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Vegemite is regarded as Australia’s greatest ever condiment, which is a fair shout. But for South Aussies, it’s hard to go past chicken salt. A savoury seasoning concocted in a backyard shed in the 1970s, chicken salt has become a staple of not only chicken shops but households across the nation. It’s even gone global, with Shark Tank start-up Jada Brands manufacturing its own take on chicken salt that’s sold throughout North America.
While readily available in supermarkets, there was a time when chicken salt was sold over the counter at a takeaway shop in Gawler, South Australia. Read on and discover all about the history of this fab meal accompaniment.
Humble Beginnings
The man responsible for the creation of chicken salt is one Peter Brinkworth. Growing up with farming parents in Tumby Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, Brinkworth followed in his parent’s footsteps. He was a stock agent for most of his life before a short stint as a chicken farmer, leading to the chicken salt inventor acquiring wholesale supplier Brinkworth Poultry, Game and Seafood in the early 70s.
Based in Gawler, the business also included a popular chicken shop where locals would come for roast chickens, hot chips and other fried delights. Spending his days around poultry, Brinkworth began to wonder if there was a tastier seasoning than the standard salt and pepper typically used. That’s when he got to work in his back shed and came up with chicken salt.
In an interview with Adam Liaw for The Guardian, Brinkworth revealed the ingredients that make up his special salt—onion powder, garlic powder, celery salt, chicken bouillon, monosodium glutamate and paprika, which is what gives chicken salt its yellow colour.
What surprises most people is that chicken salt has nothing to do with chicken. “Chicken salt was made as a condiment to flavour a cooked chicken; it had nothing to do with the flavour of chicken in the chicken salt,” Brinkworth told ABC News in a 2020 chat.
“It was not one of these fancy salts to add the flavour of something else, it was just a condiment flavour of chicken, and it went from there.”
A New Era
While it first used to season chickens sold in his shop, Brinkworth tried it on hot chips and found he was onto a winner. People enjoyed the seasoning so much that he began selling it in bulk from his takeaway shop.
Chicken salt soon became as popular as the roast chickens themselves. In The Guardian piece, Brinkworth’s eldest daughter, Tina, recalled working in the chicken shop and selling salt in small plastic bags for a few cents to customers. The condiment became such a hit Brinkworth began supplying other local takeaway shops as far away as Elizabeth.
Just when it seemed like his chicken salt empire was on the verge of going national, tragedy struck the Brinkworths. The family’s middle daughter passed away after a battle with cancer, causing Brinkworth to reevaluate his life. He decided to sell Brinkworth Poultry, Game and Seafood, along with his chicken shop, to the Mitani family in the late 70s. The sale included Brinkworth’s much coveted chicken salt recipe.
It didn’t take long for Mitani to capitalise on the success of the condiment, with the company quickly getting it into supermarkets across South Australia. It’s now available in the two major chains, Woolworths and Coles, along with Foodland, IGA and several other smaller national chains.
Despite Mitani’s success with the condiment, Brinkworth’s original recipe has been altered over the years. Mitani’s current version is made up of sea salt, rice flour, onion, garlic powder, paprika and the company’s own secret herbs and spices.
Although there are several other brands selling chicken salt, including Saxa and Masterfoods, Mitani has cornered the market and is the major player in the chicken salt game.
The Legend Lives On
Brinkworth never made any money from chicken salt, something he confirmed in an interview with Today Extra in 2022. “It was just something we did on the side,” he told hosts.
While riches didn’t follow, Brinkworth’s legend has only grown over the years, culminating in a short documentary about his life in 2022. Premiering at the Adelaide Film Festival, Salt of the Earth is a ten-minute doco from Brisbane filmmakers Jacob Richardson and Thomas van Kalken that tells the origin story of chicken salt straight from the horse’s mouth.
As for what Brinkworth is up to these days, the condiment pioneer, now in his 80s, is still a big fan of chicken salt, although he stays away from the commercial varieties and continues to mix his own.
“I’ve always made my own chicken salt; I’ve always used it,” Brinkworth told ABC News.
“My hobby these days is making jam, so I always have jam and chicken salt in the car.” What a legend.
