One of the best parts about having fried chicken is munching down on the crispy, golden skin. I’ve never had the skin alone as a snack before, so when Shihlin came up with their Crispy Chicken Cracklings, I was intrigued.
Hopping on the trend is homegrown brand Cemani, who came out with their own version of Chicken Skin Snacks (S$10/pack).
You can look forward to a range of flavours: Original, Tom Yum, Mala and Salted Egg.
Fun fact: the chickens—which are Halal-certified—are sourced from one of the founders’ very own family farm. Cemani also uses Halal-certified ingredients, and are working towards attaining Halal certification for their products.
I really enjoyed Shihlin’s version, so I was eager to try Cemani’s ones.
Munching on the Original flavour, I found the chicken skins to be very crispy and airy. I noticed that there was no greasy aftertaste, which many chips tend to have.
While there was a hint of saltiness in the skins, I could also taste an oh-so-slight bitterness.
I think overall, the chips felt a tad too “healthy” for my taste buds, and I would have liked them a bit more oily for that lip-smacking factor.
I had high hopes for the Salted Egg flavour, but after a bite, I was pretty disappointed. I could detect a bit of eggy saltiness, but it was lacking that full-bodied salted egg flavour I was hoping for.
There was also a spicy kick from the chilli flakes used, but I would have enjoyed a stronger salted egg flavour.
Sadly, I think I still prefer versions from other brands like IRVINS and The Golden Duck.
I love mala, but specifically the xiang guo kind. Maybe that was why my palate could not appreciate the one-dimensional tingling spiciness from Cemani’s mala chicken skins.
But if you enjoy the taste of mala spice alone, you might like this snack.
For spice lovers, you can also try their Tom Yum flavour.
The chips tasted like they were coated with tom yum seasoning, the kind that you get from cup noodles. I love tom yum-flavoured maggie mee, so I was not complaining about the MSG-heavy taste.
The chips also had a fragrant spiciness to it, and was surprisingly not too overwhelming. I guess this taste-testing ended on a good note, because I enjoyed their tom yum flavour.
The tom yum chicken skin snacks are probably my favourite flavour out of the bunch!
Are you a fan of chicken skin snacks? Quote “sethlui20” to get an exclusive 20% discount for the month of October 2019 when you order from their website!
Dates & Times: Now available at FairPrice Finest outlets and Cemani.sg
Prices: S$10 per pack
