My mom and grandma used to tell me "Chicken essence is good for you, 很补的" and I started drinking it when I was just a young kid. Surprisingly, I liked it more than I thought I would. As I grew into a teen, I began burning the midnight oil and experiencing the stress of examinations, I remember my mom would tell me on the morning of my major tests "I'll warm a bottle of chicken essence, okay?" It was not just the essence she warmed; it was my heart too.
When I was pregnant with my firstborn and living in Europe, my aunt taught me how to make my own homemade chicken essence - tenderise chicken breast meat, invert a small bowl in a large bowl, place the chicken meat around it, steam for two hours - since we couldn't lay our hands on readily prepared ones. I made it a point to drink it every week because I truly believe in the nutritional benefits not just for myself, but for my kids too.
Till now, drinking chicken essence not only boosts my day but gives me a fuzzy feeling too because it reminds me of those days and how much I am loved. So, I decided to pass this feeling to my kids and let them try out the goodness of chicken essence too! I was not sure if they would embrace it like I did but I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best.
You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when not just one but all three of my kids gave their thumbs up and asked me for another serving! 怎么可能？I honestly didn't expect that and was happy to see that the kids liked it as much as I did, if not more. Thanks to Tian Yuan Xiang (田原香), I can safely conclude that we are now a family of chicken essence lovers!
Established since 2005, Tian Yuan Xiang (田原香) is the leading brand of double-boiled chicken essence (滴鸡精) in Taiwan and it has also branched into Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao and Guangzhou. With a strong belief in the benefits of double-boiled chicken essence, which is a time-consuming ancient method, Tian Yuan Xiang uses charcoal burning to ensure that every drop of pure chicken essence is extracted and that its authentic taste is preserved.
Do you know what I fear most about chicken essence? The fishy smell!
I recall letting Angel try it once when she was much younger and she immediately said after her first mouthful "味道很重！I don't like the strong taste!" I knew it then that she didn't like the fishy smell too. I mean, who does? I was half expecting her to say the same thing again this time but to my amazement, she actually finished a whole sachet on her own in a matter of minutes and said to me "It's nice, Mama, like chicken soup." That was a strong testament from this 10-year-old whose taste buds can be hard to cater to at times and is reluctant to try out new food.
Unlike the traditional canned chicken essence, Tian Yuan Xiang's chicken essence tastes more like homemade chicken broth without the strong fishy smell, which makes it not just healthy but delicious too. All my kids agreed that it gave off a nice aroma and they liked not just the smell, but the taste too.
It's our first time trying out frozen chicken essence and these can be stored in our fridge for a good 6-month period. By the way, Tian Yuan Xiang's products contains ZERO preservatives, yeah? There is also no artifical spices or colouring so that gives me a peace of mind as a parent. Their chicken essence, which comes from free-range chickens raised without chemicals or hormones, is also not diluted with water. Yay! That means every drop within is pure, natural goodness, how wonderful is that? Being double-boiled, it also contains essential amino acids and high quality micro-molecule protein which can be easily absorbed and boosts energy more quickly.
In order to meet the diverse needs of different groups’ needs, including children, teenager, female, male, and elders, Tian Yuan Xiang has developed customised, unique flavours by engaging certificated traditional Chinese physicians and dieticians. With an emphasis on quality control, their chicken essence is certificated by Taiwan Health Department and also Halal Certified.
CHICKEN ESSENCE FOR CHILDREN
We tried two flavours of Chicken Essence for Children, namely Chicken Essence for Digestion (四神) and Chicken Essence for Appetite (九尾草). Chicken Essence for Digestion (四神) is suitable for toddlers and kids from 1 year old and Chicken Essence for Appetite (九尾草) is suitable for children 3 years old and above.
The Chicken Essence for Children contains herbs such as 山药 (Chinese yam)、茯苓 (Poria)、芡实 (Euryales Semen)、莲子(Lotus seed) which are believed to be help nourish the spleen and stomach, expel phlegm, boost appetite and aid digestion. Each box of Chicken Essence for Children includes 10 packets of Chicken Essence for Appetite and 10 for Digestion, making it a total of 20 packets of 60c.c. each. Just so you know, three and a half whole natural chickens are used for each box and I think that's a lot of goodness, right?
Can I drink the chicken essence too? Yes, it's family-friendly and suitable for both the young and old which means the kids and I can share the good stuff! Note that both flavours are not suitable for women who are having their period and Chicken Essence for Appetite is not suitable for pregnant women or those in postpartum care. Most of you know that I have been trying to cut down on carbs since early this year in order to lead a healthier lifestyle. That also means I have been eating more of chicken every day - I have not had red meat for a couple of months already. Being low in calories and cholesterol - a sachet of double boiled chicken essence is is less than 30Kcal - I am more than happy to drink some chicken essence whenever I can too.
By the way, the chicken essence can also be used for cooking! If your kids still find the taste or smell too overpowering, what you can do is add it into their porridge, soup or use it to stir fry your vegetables too. In this way, the kids can still reap the benefits of the chicken essence too.
There are two ways to heat up the frozen chicken essence. Without unfreezing it, either place in in a bowl in a microwave and heat for 1-3 minutes or use the double boiling method and place the bowl in hot water to heat it up directly.
We don't have a microwave in our home so I used the double boiling method by placing a ceramic bowl inside a pot of water. It takes only a few minutes for the chicken essence to be fully heated up so there isn't much hassle or effort required, especially since you do not need to thaw it beforehand too.
Here's something you might not know yet. The best time to drink chicken essence is in the morning on an empty stomach! You should also drink it before 4pm and not before going to bed, since that will probably lead to sleeplessness. Still, I know of someone - right, the hubby - who can drink a cup of black coffee and yet fall asleep immediately so I think it works differently for everyone. If you are having a fever, inflammation or stomach flu, avoid drinking chicken essence. Otherwise, you can consume 1-2 packets a day.
I do think chicken essence helps to make me feel 精力充沛 and chase away the fatigue, which is crucial for me as a stay-at-home mom since I have endless 'battles', including mountains of laundry, piles of toys and stacks of dishes, to fight each day.
As for the kids, I initially wanted to let the girls try the chicken essence only. Ariel is usually the more adventurous one who likes to try new food so it wasn't a surprise that she liked both flavours of the chicken essence and finished them up pretty quickly. Angel, as mentioned above, can be picky at times but the chicken essence tasted like broth to her and being the soup lover of the family, she naturally liked it too.
In fact, he has already drunk it a few times because he likes it so much and even told me "Mama, I don't need the spoon. I can just drink it from the bowl!" And he proceeded to do it noisily and happily, enjoying every drop of the goodness of chicken essence. The good thing was he drank it before having his lunch and yet his appetite was so good that he finished more than his usual portion too. Yay!
So, it is quite evident that my kids all love Tian Yuan Xiang's chicken essence and it is not just packed full of nutrients and beneficial to their health, but appetising and tasty to drink too. I guess I will save up all the goodness in our freezer for their enjoyment and hopefully, they will experience that warm, fuzzy feeling that I had too and know how much they are blessed and loved.
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EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT FOR A HAPPY MUM READERS
For all A Happy Mum readers, you can now enjoy an exclusive discount of $15 off at Tian Yuan Xiang. Simply make your online purchase HERE and enter the code "S03G18" which will be valid from 18 to 31 March.
Let's all enjoy the goodness of chicken essence together and drink on!
Tian Yuan Xiang101 Thomson Road, #B1-24A United Square, Singapore 307591 (Novena MRT)
Tel: 6200 6789
Opening hours: Sun-Thu & PH -10:30am-09:00pm, Fri, Sat & Eve of PH - 10:30am-09:30pm
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Disclosure: This is a sponsored collaboration between A Happy Mum and Tian Yuan Xiang. All photos and opinions are my own.