Hot Star Large Fried Chicken

Loved the place. The chicken came out fast and hot and yummy. The fried chicken is large in size too while being fairly cheap.
Among the many street food vendor outside of MTR station, this place is easily noticeable as there is a long lineup. But the line up clear up fast and the food requires nearly no wait time. I thought the chicken being prefried would not taste good, but it was hot and tasty. This place could easily be better than Popeyes chicken and cheaper. Will revisit for sure.

Chicken was bomb, service was rude but quick — typical HK. Skip the actual large fried chicken, go with the salty crisp chicken or the chicken wings instead. The spicy is just a bunch of chili powder top, it was good. There’s a sweetness to it, not sure from what. Paired well with a bottle of red wine.

Even before the rotten-​meat scandal with McDonald’s chicken nuggets, I had another chicken go-​to, close to the boyfriend’s in Tai Wai. And no, it wasn’t KFC — but it was fried, and it was finger lickin’ good. The name: HOT STAR FRIED CHICKEN. Apparently there are a few branches scattered around Hong Kong, and I’m not sure what the difference is — but I love the Tai Wai branch because it’s super convenient, the staff speak pretty good English for a Tai Wai stall, and they always make my number 1 (large chicken fillet) and number 2 (popcorn chicken nuggets) fresh.
There are always some fried drumsticks and wings stacked up by the window that some people purchase, but the number 2 (crispy nuggets, basically, either original or with spices) is always deep-​fried a la minute, so its still piping hot in your paper bag when you get it, and the spices stick onto the crispy crackly skin oh so well.
This place is conveniently located across from the MTR, and right next to the renowned Tai Wai fish ball joint, so I like to deck myself out with some fishballs too to make this a winning street snack combo. Try it yourself and thank me later.

Walk along Mei Tin Road just opposite the Tai Wai MTR station. Pass by Hot Star Large Fried Chicken without salivating as the beautiful scent of freshly fried chicken wafts through the air. Go on, I dare you.
Can’t do it? It’s okay. Neither can I.
Hot Star serves probably the best street-​side fried chicken you can find. Originating from Taiwan, the chicken here is fried to delicious perfection, and the meat is nice and tender.
There is permanently a line forming outside Hot Star — be it two people or ten. Not surprising, because the chicken here is so, so good! It’s served piping hot and it smells amazing — every bite is simply heavenly. I’ve actually only tried two things on the menu — the signature large fried chicken, and the ‘heung heung gai’, the second item on the menu, which translates roughly and very aptly to ‘delicious delicious chicken’.
The large fried chicken, as the name suggests, is pretty large. It’s basically a big piece of chicken. The chicken meat is juicy and very nicely fried. Even though it was soaked in oil, for some reason, it doesn’t taste that oily to me. I’ve had fried chicken where I feel like I’m eating mouthfuls of oil, but it isn’t the case with this one.
I would definitely recommend getting the second item on the menu, the ‘heung heung gai’, it you’re sharing with friends. It tastes exactly like the large fried chicken, except the chicken is in small, bite-​sized pieces — perfect for sharing. The portion is decent enough to be eaten among three people, I would say.
I don’t normally like street food in HK, but this is an exception. Yes, it’s fried, unhealthy, and loaded with MSG, but hey, there’s no harm in having it once in a while. In sum, this is no doubt a guilty pleasure of mine. Try it, and I’m sure it’ll soon be yours too!