On this day, our group of foodies converged in Langley for fried chicken that promises to take you around the world in 8 flavours.
The inspiration behind this is the chef/owner who has travelled and studied all around the world. He has since brought back this idea to Canada, naming his unique chicken recipes after the country of inspiration.
Located downtown Langley, you can smell the scent of continuous frying wafting from the restaurant. It is pretty much of the same walking in. A little on the greasy side, that I insisted on grabbing a seat by the open door for air flow. I strongly suggest ordering and taking your chicken to go, as the heavy grease lingering in the air did get to me, affecting smell and taste. Though having tried their entire menu, I can confirm that the chicken is worth getting past this trial to.
At Mr. Chicken they only use fresh chicken so this does limit them to doling out only 50 servings per day. So be warned, arrive earlier to not be disappointed. When they are out, they are done.
In no particular order. The Canadian is their fresh BC original recipe chicken, fried crispy. It is named in consideration of the location of the restaurant and the country in which the husband and wife team currently reside. Incredibly crispy, juicy dark meat pieces seasoned with salt and pepper, and minimal spices. Although, I could have used some better identifying seasonings to have their regular chicken stand out all the more, amidst the sea of other fried chicken options in BC.
Although, that is where their entire menu comes in. As a whole, to be able to order a good variety of flavoured fried chicken all at once, sets them apart. Great for party catering, a large potluck order, or your next dinner engagement.
Their Korean fried chicken delivered on expectations with its familiar sweet and spicy, sticky and saucy coating.
The Italian came coated in an Italian vinaigrette. A dry rub with plenty of herbs for a very pronounced flavour.
The French had a light honey butter coating. It added a sheen to the crispy chicken skin glaze. But I didn’t get much butter flavouring, and the sweetness from the honey was very mild.
The Japanese chicken was prepared with a sweet soy that offered a faint salty finish. I found this lacking. Although in hindsight, if I found this or any of the other flavours lacking, I could have easily opted in for a side order of sauce. Garlic mayo, Korean sweet spicy, Mexican hot, or their Mr BBQ sauce.
The Mexican was memorable with their homemade hot sauce. It reminded me of a marinara in how chunky the sauce was and the herbs that were featured in it. As for taste it reminded me of a latent spicy Frank’s red hot sauce in its tang. By far, this was one of the more flavourful chicken offerings that we had.
The English was probably the most original. It is their regular crispy fried chicken, generously sprinkled over with their homemade cheddar cheese seasoning powder. I couldn’t help but link it to an “American” style chicken, given that the neon yellow hue of their cheese dust is very similar to that of Kraft Dinner and their cheesy powder. Taste wise, they used a better quality of cheese and you could tell. Probably my favourite of the 8 flavours, as I liked the fluffy texture of the cheesy powder, caked into the crevices of the highly crispy breaded chicken.
Another creative chicken recipe was the Thai style that came with a side of their in house made coconut chilli soup. A rich and creamy soup that I would order on its own, and is available as a side. Fragrant with lemongrass and curry, you use this as a dip. Plunging their original fried chicken into the cup. Eat quick or things do get soggy, which defeats the whole purpose of crispy fried chicken.
If you dare to take on all the flavours as we did, and accompany them with some of their deep fried sides, I do recommend ordering the only non-fried thing on the menu. This simple apple mayonnaise dressed shredded green salad. It was the only fresh element/side available to help wash some of the excess grease and oil down in between bites.
And with all this chicken offered, Crackling makes sense as an available side. This too is deep fried and made crispy with the same breading as the chicken above. But this comes with a slightly sweet, creamy dip; that does make it a completely different dish.
The deep fried Milk ball was my favourite of the sides. A crispy fried coating like above, but with a soften sweeter centre, much like the dipping for the crackling above. It ate like fried mochi, a sweet dough with a nice gummy chew.
They also have wedges as a side, but at this point I was fried out and the breading on the potatoes were too much.
But there was still dessert. They call it Mr Tiramisu and it is homemade tiramisu in a cup. Made with fresh milk and no cheese or coffee, this is their original recipe and it works.
In conclusion, I love the concept and the draw. I would like to see them build on this with new flavours and for existing ones to be better drawn out. I would have liked to see each country option come with a topping that not only added depth to the flavour, but also served as a textural component, and added a certain freshness needed with heavily deep fried foods. Maybe bonito flakes and edamame with the Japanese and/or roma tomatoes, and basil for the Italian? And at least a pickled radish for the Korean option.
Mr. Chicken
20436 Fraser Hwy Unit 104, Langley, BC V3A 4G2
(778) 606-3003
