Rooster and Rice
15354 Alton Parkway
Irvine, CA 92618
The email arrived, and I almost deleted it. I saw the name Rooster and Rice and thought I could not write about another chicken sandwich. Then I paused because it said rooster instead of chicken, and I thought that was strange. Who's cooking up roosters in 2024? Just when I thought this chicken phenomenon couldn't get any more crazy. Luckily, I read a few lines down the page and realized it was just a restaurant named Rooster and Rice, and they were expanding to Southern California and wanted me to see what they were all about.
After more research, I discovered they are a famous Bay Area chain specializing in Thai-style poached chicken. Of course, I needed to dive deeper because I still needed to figure out what Thai-style poached chicken was. I learned it's a street food sold throughout Thailand known as Khao Mun Gai or Hainanese chicken rice. It's poached, served with seasoned rice, and has a chili sauce over the pale white chicken.
This signature dish must have resonated with the people of Northern California, as Rooster and Rice now have ten locations, and this Irvine location is their first foray into Southern California. Not bad for a restaurant concept that has only been around for 9 years. It was started by two guys who wanted to showcase Asian cuisine simply, healthily, and cleanly. The business began to take off, and in 2019, the guys partnered with Aroi Hospitality Group, which is pushing for nationwide expansion.
Back in November, we were invited to try Rooster and Rice out. They opened just across the freeway from the always jam-packed Irvine Spectrum, at the corner of Alton and Tecnology Drive, in a small shopping center that also houses a 7-Eleven, Bruegger's Bagels, and a Friar Tux. They are open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. We were here for their grand opening event, packed with people getting their first taste of this unique chicken spot.
The menu here is not going to bowl you over with its diversity. Rooster and Rice offers four versions of the poached chicken dish that made them successful, the original with breast and thigh meat and jasmine rice, the macro has only breast meat and brown rice, the vegetarian substitutes tofu for the chicken, and a version called the riceless, which, you guessed it, forgoes the rice in favor of vegetables. These all include khao mun gai sauce, chili, ginger, and garlic-based sauce and served with a side of chicken broth. There's also a cutlet, a few specials, Thai fried chicken legs, popcorn chicken, and fried chicken skins. We were given their top 3 selling items to try. They might have seen the overwhelmed look on our faces and decided to throw us a lifeline.
We were given the Original Poached Chicken Plate ($14.95), the Cutlet ($14.95), and the Larb Popcorn Chicken ($13.95). There's no seating in the restaurant, but there are some tables in front of Rooster and Rice and a large patio with plenty of tables in front of Bruegger's Bagels. We found a table, unwrapped our well-packaged food, and prepared to feast. Let's take a closer look at each plate.
Up first was the Original ($14.95), which is thigh and breast meat. When we opened this one, seeing the pale chicken in the tray was a little shocking. I tried a piece of the chicken before adding the house sauce, and it was fine on its own but made even better after I added the sauce. The sauce's chili, ginger, and garlic woke this dish up. The chicken was tender and juicy enough, but the sauce was the star of this plate for me. I'll definitely ask for an extra sauce the next time I have this. I did not love the rice, as I thought it lacked flavor. I added some sauce to it, which made it much better. This also came with chicken broth, which I found odd as I was unsure what to do with it. I took a few spoonfuls of it but decided it served no purpose and forgot about it as I ate the rest of my meal.
Much more in my wheelhouse, the Cutlet ($14.95) was delicious. The chicken thigh is coated in panko and gently fried. Some pieces of the breading pulled away from the chicken too easily, but this was a delicious plate and reminded me of a delightful katsu I had a few years ago. It was not overly greasy and paired nicely with the Thai sriracha and an exciting creamy lime sauce, which resembled ranch in looks but had a different flavor profile. I alternated between the two sauces, which made this even more enjoyable. This came with another container of chicken broth and some pickled veggies. I picked at the vegetables but ignored the chicken broth again.
I've always considered popcorn chicken more of a snack than a meal, but when I had the Larb Popcorn Chicken ($13.95) at Rooster and Rice, I might have to reassess my position on that matter. The thigh meat was coated in a crunchy breading, which was way better than what you can get at your local KFC. It lacked the greasiness I expected, and the thigh meat was tender and juicy. I primarily used the creamy lime sauce for this, and next time, I'll get an extra sauce, as there was more chicken than sauce, but I'm also known to use more sauce than the average person.
I'm glad I tried Rooster and Rice, even though I've already reached my chicken threshold for the year, and we're only in April. This was not just another hot chicken sandwich place or wing spot. It's different and worth exploring. I'll give the poached chicken another try or try it somewhere else to have something to compare this one to. I'd be surprised if I have a better cutlet for the rest of this year, and the popcorn chicken could become addictive. Thanks to everyone at Rooster and Rice for the opportunity to try this Northern California favorite. Welcome to OC.
** We were provided this meal for free in exchange for an honest review of their service/food. No other compensation was received.
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