Double-fried Korean chicken wings have become so popular in the Philippines that local pizza brand Greenwich now has its own take on it—Crispy Glazed Chicken.

It is battered chicken fried once until crispy, and, while still hot, glazed with a caramelized sweet sauce. Greenwich chicken-meals brand manager Joanne Ingalla described it as “Pinoy-style chicken.”

“Filipinos like their food sweet. Like at home, we dip fried chicken in banana catsup. This glazed chicken has that sweet flavor Filipinos love,” she said.

Recent launch

We were among the first to taste the Crispy Glazed Chicken during its recent launch at SM Megamall, Mandaluyong. The sauce is rich and syrupy, complementing the crispy chicken skin and tender meat. A balanced bite should have some sweet skin, plus meat and some hot rice—spiked with hot sauce if you prefer it spicy.

The one-piece Glazed Chicken with rice meal is sold at P79; two pieces with rice is at P149. It is also available in a bucket of six pieces for groups. You may upgrade your regular savory chicken into a Glazed Chicken when availing of any combo meal.

These are available for dine-in and takeout but not yet for delivery, since the chicken is best eaten hot.

Ingalla said it took the Greenwich team five months to come up with this recipe. And, in comparison with the established glazed chicken meals around, the Greenwich Glazed Chicken is supposedly more value-for-money in terms of size and made with the Filipino’s palate in mind.

Loaded pizza

The Glazed Chicken also goes well with a slice of Special Overload Pizza. This one has 13 toppings: beef, bacon, pepperoni, salami, mushroom, olives, red and green bell pepper, onion and minced garlic, pineapple, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

Marketing manager Lulu de Castro said that aside from the party of toppings, the freshly made crust makes the Special Overload Pizza extra special. A good pizza, after all, starts with a good base.

Pizza is a happy food meant to be shared among friends. That’s why Greenwich focuses on the barkada as a main market. In line with this, fun games were held during the SM Megamall event, focusing on teamwork and barkada bonding.

Members of the national rugby team, the Philippine Volcanoes—Andrew Wolff, Eric Tai and Chris Everingham—were pitted against Magic 89.9 DJs Mia Bayuga, Tin Gamboa, Jessica Mendoza and Andi Manzano. After several rounds of challenging games, the boys won. Magic 89.9 DJs Slick Rick, Tony Toni and Sam YG served as “game masters.”

Transformation

Greenwich president Francis Flores said these hip, young groups were key to the transformation of Greenwich stores from fast-food to “fast-casual” dining places where people could eat and hang out.

Fast-casual Greenwich branches have brighter interiors, better seats and some even have Wi-Fi. Most Metro Manila branches already sport this theme, and renovations are ongoing in Cebu and Davao branches. Regular diners can also avail themselves of the Greenwich Ultimate Green Card, which comes with coupons for discounts and freebies.

Visit www.greenwich.com.ph.