One thing that the Shilin Night Market is especially known for is giant flattened fried chicken. And there is not just one place that offers such chicken, but many. Having already had the chicken from Hot Star in Pasadena, I decided to try something else. One spot had an insane line that I simply could not handle, so I headed to Monga, a place that my friend had recommended.
Monga wasn’t served out of a cart or a stall, but a real brick and mortar hole in the wall in the market. There were a couple of options and I went with the “Anaheim” style fried chicken. It was supposed to be the spicier variety, but I was told it wouldn’t be too bad.
They were right, while there was some spice, it was not nearly something that should be called spicy or hot. It was, however, delicious and I was surprised by this. I say that, because on the outside the chicken was somewhat smooth, so there was very little crunch or crispiness to the fried up batter. The reason this was so good was because the crispiness of the batter really played second fiddle to how juicy and flavorful the chicken was. I mean it was super juicy and flavorful for a chicken breast. It was also good to know that not all of the giant flattened fried chicken was created the same, because Hot Star was definitely interested in making the batter crispy.
Really, if you get the chance, just make sure you come with some others to ensure you don’t limit yourself to just one fried chicken. Otherwise, you will be plenty happy with Monga.
