#69 – TAIWANESE FRIED CHICKEN at BIAN DANG

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

Fried chicken has become quite a big deal in NYC. People argue over which hip Brooklyn spot does the best version – is it Buttermilk Channel or Pies n Thighs? If you ask me, I think the best in the city might just be from an unassuming Taiwanese food truck called Bián Dang.

Granted, this is totally different from the breaded Southern fowl those other places serve. Here the flavors are Asian, without any noticeable coating of bread. It’s just simply fried with magically tender meat and loads and loads of flavor.

I have had Bián Dang’s food many times before and was looking forward to getting this chicken dish again at their brick and mortar location in Food Gallery 32, an Asian food court in Koreatown. Unfortunately, it was just announced that the location closed (the stall, not the entire complex). Thankfully the truck still roams the street and I was still able to get this wondrous chicken leg.

The glistening browned skin is topped with the same pork sauce used on their phenomenal Pork Chop. The gravy gives the marinated meat a sweet and smoky flavor. Except for the melting meat, it’s all very subtle. The chicken cowers at the thought of holding on to the bone and the flavors pop. A rich stew of pickled cabbage gives the bed of starch plenty of depth and an umami quality not usually associated with white rice.

If I’m allowed to veer from the classic American preparation, I might just say this is my favorite fried chicken in the entire city. And that’s quite a big deal.

Would Bián Dang’s Taiwanese Fried Chicken make my Top 100 of the year? If it doesn’t this year, no doubt the similar pork chop will. It gets a 9 out of 10 since the meat remains perfectly tender underneath a blistered and bold flavored skin.