KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — The search for the best chicken rice can get crazy.

With stalls in almost every coffee shop, chicken rice is a staple food. Unearthing a great one is pretty hard.

At Luck Luck Hainan Chicken Rice — the latest to join the Kepong chicken rice gang — they serve free range chicken which has more bite.

Let's get one thing straight, everyone has their own preferences with poached chicken. There's no right or wrong.

Some like the meat to be soft and the skin to slide down their throat. Or they may prefer crunchy skin and meat that is harder, signalling a chook that exercised like a fanatic.

Here, Luck Luck is said to serve chicken sourced from Johor.

I especially like the thick yellow skin that crowns slightly tougher meat, signalling it wasn't raised in a cage or pumped up with hormones.

You won't find it tinged with turmeric, a trick that some stall owners use to make it look like free range chicken. The evidence is in its meat. It has a chewiness and well, it tastes like chicken.

You must think I am mad since chicken should taste like chicken, right? But some stalls employ a trick where the chicken is soaked in pails of water to pump up the water ratio in the meat so it's smooth like a baby's bum.

At RM10, I get a plate of poached chicken drumstick with rice and limitless ginger paste and chilli sauce.

If chicken with a bite isn't your thing then come for their excellent char siu.

The BBQ meat is juicy with just a layer of fat to give it a luscious bite. On top, there's a caramelised skin and just a dash of the sweet sauce, making each piece super decadent.

I could eat this char siu every day, seriously.

After tasting other places around the Petaling Jaya SS2 area, I realised, my plate of 100 grams of char siu here for RM10 is a steal. I was upset since I had to pay RM6 for six small pieces of BBQ meat as an add-on to my bowl of curry mee at another place.

There's also roast pork (siu yoke) which was introduced last weekend. You also have the roasted version for the chicken. Again, this warrants another visit to try those items.

Pair your choice of meats with a plate of their brown tinged rice. It's got distinct, bigger grains with a firmer bite.

Again, it's a preference. Some feel the rice should be the usual softer, small grains with the light yellow tinge. For me, I felt this rice was healthier.

My solution for those who prefer softer grains, just mix it with the minced ginger paste. It gives the rice a flavour boost and moistens the grains. Or if you like it spicy, just add on their tangy, chunky blended chilli sauce.

Started in May this year, Luck Luck Hainan Chicken is operated by Yew. The young man picked up his skills from a five-year stint at another chicken rice place, just a few doors away.

Since that chicken rice place has relocated elsewhere in Kepong, he decided to strike out on his own with this standalone shop.

As the shop is open from 9am onwards, you can call to book the food for lunch, otherwise you may go hungry later.

Luck Luck Hainan Chicken Rice, No. 111, Jalan Silang, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 9am to 2pm or until food is sold out. Closed every second Tuesday of the month. They last closed on July 11. Tel: 012-2329505. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052641167576 Instagram: @luckluckhainanchicken

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