All ‘Bout Chicken: Affordable fresh fried chicken that is also finger-licking good
The war between fried chickens is probably one of the most debated chicken-related questions, apart from why it crosses the road. No one knows when it started, but what’s clear is that there are no definite winners (except us!). In recent times, the war has somewhat stagnated. The list of combatants has mainly boiled down to fast-food joints or restaurants. However, All ‘Bout Chicken, a hawker stall, is here to fight the good fight.
Located at Chomp Chomp Food Centre, with a newer second outlet at Alexandra Village Hawker Centre, All ‘Bout Chicken has been helmed by a first-generation hawker since 2018. Its owner, Yazid, has over 30 years of experience in the F&B industry. He even had his own brand in 2010 selling sandwiches and fried chicken that managed to reach Kuala Lumpur.
What I tried at All ‘Bout Chicken
All ‘Bout Chicken stays true to its name, as you can hardly find any menu item without chicken in them. The star of the show, Chicken on the Bone, comes in different sets: 2 / 3 Piece Chicken (S$6.20/S$9.20), 2 / 3 Piece Chicken Meal with 2 regular sides (S$7.80/S$10.20), 5 Piece Chicken Meal (S$22) and 8 Piece Chicken Meal (S$38).
Their Baked Roti John, which features a chicken omelette on a piece of ciabatta bread, has gained traction online. Unfortunately, it wasn’t available when I came, which was a shame. Flavour options for the Baked Roti John include Honey Mustard Chicken (S$6), Spicy Chicken (S$6), Black Pepper (S$6) and Classic (S$6).
It doesn’t end there as they also have Mac & Cheese, with a plethora of choices like Creamy Mac (S$5), Mac & 3 Cheese (S$5), Sausage & Mushroom (S$5) and Chicken Mac Spicy (S$5). Garlic Butter Rice options include Chicken Cutlet (S$8) or 1 Piece of Chicken (S$6) and are served with basmati rice, minestrone soup and sambal belado.
The Chicken Mac Spicy (no prizes for getting the reference of the dish’s name!) came topped with crushed tortilla chips . It didn’t look any different than your average mac and cheese, if only more vibrant looking. I thought the bowl could have been more filled with macaroni.
Before even tasting it, the mad cheese pull from the mozzarella and cheddar already won me over. Taste-wise, it didn’t quite match my initial excitement. Yes, there was a certain kick from the chilli powder but that was about it.
The use of salt and pepper would have perfected this bowl. There were a few (around 4) cubes of chicken that were seasoned, which provided momentary bites of excitement.
I have to applaud the big-brain idea of using tortilla chips, as that serves as a replacement for the signature toasted breadcrumb on top of a good mac and cheese. It worked exceedingly well.
I chose the Garlic Bread and Fries as the sides for my 2 Piece Chicken Meal. My order came with a fried drumstick and thigh. I am unsure if you can select your preferred chicken parts, but it never bothered me. There was around a 10 – 15 minute wait for my fried chicken to arrive as it was only cooked upon order.
My first bite had a delectable crunch, with steam emanating from the exposed flesh. It steamed so much it even fogged my camera lens! After the initial bite came the juicy and succulent meat that invoked a comical “mmm” speech bubble hovering over my head.
If I had to describe the taste, it was like KFC’s Crispy Fried Chicken with believable flavours that you can replicate with natural ingredients and seasoning. That being said, this was far superior to that of KFC.
This was the real deal.
The same goes for the thighs, though I did feel that the meat closer to the bones has that slightly unpleasant chickeny taste. Thankfully, it didn’t deter my eating experience. It’s a good idea to bring hand sanitiser and tissues along, as you need to use your hands to get down and dirty for the full experience.
The fried chicken was made with love and so warrants yours too!
Lastly was the Garlic Bread. It’s more crunchy and airy than any garlic bread you’ve ever had. I just wished the garlic and butter flavour was stronger. Overall, pretty good, but not as definitive as what other online reviews would suggest.
Final thoughts
Putting it into perspective, it’s absurd how All ‘Bout Chicken is probably the best fried chicken I’ve eaten in a really long time. It even puts the supposedly top-tier fried chicken places such as Arnold’s and Jollibee to shame with its flavourful batter and juicy insides.
Only time will tell if the same standards can be met with more outlets, but for now, do yourself a favour and get your fried chicken fix at All ‘Bout Chicken!
Expected damage: S$5 – S$7.80 per pax
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