Popular Filipino fried chicken fast food chain Jollibee is introducing its newest dish from January 15 (today!) and it is particularly exciting news for fried chicken fans and spicy lovers.
We made a trip down to their flagship outlet in Lucky Plaza to sniff out what it’s all about.
New Jolly Chilli Chicken
The new offering is called the Jolly Chilli Chicken and is essentially fried chicken glazed in a spicy and sweet sauce that is bound to get your taste buds salivating before you even take a bite.
According to a press release, the launch of Jolly Chilli Chicken is a follow-up to the popular Nasi Lemak Chickenjoy that debuted last year, and is still available at all outlets.
The Jolly Chilli Chicken will be its latest locally-inspired product to cater to the local palette. Spicy food? You don’t have to convince us twice.
It is available ala carte for S$4.50 with a choice of one side. Alternatively, it is also available in these sets:
- 1 pc Value Meal (w/ 1 choice of side & drink) (S$5.50)
- 2 pc Ala Carte (w/ 1 choice of side) (S$8.00)
- 2 pc Value Meal (w/ 1 choice of side & drink) (S$9.00)
Here’s what it looks like in real life:
Spicy at first, sweet after
Consider this a fair warning: There is a very noticeable dried chilli odour when the Jolly Chilli Chicken is served piping hot, so keep that in mind if you don’t plan on inflaming your nasal passage i.e. don’t sniff it too hard.
We took a good, strong whiff and our nostrils immediately flared; it had the same effect as wasabi but hey, at least it cleared our sinuses that morning.
If you’re wondering what it tastes like, the chicken certainly packs a spicy punch thanks to the even coating of the sauce all around. Unlike the Spicy Chickenjoy which employs a dry rub, the Jolly Chilli Chicken is glazed with sauce like your standard Korean fried chicken.
Interestingly, the spice notes only hit us in the first few bites of the chicken. As it cooled down, the spiciness tapered off, allowing the sweet notes to take over.
While fried chicken typically leaves a greasy aftertaste, the sweet ingredient (possibly honey) helps to mitigate that a little, on top of providing a contrast to the heady spice notes earlier.
Comparing this to the Spicy Chickenjoy, the Jolly Chilli Chicken is much more flavourful though it is a notch lower on the spicy scale.
If you can’t get enough spice, pair the Jolly Chilli Chicken with a side of Spicy Fries for an ultimate spice fest. Alternatively, you can also have it with Rice because, well, #asian.
The Jolly Chilli Chicken is now available across all Jollibee Singapore’s outlets. Takeaway orders can be placed here. It will become available for delivery via Grab Food, Foodpanda and Deliveroo in the coming days. Jollibee is a halal-certified establishment.
Photos: Izad Razi/The Halal Eater
