Hands up all those Millennials who love the McChicken!
Fried chicken seems to be the most popular burger option after the undeniable beef. It’s a favourite of many Maltese as much as it is in Kentucky.
Today we spotted a new International franchise in town, that has a chicken burger hidden amongst their potato fries menu! Truth is, we came for the fries, but were intrigued by the chicken burger! Queen’s Chips is an Amsterdam style chip shop that opened its doors last July, on National French Fries day, right next to Paceville’s Burger King. How will their chicken burger fare against the palate proven offerings from other established express burger joints? Even though we’re awed and distracted by the aroma of fries, we’re driven to find out!
Queen’s Chips started as an Italian franchise and shortly became renown for its paper cone Dutch-style fries. Just in case you wonder, it has no affiliation with the pastizzeria in Hamrun! They only have one chicken burger on their menu, so you don’t have to spend endless minutes wondering what to order! And their chicken burger focuses on the essential basics, as it’s made from a crispy minced chicken patty, sandwiched between a soft, pillowy bun, and layered with fresh Maltese lettuce. But here’s the twist, that’s going to propel this burger ahead of other express burger joints. Queen’s Chips have upped the ante, by letting you choose the burger sauce from a selection of 20 wild flavours! And when we say Wild, we do mean it. There’s everything from a whisky sauce, to curry ketchup, Moroccan, black pepper, Algerian and Tartar, just to name a few.
The chicken patty is made from 120gr of breaded chicken fillet, fried at 175°C. It has an oblong shape and is enormous when compared to something like Burger King’s Crispy Chicken offering, as it hangs out lasciviously from both ends of a standard-sized bun. Patties are fried in an own container, so they do not spoil the oil and mix with the fries. Queen’s Chips are using very modern friers, with automatic temperature control to keep the oil stable whether they are doing 1 or 5 burgers at a time. This yields a chicken patty that is moist and tender, and most importantly, very consistent. The consistency is that of white meat that has been ground fine and shredded all the way with no chewy knuckle bits and with a crunchy seasoned batter shell, that sports a golden colour ready to dazzle and delight. The breading is crispy enough, making it edgier than the classic McChicken. The batter is most probably made from wheat or corn, with a dusting of very light spices. The crunchy and uniform breading and tasty chicken inside checks all the prerequisite boxes for great flavour.
The slightly savoury bun is very fluffy and seedless. It squishes under very little pressure, but all it needs to do is hold the lettuce and chicken, and it does a good job at that. Apart from the chicken itself, the sauce is the second most exciting element. These signature sauces are made in Belgium and they pair well with the kick of the chicken’s seasoning. Any of these sauces seem to compliment with a touch of creaminess and controlled messiness! We tried the Cheesy Crazy (to experience the maximum messiness effect) which has a very strong cheese aroma. If you like American cheese with your chicken burger, this is the one to go for. There’s also the more classic tartar sauce, with onion, parsley and mixed herbs. But really, the obligatory game here is to never choose the safest option and go berserk in your choice!
The burger is presented in wrapping paper, to avoid sauce spills. This minimalist approach works perfectly in like with Paceville’s mood & environment. It also looks much more triumphant that those McD mashed burgers, where you wonder if the prep guy angrily smashed both fists into the bun, before lovingly wrapping it in paper!
As if not content enough with the burger, we also tried out the Kentucky chicken strips. And boy, we’re so glad we did! Chicken strips are the most glorious incarnation of handheld fried chicken. They’re heftier than nuggets and simpler to munch on than wings. We couldn’t resist from pimping up our burger and incorporate these strips INSIDE the burger itself, to build our own one-of-a-kind QUEEN’s MEGA burger! Now we’re talking big-league business!
These strips are made from fillet pieces, or what looks like the white meat that is located on either side of the breastbone. Unlike the burger patty, they have a plump texture and lumpy chunks of Kentucky flavoured seasoning that gives KFC a good run for their money, as they have a true and certain distinction with a more verve spiciness. There’s a superlative crunch from their thick breading, without any overpowering of the overall chicken flavour, which is slightly salty and rich. The consistency of the crispness is huge. A sort of buttery taste develops after the first 3 bites or so, something which we liked and urged us to consume even more of these. These chicken strips are quite hefty and burly, and there’s a considerable amount of chicken with a fibrous texture in each one. We could barely fit 2 inside our burger. They are a chicken meal by themselves, even without the aid of dipping sauces. Not that you should skip on the sauce. It’s just that between one saucy strip and another, sometimes one needs to enjoy the taste of the naked chicken piece itself.
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Just like us, you will most probably stop by Queen’s Chips for the inhouse specialty, the fries. And they won’t disappoint. When it comes to fries, this is where the similarity with any other express food joints ends. If you plan on ordering a large portion of chips, think twice, because their large is nothing like anything you’ve seen… it’s large as in 1 KILO large! The small and medium are 250gr and 500gr respectively so they might be more manageable for us mere humans! The potatoes are imported as whole fresh potatoes from Holland. Dutch potatoes are known for their unique characteristics, energetic flavour, compact texture and an ideal consistency for frying. They are fried in 2 stages in sunflower oil before making their way into your mouth, thus earning them the nickname of Double Dutch Fries! They are first fried at a low temperature to remove excess moisture from the potatoes. After a resting period of 20 minutes, they are fried a second time for a short timespan, this time at a much higher temperature to create a thick chip that is moist from inside and crispy on the outside, making them the definitive must-try french fries in Paceville, and overall Top 5 potato chips material.
Do you know why the Dutch can eat French fries with mayonnaise and not become obese? It’s all in the daily biking! Speaking of mayo, you can also add extra extravagant sauces to your chips, and we suggest the Samurai, which is a pinkish dry and spicy sauce or the Curry ketchup, with its oriental spiced flavour. Even though we loaded them with sauce, the fries didn’t get soggy so easily, and that’s another attribute that scores high in our books. And just like in Holland, we predict that these will dominate the Paceville street food scene by the end of the year!
As if the fries were not enough, here’s an extra bonus from Queen’s Chips… Crunchy churros covered with white or standard chocolate sauce! These big sticks of cinnamony-sugary heaven are very popular all over Latin America and Spain, but in recent years they have spread all across Europe. They are made from fried dough and taste similar to fried pastry, albeit a bit saltier. They do taste as delicious as they look.
These days, the Paceville food scene is overcrowded with all kind of restaurants and express food corners, but Queen’s Chips have managed to disrupt these standards with a chips novelty, and a supporting list of street food that is a big notch above other burger franchises. We’re definitely keeping an eye on them, for future surprises, as all this writing made us crave for more chicken & chips!
