Who Serves Great Chicken?

[rlivings]

There is a lunch wagon near the sinclair library at UH that has Korean Chicken every Tuesdays that used to be delicious (not sure about nowadays). Also tried the Korean Chicken from Zippy's and thought it was good.

I always liked the Kara'age Chicken from Minato restaurant and Kay's Bento (it must be because their chicken has skin )

I heard King's BBQ at waimalu shopping center has good chicken.

whats your fav?

[rlivings]

noone else likes chicken??

[skchai]

Sorry! I think it's because they're so many places that serve chicken that it's hard to think of one that "specializes". . .

In fact one thing I noticed was that the new items that have become popular on plate lunch menus in the last 10 years or so have all been based on chicken -

• Garlic chicken. Mitsu-Ken's in Kalihi has the best by consensus - try it on top of spam fried rice with fried eggs and bacon for breakfast so you can sleep for the rest of the day.
  
• "Korean" chicken. I've only tried Zippy's - it's O.K. Never knew why they called it Korean chicken, except that it has chili in it. It's kind of like a dish that's popular in Chinese restaurants in Korea called kkangpunggi, but kkangpunggi has (a few) vegetables in it so that's kind of a stretch. Speaking of which - moving away from plate lunches - the Chinese "Hot Garlic Chicken" at Maple Garden on Isenberg is great.
  
• Mochiko chicken . So many places, I can't single one out. The kiosks around Webster and Kuykendall at UH campus both sell mochiko chicken bentos that are O.K. - usually the best thing they carry. Pretty greasy and cooked until it turns dark brown. On Fridays they carry shoyu chicken and steak bentos under a special tent near Webster - I better go now before the lines get too long.
  

[rlivings]

Sorry! I think it's because they're so many places that serve chicken that it's hard to think of one that "specializes". . .

[*]"Korean" chicken. I've only tried Zippy's - it's O.K. Never knew why they called it Korean chicken, except that it has chili in it.

hmm, is that chili as in the one with beans? The chicken i had was on the special menu but when i went to another Zippys it was on the regular menu

[skchai]

Sorry, I meant chiles, not chili! As in the pod. Chicken with Zippy's chili would be pretty weird. . . or maybe O.K.? I don't know. . . Sorry for the continued confusion.

[kaukaulesa]

Wow, chicken covers a lot of ground. In the realm of "local food" I'm kind of hung up right now on Fat Boy's garlic chicken. Next on my list to try is the garlic chicken at Gulick's Delicatessen; I hear it's good. That spicy, crunchy coating with a hint of sweetness is what I look for in garlic chicken.

[Gary Tanigawa]

Hanamaulu Chicken. Ever heard of it? I have vague childhood memories of the name (my parents were born on Kauai so maybe it's associated with the Tea House), but don't remember anything more . . . including what it tastes like!

[skchai]

Here is a recipe, and here is another one. Sees to be a kind of "karaage" - marinated in teriyaki-type sauce, then deep fried. It does seem to be from the Hanamaulu cafe / teahouse, though I've never been there myself. . .

[Gary Tanigawa]

Thanks Sun-Ki. The list of ingredients has strengthened my memory of it. I think my mother and aunt made it with boneless (?) chicken thighs.

So the next "recovered memory" assignment is to confirm my family / childhood memory of fried chicken which was coated in mayo (!) before frying. Ever heard of it?

[skchai]

Are you thinking about corn flake chicken, which is rolled in mayonnaise and corn flakes? It sometimes appeared on the side of Kellogg's boxes. But it's baked, not fried - which was one of its appeals for people without a lot of time to cook and clean. Not specificially local, but definitely compatible with local tastes, so to speak. . .

Anyway, here's a recipe. Wonder if it's what you're thinking about. . .

[The Little Blue House]

If memory serves there was once a small takeout place on Kapiolani and Keamoku, across from the KFC, called Chicken Alice's. They served both spicy and mild versions (the mild of which was still pretty hot) of brick red, deep fried, wing and shoulder sections that I would later see elswhere as "Korean Fried Chicken".

Alice's has long since departed (the restaurant I mean and not its namesake), much to the disappointment of my family, so I guess maybe this thread belongs in that other one as well.

-c

[Gary Tanigawa]

Thanks Sun-Ki, but I don't think that's what I was thinking about The inclusion of mayo as a coating for fried chicken is, as you say, compatible with local tastes!

[skchai]

Chris - thanks for the info about Chicken Alice. Now I feel that I really missed out by not eating there at least once! I believe there was a reference to Chicken Alice once before in the "Saimin" thread. So we have at least two pieces of evidence that Alice was the one who originated Korean Chicken. An alternative hypothesis (put forward by wezsa) is that it originated in the "Korean" Bars very close to the same part of Kapiolani Blvd.

Gary, sorry that the Corn Flake Chicken wasn't the one. Rolled in mayonnaise and fried! I have to admit I've never seen that before - You've got to admire the passion for grease embodied in such a recipe. There a some people who use mayonnaise in a shake-and-bake type recipe with bread crumbs, but as the title suggests, it's baked. . .

[pake]

Alice, known as "Chicken Alice" is still out there working, though not with chickens. Saw her a month ago at Club Touchdown on Keeamoku Street, though I think they've moved since then. Think her old place was "Korea House" where her chicken was first served. Place was on Kamailee Street, now gone under the new WalMart. Lots of other bars were in that area- Vichon, Nightwings, Burgundy Lounge, to name a few.

[The Little Blue House]

Thanks Pake. Welcome to eGullet.

-Emily

[skchai]

A big welcome too, pake!

Seems like one of these days someone should track down Chicken Alice and ask her how she feels about so many different restaurants using her idea!

Given how many people here seem to have fond memories of Chicken Alice (unfortunately, I was on the mainland during most of that period), I wonder why she ever closed down. . .

[pake]

I'll confirm where she is and let you know, then you can go talk to her!

[skchai]

Thanks, pake. She deserves at least some recognition!

[pake]

SKC

When I was in college in upstate NY and used to go visit my sister in NYC in the late 60s she used to make this real good fried chicken. She told me to marinate the chicken in teriyaki sauce overnight then fry it haole style - breaded. Was, still is real ONO! My haole classmates and friends loved it! Never thought of adding chili pper in those days.

[skchai]

Sounds great. You wouldn't happen to have a recipe, would you?

[Marco_Polo]

She told me to marinate the chicken in teriyaki sauce overnight then fry it haole style - breaded.  My haole classmates and friends loved it! 

Sounds excellent, Pake! Your post reminds me of my Korean grandmother (who came to Hawaii as a picture bride in the 1920s when she was only 16). She was a great cook and used to talk about making things 'haole style'. Or when something was really good, she'd say 'Even haoles like this.'

We do a lot of cooking 'haole style'.

MP

[Gastro888]

I went to Oahu 3 years ago and had Huli Huli chicken near the North Shore. This family was grilling chicken over charcoal and it was THE BEST chicken I've ever had. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

[HexiumVII]

Hi guys, i've been reading at the gullet for a while and decided to start posting and contributing. I currently attend UH and live at Waipio Gentry. I just love food and planning to make a blog of all the places i go. Chicken is my favorate, esp the fried variety. I get it almost everywhere i go. I have to have chicken every day, or its not a day!

Mochiko chicken is served almost everywhere now. For the most unique, and my favorate, it has to be Jurisons Inn at Waikele. The mochiko coating has honey in it and is served with a honey dipping sauce which makes it divine.

Chickien Karaage is usually more crunchy than mochiko and i've found Imaris Bento to have some of the best, it as good as the expensive japanese restraunts around town. I don't think i've tried Minatos karaage, haven't been there for a while, I must try it today!

For standard fried chicken, Lahaina Chicken is quite amazing, its always moist even the white meat. It can be found at Ala Moana and UH Campus center which has turn into a mini Ala Moana food coart, along with the prices :p

For Teri Chicken i find North Shore Grinds at Kaimuki to be quite good, must be the extra thick, extra sweat teriaki glaze.

[JumblyJu]

I went to Oahu 3 years ago and had Huli Huli chicken near the North Shore.  This family was grilling chicken over charcoal and it was THE BEST chicken I've ever had.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

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Huli Huli chicken is great! It's usually sold as a fundraiser but on the weekends in the summer you can sometimes stumble upon some in parking lots of markets, schools or churches.

[skchai]

Thanks for reviving this thread, Gastro888 and JumblyJu.

Welcome, HexiumVII, to eGullet and this forum. The restaurant suggestions you made, are right on. I had Jurison's mochiko chicken a few months ago and it real good, though crispy almost to the point of a karaage. The Imari karaage is great too - not greasy at all, same with the kind they serve at Minato though perhaps not as much shoyu in the batter / marinade.

For those who are not familiar, karaage is Japanese fried chicken dish that is made from first soaking the chicken in a seasoned soy-based marinate, then swirling it in batter before frying. Some people actually put the soy sauce directly into the batter.

Mochiko chicken is made by again marinating the chicken, but then usually be dipping in a plate full of seasoned mochiko (glutinous rice flour), sometimes mixed with cornstarch or flour, before frying. Some people actually make a mochiko batter instead.

Here's a Minato Bento with the karaage even more obscured, between the ebi fry and the teri chicken.

Here's an Imari Bento with the karaage in the upper left (in front of the chicken katsu chunks).

Sorry! Don't have picture from Jurison's. . .

But speaking of chicken, here is Zippy's version of "Korean" chicken. "Korean" chicken is similar to karaage except that it is soaked in the sweet chili-garlic sauce after it's removed from the fryer. See earlier discussion on Chicken Alice - I embarrassed I still didn't look her up and get to the bottom of the mystery of how it got started!

As you mentioned, JumblyJu, Hulihuli chicken is such a part of the fundraising scene here. Maybe the biggest is Mid-Pac Academy. When they're having their annual hulihuli chicken fundraiser, the entire lower Manoa smells like chicken on the hibachi!