No matter what flavor essence it is, it contains monosodium glutamate. Therefore, chicken essence is actually a kind of monosodium glutamate, but it is just a seasoning with other chemical components.

It is worth noting that chicken essence is not extracted from chicken, but is made by adding fresh-keeping nucleotides on the basis of monosodium glutamate. Because nucleotide has the delicate flavor of chicken, it is called chicken essence, but chicken essence is fresher than monosodium glutamate.

From the health point of view, chicken essence is harmless to human body, but when cooking, if you add too much chicken essence, it will destroy the original flavor of the dish and affect the taste.

Extended data:

The difference between chicken essence and monosodium glutamate;

1, it tastes different.

Compared with monosodium glutamate, chicken essence contains a variety of flavoring agents, and its taste is more comprehensive and coordinated.

2. The usage is different.

The dosage of chicken essence is not clearly defined, and it is generally added according to your own taste, so the dosage of chicken essence is different in most cases. Monosodium glutamate is relatively pure and its dosage is relatively stable.

3. The usage is different.

Monosodium glutamate is very soluble in water, so generally speaking, it is best to add monosodium glutamate before cooking, and the taste of the dish will be more delicious. This is because if monosodium glutamate is heated in aqueous solution for a long time, it will produce sodium pyroglutamate, which is harmless but tasteless. The usage of chicken essence is not so harsh, and it works well when put into dishes at any time.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-chicken essence