May 19 / Lando

Memories on a Plate: Filipino Style Chicken Close to Home

Chicken D’Lite
39257 Cedar Blvd.
Newark, CA 94560
(510) 790-2502
www.chickendlite.net

Chicken. You can fry, bake, barbecue, or broil it. You can serve it in a soup, with a sauce, or by itself. Every culture or region in the world has their own specialty dish that uses chicken as the main ingredient. From Chicken Kiev to America’s own Southern Fried Chicken, we can agree that you can prepare chicken countless ways.

In the Philippines, several restaurants have made millions of pesos off of severing chicken dishes. Jollibee, Max’s House of Fried Chicken, The Aristocrat, and Classic Savory Chicken are a few restaurants that have followed this path. Let me tell you that my visits back home to the Philippines include a stop at one of these destinations just to get a taste of their chicken dishes. Returning back home to the West leaves me craving for more Filipino food, but luckily there are a few places around me that can do I feel like I’m back home Filipino dishes. It was only the other week that I went to a spot that a co-worker recommended. What I didn’t know was that they would be serving memories on a plate.

Chicken D’Lite holds a special place in my heart for one reason. Eating here reminds me of the Philippines. When you first approach the restaurant and look at the menu, you will notice that they serve two styles of chicken. That’s when it hit me. They served chicken similar to Classic Savory Chicken’s fried chicken and The Aristocrat’s barbecued chicken. It sparked a I get to try two styles of my favorite comfort food that’s supposed to taste like the ones from restaurants in the Philippines, here in Newark, without flying across the Pacific Ocean to the Philippines!? feeling. Sign me up.

The first style of chicken offered is a Classic Savory Chicken style, fried chicken that is served with a gravy sauce on the side. Savory style refers to the mix of spices that season the chicken, which the Classic Savory Chicken restaurant is known for. Juicy and tender meat is tucked beneath the crispy skin. Dipping into gravy adds just a touch of more flavor to the meat. The best part of Chicken D’Lite’s fried chicken is that it isn’t overly oily.

If you aren’t in the mood for fried chicken, you can sample on The Aristocrat style, barbecued chicken. Chicken D’Lite’s marinade used to flavor the chicken is similar to The Aristocrat’s. It has a much sweeter taste than the Savory style fried chicken, and is served with a peanut sauce as opposed to the gravy. The peanut sauce reminded me of a pork asado sauce, which contains some flavors of brown sugar and soy sauce. The Aristocrat style chicken remains as juicy and tender as the Savory style. You can’t go wrong with either.

Chicken D’lite offers an unbelievable value for the price you pay for their combination meals. Along with your choice of chicken, you receive a small cup of a rich macaroni soup (sopas), three pieces of meat egg rolls (lumpia Shanghai) with a sweet and sour dipping sauce, and on top of that, a heaping serving of rice.

It was a very satisfying meal. I left with a smirk on my face knowing that a little bit of the Philippines was this much closer to home.

It’s a spot for dates because…
For days that you have a craving for Filipino style chicken, you can look to Chicken D’Lite to meet your needs. Chicken D’Lite offers you a great value for the quality you receive.