Extra Chicken - Extra Cheer

Where I come from in Central Vietnam, chickens roam free in the backyard.

We feed them leftovers – veggie scraps, rice, whatever’s left after cooking.

They dig in the dirt, scratch the ground, chase after worms and crickets.

The result? Chicken that’s firm, sweet, and packed with real flavour.

My favourite meals growing up always involved chicken:

• Boiled and dipped in salt-pepper-lime

• Tossed with onions and Vietnamese mint

• Then shredded into hot rice porridge on rainy afternoons

But the one dish that stayed with me most…

Was my mom's chicken stir-fried .

Fragrant. Golden. Simple.

And made unforgettable by my mother’s secret touch –

Just a splash of nước mắm in the marinade.

Not too much. Just enough to make it sing.

Then I moved to Australia.

And the chicken here… just wasn’t the same.

It was soft. Too soft.

No bite. No depth. No soul.

So I searched all over Brisbane for a better cut.

Something with texture, not just tenderness.

Something closer to home.

I didn’t find the perfect chicken – but I got close.

And I brought it to life using Mom’s marinade:

Garlic. Shallots. Pepper. A bit of oil.

And of course – a delicate dash of nước mắm.

I tossed it in the pan.

Let it sizzle. Let it catch a little colour.

The aroma? Instant childhood.

The taste? Even better.

The chicken turned out golden and glossy.

Slightly caramelised. Rich. Juicy.

A little smoky. A little sweet.

Utterly addictive.

Soon, customers started whispering at the door:

“What do they do to this chicken?”

“I wish I were a fly so I could sneak in and watch them cook.”

You don’t have to sneak.

Just try it once.

Taste the freshness. The balance. The story in every bite.

This isn’t fast food.

This is home food, done right.

Extra Chicken – Extra Crave.

Because one bite just won’t be enough.