Welcome to episode five of Eating with John Chow. On this episode, we went for lunch at BBQ Chicken at the Diamond Jamboree Plaza in Irvine, California. BBQ claims to make the best fried chicken in the world. Now, you might be wondering if this place makes fried chicken, why are they called BBQ Chicken? Well, the BBQ doesn’t stand for barbecue, as most would expect. Instead the letters BBQ stands for Best of the Best Quality.
BBQ Chicken is a division of Genesis BBQ. Genesis is the master franchisor for a whole range of restaurant brands based out of Korea, where they obviously don’t know that BBQ should stand for barbecue. What makes BBQ Chicken unique is it’s fried in olive oil. BBQ claims this “gift from God” oil adds a much needed “healthiness” to chicken. I don’t know if olive oil actually makes fried chicken healthy, but I do know it makes it take awfully good!
The skin is nice and crispy with a great crunch when you bite into it. The meat inside stays tender and juicy. If you love fried chicken, you will love BBQ Chicken. In addition to great tasting chicken, BBQ offers an international selection of side dishes. They range from traditional french fries to fried spaghetti and rice.
If you find a BBQ Chicken near you, it’s well worth a visit. Right now, BBQ has outlets in California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Washington, with more on the way. Genesis plans to have 50,000 stores worldwide by 2020. They also have one of the most epic corporate promotional videos that I have ever seen! Check it out.
