Eng Kee Chicken Wings Review: Famous Chicken Wings In Commonwealth

Eng Kee Chicken Wings has famous fried chicken wings in Commonwealth

To say that one has the best chicken wings in Singapore is undoubtedly a bold statement. So when I heard that Eng Kee Chicken Wings has that title under their sleeve, it piqued my interest—I wondered what was so special about their chicken wings that earned them the title of being the unequivocal ‘best’.

Eng Kee Chicken Rice has six outlets across the island: in Commonwealth, Redhill, Beauty World, Boon Lay, West Coast and Punggol. They have been around since 1989, drawing long queues daily with their renowned crispy chicken wings—that’s surely a good measure of their immense popularity. We paid a visit to the Commonwealth outlet, their first and main stall in Singapore, to try out their food.

Food at Eng Kee Chicken Wings

We started with their all-time famous Chicken Wings ($1.20 each). Fried to a golden brown, the chicken meat was juicy and tender, encased within a wonderfully light, crispy skin. 

The proportion of batter-to-meat was just nice, where you’ll get a good balance of crispy batter and succulent chicken meat in every bite.

Even though I have tried many different renditions of chicken wings in my life, the chicken wings here had a unique flavour of their own, and were thoroughly marinated so every piece was tasty through and through.

Do as their regulars do, and dunk your chicken wings into their house-made chilli sauce for an additional spicy kick. In fact, their chilli sauce is said to incorporate the use of shrimp paste, which adds additional umami flavour to the chicken wings. 

Besides their famous chicken wings, Eng Kee is actually more like an economic bee hoon store, where you can get noodles and other ingredients to go along with your chicken wings. 

I went for Fried Bee Hoon ($1.20), while my colleague chose Kway Teow Mee ($1.20). I appreciated that the noodles were not overly salty, which allowed the flavour of the chicken wings to shine. Texture-wise, the noodles leaned springy, which contrasted nicely with the crispy chicken wings.

Other ingredients that I chose for my plate included Luncheon Meat ($0.70), Cabbage ($0.50), and Otah ($1.30), all of which complemented the bee hoon and chicken wings well. My only gripe would be with the luncheon meat, which I found was slightly too salty, but this is just a matter of the brand they use. Nonetheless, for the affordable price point, it’s a small blip in an overall good plate of economic bee hoon. 

My colleague had White Fishcake ($0.70), Taiwan Sausage ($1.20) and Egg ($0.50) on her plate. We didn’t have any complaints about these ingredients; their light flavours went well with the chicken wings, and also provided a pleasant mix of textures. 

Ambience at Eng Kee Chicken Wings

Unsurprisingly, there is a perpetual long queue at Eng Kee Chicken Wings. Thankfully, the wait doesn’t get too long as their service is quite smooth, so expect about 15 to 20 minutes of waiting time during peak hours. The seats at the coffee shop where they are housed are rather limited, so I’d recommend getting there early to beat the lunch or dinner crowd. 

Eng Kee Chicken Wings is a 10-minute walk from Commonwealth MRT Station. 

The verdict

The chicken wings described above may sound simple and ordinary, but it’s because Eng Kee Chicken Wings executes them so well that they truly impress. While their chicken wings might not be able to beat Korean fried chicken in terms of variety of flavours, their humble, old-school taste is sure to keep customers returning for generations to come. 

Eng Kee also has an outlet in Beauty World for those living in the area!

For something more substantial, check out our Mama Curry review. Alternatively, check out Shi Nian Pig Leg Rice, which draws long queues for their pig trotter rice at Old Airport Road. 

Address: 117 Commonwealth Drive, #01-711, Singapore 140117
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am to 8:30pm
Website
Tel: 9233 9330
Eng Kee Chicken Wings is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Chew Yi En.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.