If every dish tells a story, then Sam Leong Street Chicken Rice tells the tale of the diversity, resilience and humble beginnings of Singapore that make up the building blocks of the nation’s success today.
For over 30 years, Sam Leong Street Chicken Rice is a legacy name that has been there for generations of Singaporean, feeding its people as both nation and residents flourished and prospered. A true food of the people by the people, it has steadfastly garnered a high Google review rating of 4.7 from over 1,200 satisfied Google reviewers, a testament to its quality and taste. Every serving of Sam Leong Street Chicken Rice is now fully halal-certified and comes with the option of Kampung Chicken on top of regular Roasted or Poached Chicken and free-flow chicken soup. It meets chicken rice lovers in a modern and new environment that is fully air-conditioned on the compounds of Verdun House on Verdun Road. Moreover, fans can get a taste of its chicken rice daily from 8am to 3am, making it the go-to meal for any time of the day for gatherings among diners of all backgrounds.
A familial legacy of over 30 years, in familiar hands
Founded in 1992 along Sam Leong Road, Sam Leong Street Chicken Rice delighted patrons daily with this local hawker favourite. Each plate is a labour of love born from a recipe that founder Heng Air Tow learned from his father before him. The renowned plates of chicken, whether roasted or poached, paired with fragrant oil rice, attracted fans from all across the island.
A long-time friend of the original founder Heng, Uncle Fong took over the restaurant following Heng’s retirement and rebranded it to Sam Leong Street Chicken Rice. A conserver of food traditions and heritage recipes, he seeks to preserve the legacy of Heng’s culinary mark and its time-tested recipes as one of Singapore’s best halal-certified Chinese-style chicken rice.
Sam Leong Street Chicken Rice now expands its offerings with Kampung Chicken Rice ($11.80), complete with unlimited soup and their signature punchy chili sauce. Those dining in groups can opt for the Half Kampung Chicken ($18), or feast on a Whole Kampung Chicken ($35) to share. In an effort to become more inclusive, it obtained full halal certification so everyone can enjoy the goodness of its chicken and rice.
The White Poached Chicken is a silky smooth taste of tradition. In order to keep a unique texture of chicken that is impossibly smooth and tender, it is dipped into ice cold water for at least an hour before poaching. The cold forms a barrier of collagen-rich gelatine between the skin and meat, protecting the meat underneath and retaining moisture. Each chicken is then cooked to order within the next three hours for assured freshness and juiciness. On peak sales day, more than eight batches are cooked so none is left out for too long.
The Roasted Chicken is a crispy treat imbued with fragrance. To enhance the crispiness of the skin, the chickens are air-dried in a dry chiller before roasting. This dehydrates only the skin slightly while retaining the moisture of the meat, rendering the skin crispy and crunchy when subjected to heat while keeping the meat tender and juicy.
The Ginseng Chicken Soup completes the meal whether you’re a fan of the White Poached Chicken or Roasted Chicken. For fullest flavour and taste, the soup is cooked in single portions with raw chicken, ginseng and other fresh ingredients for four hours. Never will you find yours ladled from a large vat with diluted broth.
Tuck into the same classic taste of fluffy chicken rice topped with your choice of poached or roasted chicken. Each serving comes with garnishing of cucumber, half a braised egg, chili sauce and a bowl of soup with free refills. Make it a meal to remember with additions of sides like bean sprouts, braised beancurd, chicken feet and more.
At Sam Leong Street Chicken Rice, taste and tradition comes at pocket-friendly prices, ever ready to feed the hungry Singaporean.
