish-and-chip shop and supermarket nationwide.
Since then, Mitani has adjusted the original recipe (it’s now vegetarian, halal and MSG-free), and multiple other brands have brought out their own twist on the classic seasoning.
Boutique spice shop Gewürzhaus offers an all-natural Australian Chicken Salt using sea salt, coconut sugar, garlic, onion, sesame, and kelp for umami, whereas Mingle Seasoning’s blend includes soy sauce powder, nutritional yeast, coriander, mushroom and turmeric extract.
Meanwhile, cult takeaway chain Chargrill Charlie’s cashes in with its signature chicken salt jars – sans MSG – plus novelty bath salts for “marinating” in the tub.