Being in Hokkaido, you would ask why would anyone think of eating fried chicken, when you can have some of the freshest seafood in the world. Otaru in particular, has a famous Sushi sweet with over 25 shops. But, if you are in Otaru, you have to visit Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten to find out why this fried chicken is so special.
I visited the Naruto Honten (main branch) to try what some consider Otaru’s treasure, as they have been part of the city’s community for a long time. They are known for serving a hanashinage chicken, which is a whole half of a perfectly cooked, golden-colored fried chicken.
There are two branches of Naruto in Otaru. One is located along the canal, on Hanazono Machi, and is called Naruto Denuki Kouji, and it’s a smaller and newer shop. While more conveniently located, I wanted to go to the main branch Wakadori Jidori Naruto Honten. It’s about a 10 minute walk away from the canal area.
We were pretty lucky as we got one of the last tables and did not have to wait. Inside you will find a platform with low tables and mats. There’s a sushi bar in the back as the restaurant went through several iterations of food focus. It opened in 1957 as a okonomiyaki shop as the owner use to be from Awaji island (close to Osaka) and settled in Otaru. It then offered sushi and seafood, before offering their famous chicken.
But they eventually became famous for the hanashinage chicken. It is a whole half of a perfectly, golden crispy chicken.
The chicken is seasoned with salt and pepper and let to marinate for a day so that the flavors are properly absorbed. It’s then fired in a soybean oil and fried so expertly that is crispy, light, soft, and juicy.
Right when you peel and break apart the chicken, you will see the glistening meat and the flowing juices. It is so soft and juicy, with the perfect seasoning of salt. Both the white and dark portions were equally juicy. It was more than finger licking good, Colonel Sanders can only wish he can make chicken this good.
You can order sushi at the store, but the shop is not known for their sushi. Instead we ordered some izakaya dishes to accompany the chicken. Here we ordered the soboro don, which is a minced and sautéed chicken with an egg yolk over rice. The minced chicken is flavorful and is enriched by the egg yolk. you stir it up with the rice and you have a nice perfect bite with each scoop.
I couldn’t resist ordering a side order of the chicken tails that are also fried perfectly. Each crispy bite has a perfect portion of chicken skin and meat and the bones are fried crispy, so you can pop the whole piece in your mouth. It’s the ultimate chicken nugget.
The hanashinage chicken from Naruto is so popular that you can order it in department stores all over Japan, but it’s not the same as eating directly from its main restaurant.
Store Information:
Wakadori Jidai Naruto Flagship Store
Address: 小樽市稲穂3丁目16番13号
Phone: 0134-32-3280
Hours: 11:00-21:00（Last order 20:15）