Zheng Xin Chicken Steak: Chinese fried chicken in Burnaby
As I entered my 20’s, I started eating Korean fried chicken and since then, I never went back to western fried chicken chains like KFC or Church’s Chicken.
This month, however, I was invited to try a Chinese fried chicken chain for the first time and wow π€―! I may switch over from Korean fried chicken to Chinese.
Zheng Xin Chicken Steak has over 20,000 locations in China and just opened their first Canadian location located in Burnaby near Metrotown π! We came here with a $40 credit to see what we can get and try some of their most popular items.
Zheng Xin Chicken Steak
5105 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 2E6
The vibe
The outside looks pretty average but the inside is quite cute! Despite it’s size, it has several large and spacious tables, as well as some bar seating against the window. So it is not just a grab-and-go kind of place, you can definitely dine inside. It has more of a self-serve system where you can pour your own fruit water and grab a spray to clean the table if it is messy.
The inside is very bright and cute with cartoon mascots of their chicken character π and fun green chairs. Each table is equipped with napkins, gloves so you can get your hands dirty while you eat, and flavour seasonings.
The menu and ordering system is primarily written in Chinese with some English subtitles, so whether you can read or speak Chinese, you shouldn’t have issues ordering.
Food and drinks review
Disclaimer: We were given $40 CAD credit to try anything on the menu, but for transparency, I have included regular menu prices (rounded to the nearest dollar) as well in this blog post. We chose to get their double package A for 2 which is $37 and upgraded our drinks and fries.
Original chicken steak ($14)
The number 1 item and what their whole chain is about is this giant chicken steak. Think giant fried chicken steak you can get at the Richmond Night Market – this is it but all chopped up to make it easier for you to eat.
The seasoning that is most popular to pair with this original chicken steak is the sweet plum powder (I don’t ask, I just do whatever is most popular). The flavour is very similar to the Taiwanese salty peppery chicken nugget. Each piece is juicy, delicious and easy to eat π. I can see why Zheng Xin is popular from this menu item – this is a must order (and it also comes in spicy seasoning)!
Spicy crispy chicken leg burger ($12)
The second most popular item is this crispy chicken leg burger. On first appearances, it looks like a pretty normal fried chicken burger. Despite it being spicy, we didn’t find it spicy at all.
The fried chicken leg was crispy and fried well. I noticed the bread is a little different – thinner and more hollow. I liked this until near the end of the burger when it started falling apart due to getting wet from the sauce and lettuce. Overall, a decent chicken burger but lacking in some structural integrity.
Hot wings ($8)
The third most popular item are their hot wings, AKA fried chicken wings.
These are pretty good fried wings – the meat inside is very juicy and most so A+ for that π. The batter is quite crispy and I recommend you to sprinkle on one of the 3 flavour seasonings at the table so you can have a variety of flavour combinations.
My only caveat is that I find it a little pricey for 4-5 pieces of wings, but they were delicious and big wings (not small ones).
Sweet potato fries ($8)
Double package A comes with regular fries but we upgraded to try the sweet potato fries. These were ok but with the plum seasoning on top, it was a little too sweet. I also found some pieces a little soggy so I think it could have been fried better.
Lemon tea + Grape bobo ($5 each)
Regular soda comes with the package, but we upgraded to try the lemon tea and grape bobo drinks. The lemon tea is similar to a HK style lemon tea – sweet and refreshing. The grape bobo was similar to the ribena drink.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ
We had a fast and yummy dinner at Zheng Xin Chicken Steak.
In reviewing their double package A for just under $40, we don’t necessarily think this is a cheap fast food joint but we do think it is worth the price and most importantly, something a little different from its competitors π€©.
What makes it stand out? The chicken steak, of course! I don’t think there is another spot that specializes in this so that makes it unique and it was delicious. It was our favourite item out of everything we tried – so many pieces also for $14!
Everything else was pretty good with the chicken leg burger being our next favourite. Again, I think most fried chicken sandwiches use chicken breast or some mystery mixture of meat, so having the chicken leg also makes it a bit more unique.
Aside from fried chicken, they have other fried items on their menu and have other chicken dishes that are not necessarily fried (like fish filet burger, Hawaiian grilled chicken burger, etc.).
We will return to check out some of their other items + get that chicken steak again!
Sincerely, Loewe
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