Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice: Tender & Silky Chicken Rice With Free-Flow Soup Tucked Away In Katong Shopping Centre

Katong is truly the gift that keeps on giving, from trendy chrysanthemum-flavoured ice cream to hearty Peranakan delights to old-school cakes—you name it Katong has it all. As if the Katong/Joo Chiat area could not get any better, you can now add chicken rice to the list.

You’ll find Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice tucked away in the basement of the unassuming Katong Shopping Centre and has been a favourite of Easties for a long time.

As much as it pains me to reveal this hidden gem for fear of long queues and lowering food standards, it feels incumbent on me as a food writer to share one of the best chicken rice in Singapore.

When I walked up to Delicious Boneless, there was already a small queue of hungry patrons patiently waiting to be served. The family-run Delicious Boneless runs like a well-oiled machine; I only had to wait ten minutes and it was already my turn.

I went ahead and ordered Roasted Chicken Rice (S$5), Steamed Chicken Rice (S$5) and a serving of Beansprouts (S$ 5 for Small). I mean, is there a sight more beautiful than a table full of steaming hot chicken rice?

As an added brownie point, these sets from Delicious Boneless also come with a huge bowl of their soup and free-flow achar. It doesn’t get any better than that.

This steaming mound of chicken rice was of an intense yellow hue. The reason for that, I’m told, is that the owners add chicken oil to the rice which gives the rice its characteristic yellow hue.

The rice was tasty and the grains were well-separated and had a tantalising aroma of chicken with each mouthful. I could definitely eat this rice by itself—that’s the mark of a plate of good chicken rice.

Between Steamed Chicken and Roasted Chicken, I’m partial to Roasted Chicken given it’s more pronounced flavour and savoury quality. Delicious Boneless’ Roasted Chicken came with a sprinkling of fried garlic, roughly chopped scallions and sprigs of coriander drizzled with a light soya sauce.

The chicken was unbelievably silky and smooth, while the skin still had a little texture to it. The sauce veered a little on the sweet side and complemented the roasted chicken skin quite well.

The fried garlic gave the roasted chicken a punchier flavour and provided good texture—brownie points for the added effort.

When eaten together with the rice, I dare say this was quite the perfect mouthful of chicken rice. It definitely hit all the right spots and I could have this every day if my waistline allowed.

I know there are ardent fans of the Steamed Chicken and I can see why. Steamed chicken has a reputation for carrying a lighter and cleaner flavour and goes better with the heavier and oiler rice. The only reason steamed chicken, in general, is not my go-to, is probably the gelatinous skin that deters me from choosing this option.

However, given the calibre of Delicious Boneless’ Roasted Chicken, I was definitely to try their Steamed Chicken.

Well, I might be a convert after this. The Steamed Chicken was incredibly moist and tender; I even went for some of the jellied skin and didn’t find myself cringing at the texture.

To really put it to the test, I picked the breast meat which historically tends to get a little dry but I found the one from Delicious Boneless had an almost satiny quality. Whichever option you choose, you know it will be a winner.

Chicken rice is never complete without its quintessential chilli. Delicious Boneless’ chilli was tangy, piquant and provided just the right addictive kick.

Another reason to love Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice has to their generous and homely soups. This was no measly bowl of soup, as it came with hunky pieces of pork ribs, a sizeable cob of corn and potatoes.

You’d expect the soup to taste watered down or distinctly average, but that was not the case at all. This soup had that same comforting and homely quality you would find your mother or grandmother making. Thoroughly impressed, I took several slurps more.

Similarly, Delicious Boneless’ White Cabbage Soup did not disappoint as well. Once again, the soup looked simple and unassuming but a just take in a spoonful and you’ll be blown away. Laden with a generous amount of cabbage, this light peppery soup is one for the rainy days.

Now, for one of Delicious Boneless highly-praised achar, as mentioned previously, their achar is free-flow which warms my Singaporean heart even more.

Light and zingy, this achar is the perfect partner to the Delicious Boneless’ rich and flavourful chicken rice.

When it comes to chicken rice, there will undoubtedly be an endless debate to which stall has the best chicken rice. Having tried my fair share, I can safely say that Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice comes out on top.

From their attention to detail to their generous portions to the quality of their chicken rice, you are guaranteed a good experience. I found hard to find any fault. If we still have sceptics amongst us, I urge you to go on down to try it for yourself, after all, one more plate of chicken rice couldn’t hurt, could it?

Expected Damage: S$5 – S$15 per pax