I’d cross the road for Tangra Masala’s Hakka hot chicken.

Hot chicken, a cayenne-infused Nashville specialty, has been having a bit of a moment lately in New York City and at large. Heck there’s a even a version being served at KFC. I’ve yet to try the red-tinged Tennessee take on fried chicken, but here in Queens I had the pleasure of discovering something I’ve dubbed Hakka hot chicken. I found it at Tangra Masala an Elmhurst joint specializing in fiery Indian-Chinese cuisine. The dish of hacked up bits of fried bird sauced in a glaze that marries the flavors of chili, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic is not to be confused with the Indian-Chinese classic, chili chicken.

Five years ago Tangra Masala—with its pungent sauces fueled by ginger, garlic, and chiles—was a major player in my dining rotation. So when a chef buddy told me he’d caught Indian-Chinese spice fever, I was glad to revisit an old flame for lunch. “Are you Peter Lo?” my friend asked a gentleman who had an air of chef-owner about him. “Yes,” he responded. “I just have to tell you that I’m obsessed with your food. Everything has such an amazing depth of flavor,” my chef pal gushed.

“Chili chicken,” I responded when Chef Lo asked my favorite dish. “I’ll make you guys my special chicken, Hakka style. (Indian-Chinese cuisine by the way has its roots in the cooking of Hakka Chinese immigrants who lived in Calcutta.) Shot through with chilies and sautéed onions the succulent pieces of poultry call to mind Dominican style chicharron de pollo with an Indian-Chinese twist.

When I found out Chef Lo’s special chicken dish didn’t have a name inspiration struck. “You should call it Hakka hot chicken,” I said between bites. For now Chef Lo’s Hakka hot chicken is an off-menu special, but I have a feeling that may soon change.
Tangra Masala, 87-09 Grand Ave., Elmhurst, 718-803-2298