Hot Star Large Fried Chicken has been around for over 2 decades and is the creator the palm sized crispy chicken street food snack that is very popular in Taiwan.  It’s basically a chicken schnitzel that has been marinated with Asian spices and served to you in a paper bag. All the chicken used is breast meat and none of it is processed.

With multiple stores already in the eastern states, the latest one to open is on Grote Street in the Chinatown precinct. It’s not a particularly large store with most customers opting for take away, however there are 4 stools along a window bench. The menu is very simple and only consists of 5 items; large fried chicken, chicken bites, sweet potato chips, fried mushrooms and curly fries. These items are available with drinks and in combination with each other.

For a 42 degree day, I wasn’t really in the mood for a large piece of fried chicken, so instead, I opted for their Chicken Bites. The chicken was well marinated, tender and succulent, and had a light crispy coating. There are 4 hot sauces with varying levels of heat to choose from, which are applied after frying. I did think the chicken was a little oily but what do you expect from fried chicken.

The staff were friendly and the service was fast and efficient. The original large fried chicken will set you back $7.90, the chicken bites $5.90 (11 pieces), the fried mushrooms $4.90 and the chips $3.90. The most value for money item and their best seller is the large fried chicken.

The concept is so simple and it seems everybody loves their fried chicken.

WHERE: 75-79 Grote St, Adelaide