Chicken World (Denman)

It wasn't too long ago that I had re-visited the Surrey location of Chicken World out on 96th Ave.  Turned out to be a pleasant surprise as the food was a helluva better than my initial visit prior to the ownership change.  However, that particular location essentially serves the burbs and I highly doubt that Vancouverites would travel out there for takeout, especially during Covid.  Hence, it was only natural that I pay the Denman location a visit too.  It also gives me a chance to see if there is consistency across locations as that is rather important for a chain restaurant.

Since the place is known for its Fried Chicken, we started there with a mix of original and spicy.  Loved how the batter was crunchy while nicely rendered.  The chicken itself was brined, hence it was flavourful and juicy.  For me personally, I preferred the spicy as it added more punch and impact.  But really, both were good.  Gravy was pretty standard if you like your chicken and fries dunked into it.

Similar to some other chicken spots in town, Chicken World also offers grilled chicken in the form of Peri Peri Chicken.  Once again, we got a mix of spicy and regular.  I'm pretty sure they use the same brined chicken for fried and peri peri. Therefore, it was no surprise that the meat was equally tender and juicy.  Once again, the spicy was my choice as it had a nice kick.

Like last time, we had 2 sets of Wings sauced in BBQ and Teriyaki sauces.  These were fairly large wings with a crunchy batter on the outside.  Skin was decently rendered and the meat was still moist.  Of the 2 flavours, I liked the teriyaki the most as it had plenty of ginger notes to go with the expected sweetness.  I should've listened to the manager there because having the sauce on the side would've been less messy.

Beyond the Masala Fries (which were crunchy with a nice dusting of spices), the one side that probably doesn't get enough attention is their Rice n' Spice consisting of the Arabian Rice (that is to the left of it), but topped with fried chicken bites and spicy mayo.  This thing ate like a meal and packed plenty of flavour.  The fries were good too being crispy and dusted with spices.

We also had 4 of their sandwiches including the Gabber, BeWafa Beef, Nashville Billo and Grilled Chicken Burger.  On my continuing quest for the best fried chicken sammie, the Gabber and Billo are certainly contenders in the fast food category.  Chicken is moist and juicy with a crispy batter.  I would've liked more spice with the Billo though.  Surprisingly, the beef burger isn't just a throw-in.  The beef patty was charred and not dry.  Lots of inherent meat flavour as well as onion.  While the grilled chicken isn't the most sexy looking, it was still moist and nicely charred.

We also added the Potato Wedges for good measure and well, they were frozen potato wedges that were fried.  With that being said, they were prepared properly and sported a crispy seasoned coating.  It wasn't overly greasy either.  So the question is: does the new Denman location stack up with the original Surrey spot?  Well, yes and a bit more.  You see, I though the sandwiches, in particular the beef burger, to be prepared better.  Other items were the same.  Good alternative to places like Church's and Hi-Five.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Moist brined chicken

- Choice of fried and grilled

- Sandwiches are equally good

The Bad:

- We didn't have it this time, but the onion rings aren't my favourite