You Can Get That Waitlist-Inducing Fried Chicken From NYC’s Pecking House in SF Right Now

Yes, there is a lot of great fried chicken in San Francisco, Oakland, and the greater Bay Area. But if you’re interested in trying the acclaimed chile-laced fried chicken that’s so good no less than 8,000 New Yorkers got on a weeks-long waitlist for the chance to sink their teeth into a few pieces of the crunchy goodness, well then, you’re in luck. Until February 26, chef Eric Huang is cooking at Turntable by Lord Stanley, the once Michelin-starred Russian Hill restaurant that shuttered and flipped into a pop-up space in fall 2021 — and he brought his mega-popular fried chicken with him.

For those who haven’t been keeping tabs on the New York fried chicken pop-up scene, here’s the rundown, according to the New Yorker: Huang was formerly the sous-chef at Eleven Madison Park, though he left in 2019 with plans of opening an ambitious restaurant of his own. Then the pandemic hit, and he found himself on Long Island, helping his mother who owned a restaurant there. When things were stabilized enough, he hopped over to Peking House, his uncle’s restaurant in Queens, but eventually that restaurant became one of many lost to the impact of COVID-19. To help his uncle, who was still paying rent on the space, Huang launched a delivery pop-up built around a special recipe for fried chicken.

Huang brines his chicken in buttermilk before battering it a mix of flour, cornstarch, potato starch, five-spice powder, and (the secret weapon) EverCrisp. He then seasons it with “crushed Tianjin chilies, Szechuan peppercorn, salt, sugar, and MSG” with the end result being a perfect love child of Taiwanese popcorn chicken and Nashville hot chicken. It’s been a smash hit ever since, even earning Eater New York’s 2021 award for Best Pandemic Pop-up.

Through February 26, Huang is cooking a four-course tasting menu at Turntable — but if you just want that fried chicken there’s a to-go menu available too. Options include The Meal, which offers three pieces of chile fried chicken, fried rice, and yams for $29; all items are also available to order a la carte. Orders for pick-up can be placed via Tock or you can walk right up to the hot pink to-go window on the corner of Polk and Broadway and grab some anytime Tuesday through Saturday from 12:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Other upcoming chefs in residence at Turntable at Lord Stanley include husband and wife team Kevin and Rum Law of immi from March 1 through April 2 and chef Amanda Kuntee of Chao Krung Thai in Los Angeles in April.