So I have been hearing a lot of rave reviews about Arnold’s Fried Chicken from readers, all of whom tout it as the best fried chicken in Singapore. Right after I announced on Twitter that I’m checking out Arnold’s, I was inundated with replies saying yeah! It’s better than KFC and even Popeyes! It’s not that hard to outdo the Colonel, but Popeyes? That’s a tall order.
There are a couple of Arnold’s restaurants in Singapore, plus an additional “Express” outlet in Pasir Ris, which I suppose is for takeouts. We visit the City Plaza outlet which is packed to the brim with customers on a Saturday evening. They employ a system where you get a queue number and make your order first while waiting for a table. Not bad, we thought. Once a table’s available, we get our food soon after: a 2-person Combo meal comprising:
– 5 pieces of crispy fried chicken
– 2 buns
– French fries
– Regular coleslaw
– 2 regular soft drinks (top up 70 cents each for iced lemon tea)
Activity: What’s wrong with this picture?
S$21.40
Rating:
With rather high expectations and a skeptical thought that this may simply be overhyped, I taste a piece of Arnold’s chicken for the first time. Immediately, I go “Whoa!” My partner arches his eyebrows at me, “Really?” before proceeding to taste it and give the same reaction.
The seasoning is perfect – flavoursome with a tinge of peppery spice. And the chicken is just tender and juicy, and freshly cooked to order. Yes, this IS yummier than Popeyes, thus deeming it better than KFC as well.
Rating:
The fries and buns are average, and I still prefer Popeyes‘ Cajun fries. But the coleslaw deserves a special mention. In the Combo meal, they give a large bowl of it that we can never finish. It’s sweet and shredded very finely, and I like it better than the one at Wow Wow West.
If you have been following me around on Foursquare, you would see that I visited Arnold’s a second time after that. This time round, we check out the newer outlet at Hougang Green Shopping Mall, which is bigger than the one at City Plaza (above). The chicken tastes even better than before!
Loading ...So what do you think? Do you agree with our verdict that Arnold’s is the place to get the best fried chicken in Singapore, or is there some other place we have yet to uncover? Share with us in the comments!
City Plaza outlet
810 Geylang Road #02-09/101
Singapore 409286
Tel: +65 6746 2372
Opening hours: 11:30am – 10pm daily
Hougang outlet
Hougang Street 51 #01-49
Singapore 538719
Tel: +65 6386 9015
Opening hours: 11:30am – 10pm daily
Pasir Ris outlet
94 Pasir Ris Central
Singapore 519637
Tel: +65 6585 0584
Apr 5, 2010
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Arnold’s Fried Chicken – Best Chicken in Town! Yes? http://sparklette.net/food/arnolds-fried…
Apr 5, 2010
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@Sparklette Yes! Then again I haven’t tasted that many. Best in town so far for me.
Apr 5, 2010
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@faizalpahmee I only have Popeyes and KFC for comparison and I think Arnold’s is the best amongst these 3!
Apr 5, 2010
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@Sparklette All this talk about chicken is making me crave spring chicken. But yea, Arnold’s the best. Second to me is KFC Original Recipe.
Apr 5, 2010
13
Yes, I agree! It’s how “fried chicken” should be. I think a close counterpart to Arnold’s would be Dallas Chicken at PoMo Selegie. Just simple fried chicken yums.
Apr 5, 2010
3472
Ah yes, I remember reading about it on your blog. Thanks for reminding that I still need to check out that place :) Always happy to hear of another good chicken option!
Apr 6, 2010
7
Just a suggestion; could you include a Google map of (a few of) the places you mentioned. It would really help those of us who are not from Singapore. Good post, btw.
Apr 6, 2010
3472
You got it. I’ll add the maps as far as possible. In most of the food reviews here, the maps are already embedded, except in cases where the restaurant has multiple outlets, and tourist attractions whose maps are readily available in guidebooks.
Meanwhile, here’s gothere.sg, a very good mapping website that I use myself for locating places and the way to get there :)
Apr 6, 2010
1
I love chicken. waahh this makes me hungry
Apr 7, 2010
3
I’ve heard about Arnold’s from a few of my friends and they told me it’s superlicious too!
I so badly want to try eating there but there’s not much outlets and mostly it’s located at secluded areas..
wah wah this is so making me hungry!!! nice blog and excellent quality post! ^_^
Apr 9, 2010
3472
Thanks Knox! I agree about the secluded locations. Every trip there takes us at least a half-hour drive! They do have a delivery service which I have yet to try, but I have a feeling the chicken would turn out soggy. You may wanna give that a try?
Apr 8, 2010
11
aye.. the picture only shows 4 chicken?.. hee.. i love arnold’s too.. gg to their outlet in hougang this weekend glad to know its bigger then the one at city plaza!
Apr 9, 2010
3472
lol you’re the only one who bothered to solve my little “activity”! Yup, they forgot one piece of chicken but did make it up to us afterward.
The Hougang outlet is bigger and hence easier for you to get a table. Enjoy!
Apr 9, 2010
6
hmmm, the chicken looks well super overcooked and dry… but i guess i cant judge a book by its cover…
Apr 9, 2010
3472
It’s only the picture. The few times that we visit Arnold’s, the chicken is always tender and meaty, never dry like those at other places. Like how Harris puts it above, “it’s how fried chicken should be”.
Apr 9, 2010
6
and is it quite overpriced for 5pc chix, buns, fries, coleslaw and 2 drinks?
Apr 9, 2010
3472
That, I agree. But after the first taste of the chicken, the price thing never occurred to me anymore!
Apr 9, 2010
6
hi. today i asked around my workplace and i heard a rumor about arnold’s chicken. they actually put a drinking straw into the deep frying oil to make the chicken crispy. true or not? i don’t know. following is a forum talking about putting plastic into deep frying oil is actually true. http://www.miricommunity.net/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=10926&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&sid=8510ab9454a39240982df8382ec67611
Apr 11, 2010
3472
I heard of this unethical practice happening in a neighbouring country through one of those email messages that people forward around. Arnold’s has been around for years, and I think if they do something like this in Singapore, we would have learned about it long ago.
Apr 11, 2010
1
Has anyone tried Dallas at POMO? I think it tastes much better than popeye….
Apr 11, 2010
3472
Wow! That’s at least 2 votes for Dallas at Pomo Selegie now. Harris also mentioned it in the first comment.
Apr 11, 2010
29
arnold’s!!!!
u r hooked and so am i!
heeeee
Apr 21, 2010
137
That chicken must taste great! Too bad all the locations are very inconvenient for a lot of people. Hope they open more outlets soon.
O yah, the way the salad is all mashed up looks like the one at KFC… hope it doesn’t taste as awful.
Apr 21, 2010
3472
On the contrary, the salad is delicious! As far as coleslaw goes, this is amongst the best we’ve had.
Yeah, I REALLY hope they open outlets in a more central location next.
Apr 26, 2010
1
the best culinary blog, I like this
May 3, 2010
72
I actually visited Arnolds at City Plaza after reading your review. Couldn’t find the place as it was tucked away in a small corner – but the big crowd waiting outside was the dead giveaway!
Totally agree that the chicken is fantastic – huge portions too and not too oily. The 15 minute wait to get seated is worth it, and you only pay after you’ve finished eating – makes it a restaurant-style experience as opposed to the KFC fast-food concept.
May 10, 2010
7
I’m not sure if its tastier but it looks healthier than Uncle Bob’s from Penang. I wonder how it would compare to Nando’s.
Sep 12, 2011
1
ARNOLDS signature is the best for me coz superlicious & fresh. hope they open more outlet!