Kai Eatery (Auckland CBD, New Zealand)

The first time I tried Taiwanese Breaded Chicken or Ji-Pai was in a Pasar Malam in Malaysia and I was so surprised that the chicken part used in this street food was chicken breast, it was so juicy and tasty, a which is the opposite of what a badly cooked chicken breast would be. It was so good when we moved to New Zealand I started missing it hence I started to make it at home on my own which basically yields the same texture and flavour. Many years forward this place called Kai Eatery showed up and now it’s easy to find Taiwanese Breaded Chicken in Auckland especially when you crave for it.

I tried this for quite some time now, I guess I had it twice before this post, the first two reminded me of what I used to buy in Malaysia, flattened, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This third time I changed and looks like they don’t flatten the chicken breast anymore to the way it was used to, which makes it even juicer but harder to snack on as the thickest breast part might be bigger than someone else’s mouth opening, I am not complaining but that’s what I noticed.

At Kai’s they offer chicken in many flavours, the original just with salt and pepper, hot and spicy, chef’s special, peri peri and charcoal. All costs NZ$9.00 except for the charcoal which was NZ$10.50, with combo of fries it is $NZ13.00 but if you want to replace it with kumara fries then it is NZ$14.00. I tried most of the flavours apart from the charcoal which was new, all I can say is that all of them were amazing, I guess everyone would love this simple dish, it is addictive. I also suggest get the Kumara fries which goes well with the fried chicken.

If you are looking for something else then they also have some other offerings like chicken bites, wicked wings, crispy hot rods, hash browns, gua bao and rice bowls and to complete the Taiwanese theme, you can also order milk tea as well.

Located in the heart of the CBD this place is not hard to find, it’s in back of the rows of the small food stalls in front of Aotea Square. They don’t have tables and this is just a Food Stall, at lunch it tends to be really busy so be prepared for it since this is freshly cooked to order so there will be some wait time. I highly recommend this place, it will definitely satisfy those deep-fried cravings, it’s an amazing street food to have, I just wish they sell beer here as it is perfect for it.

Kai Eatery
Address: 350 Queen St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Phone: +6421 239 7724