Fried chicken — have you known another food quite as soul-uplifting? I recall a time when Korean fried chicken took Singapore by storm, while everybody’s other favourite Asian country, Japan, took the backseat. Thankfully, KFC in Singapore offers us a solution to the situation, reining Japan back into the spotlight with their latest innovation in fried chicken.
The newest addition to an already extensive KFC menu, Umakara Chicken arises from a combination of the words Umami and Karai. For those who aren’t well-versed in foodie terms, Umami is the elusive fifth profile of taste whose existence was only recently discovered and acknowledged. In essence, Umami is “Savoury” — the more sophisticated, nuanced sibling of the four basic flavours: Salty, Sour, Sweet and Bitter. It is a flavour more commonly found in Japanese cuisine, such as in miso, dashi and shoyu.
KFC has incorporated Umami into their newest offering in a number of ways. KFC’s fresh and juicy chicken forms the blank canvas upon which the Umakara Chicken is produced. The fresh chicken is steeped in a shoyu marinade and a medley of Japanese spices, imbuing each piece with a rich and complex savouriness. The chicken is then hand-coated in a spicy, crisp batter to create that classic KFC crunch, then sprinkled with an umami spice sprinkle for extra texture and flavour. The result? A umami flavour-bomb that is good beyond words.
For just $7.90, this Umakara Chicken can be enjoyed in a two-piece meal, inclusive of a regular serving of Whipped Potato, Coleslaw and SJORA® Mango Peach.
If more volume is required to fill up your gas tank, why not try the Umakara Chicken Box? At $9.50, the Umakara Chicken Box comes with greater variety: two pieces of Umakara chicken, two Crispy Tenders, two Shrooms Poppers, a regular-sized Whipped Potato and SJORA® Mango Peach.
Okay, I know you’re curious as to what the accompaniments beside the chicken are. (I was too.) The Umakara Chicken is served alongside Crispy Tenders and Shrooms Poppers. After giving them a try, I feel ambivalent about the Crispy Tenders, but I can attest for the tastiness of the Shrooms Poppers.
They are golden quenelle-shaped croquettes stuffed with minced mushrooms, vegetables, chicken meatloaf and onion. Soft, creamy, and they taste a little cheesy too. Yum!
Did I enjoy this meal at KFC? The truth is I did — a little more than I should have. The unbeatably crispy chicken skin coated in the savoury umami spice sprinkle was really quite shiok to bite into, and the soft, tender chicken flesh within was the cherry on top of the cake. Needless to say, the Umakara Chicken stands quite well on its own and the Crispy Tenders and Shrooms Poppers simply add more flair to an already good thing.
So, what are you waiting for? Don’t chicken out. The Umakara Chicken launches 13 July, so grab yourself a serving while stocks last.
*This post was brought to you in partnership with KFC Singapore
