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Penang Chicken Rice 檳城雞飯

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Excellent Cafe's Chicken Rice (9 September 2012)


The Penang Chicken Rice (檳城雞飯) is a popular rice meal of Hainanese origin. Although chicken rice has taken root as a popular street food in Malaysia, each state has its own variation. While chicken rice is usually sold by Chinese hawkers, Malay hawkers have also adopted the dish, creating nasi ayam. In Ipoh, chicken is served with flat rice noodles and bean sprouts while in Malacca, it is served with rice balls. Neither is the norm in Penang.

The chicken rice sold in Penang is usually served over a bed of sliced cucumber, sprinkled with chopped spring onion and drenched in oily soy sauce. Both roasted as well as steamed chicken are available. The rice is cooked in chicken stock, which makes it oily and gives it a mouth-watering aroma.

Penang Chicken Rice is one of the most popular food in Penang coffee shops. In the early days (over forty years ago), chicken rice was considered "rich man's food", which only the wealthy could afford to it.

Braised and roast chicken of Penang Chicken Rice (1 May 2008)


Some chicken rice stalls also sell charsiew (barbecued pork), siew bak (roasted pork), labcheung (pork sausage) as well as roasted duck. If the stall advertises itself as an "Ipoh Chicken Rice" stall, then the chicken is prepared the Ipoh style, which means it is likely to be served with bean sprouts. Unlike in Ipoh, where the chicken is served with hor fun (flat rice pasta), in Penang, it is almost always served with rice. Also, unlike Malacca, there are no chicken rice stall in Penang (that I know of) that serves the rice in the form of rice balls.

Ingredients of Chicken Rice:

  1. chicken
  2. cucumber
  3. bean sprouts
  4. spring onions

Where to find chicken rice in Penang? My food map below makes it incredibly easy for you to locate a stall nearest to you. Every stall I have come across is pinpointed and numbered on the map. They correspond to the list of stalls below.

Where to find Chicken Rice Stalls in Penang

  1. Kafetaria & Hotel Eng Loh, Church Street
  2. Kedai Kopi Kwang Yuen, Taman Mesra, Butterworth
  3. Restoran Tho Yuen
  4. Restoran Satu Sembilan Sembilan Lapan
  5. Cafe Loke Yong
  6. Balik Pulau Hawker Centre
  7. Fort Cornwallis Food Court
  8. Kim Hee Cafe, Jelutong
  9. Kedai Kopi Goh Chew, New Lane
  10. Sin Yin Nam Cafe, Jalan Macalister - New Lane junction (dinner)
  11. Sin Nam Hong Cafe, Komtar
  12. Thew Chik Cafe
  13. Kedai Kopi Pak Hock
  14. Cecil Street Market Hawker Centre
  15. Kedai Kopi New Cathay
  16. Kedai Makan & Minum Choo Kim Choon, Balik Pulau (lunch)
  17. Kafe Kheng Pin, Penang Road (lunch)
  18. Batu Lanchang Hawker Centre
  19. Sin Nam Huat Roasted Chicken & Duck Rice, Burmah Road
  20. Kedai Makanan Hock Seong Choon, Penang Road (lunch)
  21. Nam Seng Hotel & Cafe, Hutton Lane (lunch)
  22. Kedai Makanan Rong Xian, Burmah Road (lunch)
  23. Midtown Cafe, Lorong Selamat (lunch)
  24. Selera Sim, Jalan Tengah
  25. Ultimaxx Cafe, Bay Avenue, Queensbay
  26. Wahong Cafe, Kampung Jawa, Bayan Baru
  27. Kedai Kopi Khek Leng, Terengganu Road
  28. Shim Lam Huat Chicken Rice Shop, Island Glades
  29. Hans Food Centre, Batu Lanchang
  30. Kedai Kopi See Young Young, Batu Lanchang
  31. Kedai Makanan BB, Bayan Baru
  32. Restoran New Dragon Phoenix, Farlim
  33. Kedai Kopi Shalom, Farlim, Air Itam, Penang
  34. Kedai Kopi Teoh Guan Hup, Farlim
  35. Batu Maung Jalan Baru Food Court
  36. Bayan Baru Hawker Centre
  37. Excellent Cafe, Ayer Itam (breakfast)
  38. Golden Lake Cafe, Relau (lunch)
  39. Kedai Makanan Loong Heng, Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus
  40. Restoran Bee Hooi, Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus
  41. Sin Hup Aun Cafe, Jalan Pasar, Pulau Tikus



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