The best gift for a postpartum mom might be an angpow, and the next best gift might just be a box of chicken essence. LOL. Because of the (extreme) sleep deprivation, we’d often have to turn to coffee or tea, or even bubble tea (#guilty) for that much-needed boost of energy. Something a lot healthier, and non-caffeinated, would be chicken essence. Of course, you may drink chicken essence during your pregnancy but I had much better sleep back then and didn’t need caffeine or chicken essence to keep me awake during the day. And if you are wondering if there’s a real difference between chicken essence in a bottle versus drip chicken essence… well, here are the three brands of chicken essence I have at home, and a quick comparison: Brand’s, Kinohimitsu and Yu Dian…
BRAND’S CHICKEN ESSENCE REVIEW:
BRAND’S is undisputedly the OG of chicken essence in Singapore. I do miss spotting their (bus stop) ads for top students who drink this product. Muahaha! Interestingly, it’s probably the only brand (correct me if I’m wrong) that has caramel as one of its (two) ingredients (the other being chicken essence, of course). I suppose caramel improves the taste and colour of the product?
This 68ml bottle of chicken essence may be consumed straight from the bottle at room temperature, or heated / chilled. It can also be added to your cooking! 
I’ve tried adding Brand’s chicken essence to steamed dishes and even porridge!
As a student, I had Brand’s chicken essence when I was revising for major exams, ESPECIALLY when burning the midnight oil revising for the History paper (OMG yawns).
Manufactured in Malaysia, a serving of Brand’s chicken essence contains 22kcal, 5.4g of protein and 47mg of sodium but is said to have neither fat nor cholesterol. And there are no preservatives as well.
Pricing: $23.90 for two boxes (total of twelve 68ml bottles) when there’s a promotion. So that’s just under $2 per bottle. Cheaper than bubble tea. 
KINOHIMITSU CHICKEN ESSENCE REVIEW:
Kinohimitsu offers 100% double-boiled pure chicken essence. Each 75g bottle contains chicken essence with an addictive sweetness and a delicious umami flavour I did not expect at first.
The cap is also relatively easy to open. Thankfully, you won’t need hot water to get the metal cap open! 
Also from Malaysia, despite the Japanese-sounding name, each bottle offers 27kcals, 6.5g of protein and 65mg sodium.
Pricing: $12.90 for 6 bottles, i.e. just over $2 per bottle.
YU DIAN TRADITIONAL DRIP CHICKEN ESSENCE REVIEW:
Yu Dian Traditional Drip Chicken Essence is a product of Taiwan! Each 52ml sachet offers chicken essence containing 21 calories, 4.9g of protein and just 33mg of sodium! Interestingly, Yu Dian uses black-feathered native chickens from Taiwan for this product.
As for storage, this chicken essence can be kept for 18 months despite containing no preservatives.
Pros: Lightweight sachet. Can slip into handbag and bring to work.
Very ‘gao’ (concentrated). There’s definitely a hint of ginger which is not listed in the ingredients list.
Cons: Needs heating up (3 to 5mins in a bowl of hot water or 5 to 8mins after pouring into a bowl and steaming in a rice cooker)
Also needs a straw if you wish to drink it straight from the sachet. I used a spare KOI bubble tea straw – yeah, a bit wasteful but that’s the only straw I have.
The packaging is a bit ‘obiang’ but take one sip of their chicken essence and you’ll know it’s the good stuff. So if you can overlook the packaging… get it for an instant boost of energy!
Pricing: $63.80 for 8 sachets (almost $8 each)
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Of course, whenever possible, I’d like to have a bowl of chicken soup prepared at home, with a whole chicken drumstick to savour too. But when time-strapped or too lazy to cook, then a bottle or sachet of chicken essence is most welcome.
As 3.3 is coming up soon, it would be a good time to stock up on our favourite chicken essence if there’s a sale/promo, ya? 