The best fried chicken in Melbourne
MELBOURNE’S fallen for fried chicken in all its salty, crunchy, succulent guises. Dan Stock hits the road and taste tests 10 versions to find Melbourne’s best fried chook
Best of Melbourne
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IT’S the dish that’s as comforting as a hug and one we’ve embraced with finger lickin’ relish.
Fried chicken has come a long way since the Colonel first enticed with his secret herbs and spice.
You can now get your hands on all manner of versions around town, whether crispy Korean or fiery Thai, Japanese bites or Vietnamese delights.
The crunchy southern staple has been turned into a thing of fried beauty, and Katie Marron – whose namesake Crab Shack recently relocated to Fitzroy’s famous Rochester Hotel – is doing a mighty fine job of preaching to the masses and converting any activated nuts who try to resist.
Using a family recipe as her base, it’s a three-day process to get her fried chicken onto the plate.
“I used to make it as a staff meal once a week, then put it on the menu when I had my first head chef job (at Eau de vie) and it definitely gained a lot of popularity with the late night hospitality crowd,” she says. As well it would.
Katie says the key to great fried chicken starts with a free-range, chemical-free chook – “I want to see a slight blush of pink to the meat, which means it hasn’t been treated” – adds an overnight soak in brine filled with aromats and finishes with marination in buttermilk before breading and into the fryer.
“Good quality oil and frying for longer at a lower temperature (about 155-160C) gives the crunch and colour I’m looking for,” Katie says.
We’re sold. And so is the rest of Melbourne.
Bang the drumstick, fried chicken is here to stay.
We taste test 10 hot spots to find the best places to get your crunch on and those best not to waste calories on.
Miss Katie’s Crab Shack 9.5/10 (the winner)
She’s moved on from the dive bar surrounds of North Melbourne’s Public Bar and has taken over the new, improved, and damn fine looking Rochy Hotel in Fitzroy.
And while her crab boils bring all the boys and girls to the yard, it’s Katie’s Fried Chicken that brings ‘em back.
Following a (secret) recipe handed down from her great Aunt, suffice to say three days’ prep goes into producing a knockout version of this fried classic.
Rocking a deep southern tan, supple, succulent, super tasty flesh and serious crunch, the half chook – drummies and thighs – per serve is enough for two to share, but good luck with that one.
Served with either waffle and parfait, or buttery mash and gravy, it’s a cheat day treat that can’t be beat.
Katie’s Fried Chicken, $24. Rochester Hotel, 202 Johnston St, Fitzroy: misskatiescrabshack.com
Nene Fried Chicken 8/10
With more than 1000 outlets across Korea, NeNe Fried Chicken has recently arrived here with three outlets opening in the past couple of months.
There’s flavour combos including lemon and garlic, green onion, or BBQ bulgogi, but the original recipe is hard to go past. Cooked to order, it takes about 10 minutes for your buzzer to beep, but it’s worth the wait.
There’s a deep tan to the pieces – drumstick, wing, and thigh – with a great cracking crunch to the flaky batter that’s dry and crisp without a touch of oil.
Served on the bone, the meat has good flavour, enhanced when dunked into the American-style honey mustard.
A container of tangy pickled daikon and a red cabbage slaw complete the package that’s an excellent fried surprise and the best fast food chook in town.
Regular (four pc): $10.95 (flavours, $12.45 four pc). Highpoint, Maribyrnong (also Box Hill Central, Melbourne Central): nenechicken.com.au
Magic Mountain Saloon 9/10
Karen Batson says the best items on her menus tend to be pilfered from the staff meals the chefs serve up, and the Thai fried chicken ribs at Magic Mountain Saloon are no exception.
Showcasing a love of fiery fresh chilli that’s a hallmark of the food here, the chicken ribs are marinated in shrimp paste and lime juice before being beer battered and deep fried to a crunch.
They are then wok fried to order with a mound of chilli and onion and served with fresh coriander.
With succulence and crunch in perfect proportion teamed with all that punchy chilli heat, team a plate with a beer and you have what Karen calls “chicken nirvana”.
We can’t help but agree.
Crunchy fried chicken ribs $15.50 sml ($28 large). 62 Lt Collins St, city: magicmountainsaloon.com.au
Hot Star Fried Chicken 5/10
It’s the chook that’s as big as your head – a mighty, mammoth ¼ kg of chicken breast that’s transformed into 30cm of crumbed fried flesh.
If that’s not enough to scare you off, the queues outside the CBD outlets at mealtimes probably will.
But fried-to-order chicken takes time.
Immensely popular in its hometown of Taiwan where it’s been served in the famous Shilin night market since 1992, here you simply order your “original” or “spicy” and wait, perhaps with a bubble tea drink ordered from Gong Cha next door.
It’s a huge piece of chicken; the white meat is tender but flaccid and bland.
The sand-like crumbs and salt and pepper seasoning add little personality, with the beast overly oily, too.
A case of heft over depth.
Large fried chicken, $8.50. 231 Swanston St, city (also 429 Elizabeth St): hotstarchicken.com.au
Gu-E 7.5/10
It’s more famous for bibimbab, bulgogi and BBQ grills, but the three colour chicken at Gu-E (which means to grill) is a great way to open the account at this funky Korean diner.
A dozen pieces (a mix of wingettes and drumettes) come divided into three – a sticky sweet chilli that rocks a lick of heat, a lovely garlic soy version sprinkled with sesame, and the original, which is all about the crunch.
On-the-bone flavour is enhanced by a battered jacket that’s seasoned with care.
A cabbage and leaf salad is dressed with a chilli mayo and adds a burst of freshness to a great plate of fried fun.
Three colour chicken, $18.51 Sydney Rd, Brunswick (also 315 Glen Huntly Rd, Elsternwick): brunswick.gu-e.com.au
Belle’s Hot Chicken 8/10
It’s the diner where chefs go for a late-night feed, where it’s all about proper Nashville-style chicken washed down with beer.
The “hot” in Belle’s Hot Chicken comes from the mix of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper which deliver a creeping dry heat that can be ordered in gradations from “mild” through “really f***ing hot”.
Ionica chooks are brined overnight, jointed (choose wings, tenders or dark meat) and rolled in the flour spice mix.
Fried and then finished with sweet paprika and a lick of garlic powder, the red-tinged crunchy chook is served on a piece of white bread (to sop up the juices) along with a choice of side (fries,slaw or beans).
It’s a satisfyingly finger-lickin, lip-tingling feast of fowl that’s still so hot right now.
Hot chicken $16, includes a side. 150 Gertrude St, Fitzroy (107 Swan St, Richmond to open by end of year): belleshotchicken.com
Frying Colours 7.5/10
This year-old Korean restaurant with a punny name is serving up some seriously cross town-worthy fried chook.
The free range chicken pieces in a lightly seasoned, dry batter are perfectly tender, and can be teamed with a spicy sauce that has a good whack of heat, or delicious sweet soy that’s sticky with Korean honey.
Order sauce on the side if you’d like to regulate your dipping (or try both), otherwise the pieces will come covered in your condiment of choice.
It’s life affirming stuff.
Original Fried Chicken, $21 half/$37 whole. 520 Macaulay Rd, Kensington: fryingcolours.com.au
Brass Coq 7/10
Even the Vietnamese have a take on this fried chicken palaver, and this cheeky new CBD restaurant is doing its best to put VFC into the crunchy chook canon.
Six pieces of steaming, fall-from-the-bone chook each comes hidden under a jacket of rippled, light tan batter that has crunch and salt in perfect proportion.
Served under a blizzard of sesame, fresh chilli and chopped spring onion, the dish is finished with a drizzle of brilliant nuoc nam (fish sauce) that’s been reduced into sticky savoury submission.
It’s one of the most popular dishes on the menu, for very good reason.
VFC, $14. 470 Lt Lonsdale St, city: thebrasscoq.com
Hanaichi 4/10
The Japanese version of fried chicken is called karaage (KAH-rah-AH-ge), and the traditional soy/ginger-based marinade is used to good effect in the bowl of deep tanned nuggets served up at Hanaichi.
Taken off the bone, the dark meat tastes of chicken and comes under a deep tan, lightly seasoned batter, which unfortunately soaked up far too much of the oil it was fried in.
A sharp tartare and squeeze of fresh lemon couldn’t salvage the overly oily exterior.
Disappointing.
Chicken karaage, $7. Hanaichi Southland (also Westfield Doncaster and QV Square, city):hanaichi.com.au
Juanita Peaches 8.5/10
It’s a fried chicken joint in a doughnut shop that’s run by the bloke who introduced this city to food trucks with his Beatbox burgers.
Yes, the month-old Juanita Peaches is a very Melbourne creation that channels the US through the prism of Sydney Rd.
That means Raph Rashid’s fried chicken has a nostalgic nod to the Colonel’s secret herbs and spices, slaw and chips but is served with more than a touch of Brunswick class.
The thin batter that tastes like KFC did when it was happy to spell out its name slips from the steaming, tasty meat.
With fine chips and good slaw you have real box trifecta. Oh, and you know what’s for dessert.
Win.
Two pce box with slaw, fries, sauce, $16. 12 Edward St, Brunswick (Thurs-Sat from 5pm): alldaydonuts.com
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