Hen Chicken Rice — Restaurant in Somerville

I've been meaning to try this place for a while and was pleasantly surprised! There were some lackluster reviews closer to when Hen opened but based on my experience I think they've improved their food since then.

I got the spicy crispy chicken dish which comes with seasoned rice, cucumber, sauce, and daikon soup. The chicken was not particularly crispy or spicy but it was delicious -- super tender and well-marinated with a nice tang from the outside seasoning. The rice was also good and having a bite with the chicken, rice, and soup was just heavenly and comforting. The soup is steaming and delicious. Honestly each component tasted great on its own and together it was everything I could ask for in a meal.

I did not have any of the sauce because it was too sweet for me, but in my opinion you don't need it because of all of the flavors from the rest of the dish. I would want to have more than 3 slices of cucumbers. It is slightly pricey -- the spicy chicken is $12.95 and with tax and tip I paid closer to $16. The portion size is reasonable but not so generous. Overall this place makes good food and I'd definitely come back and have...

This place is bomb. I almost don’t want to tell y’all. I got the spicy fried chicken and the breading is similar to cornmeal southern fried catfish but with some different spices. They leave the skin on to get crisp while frying - heaven. The ginger rice is great, cooked perfectly, and has a hint of sesame oil. Don’t be deterred by the veggie comment. This isn’t supposed to be a veggie and meat plate. Rice and the chicken are the stars of the show. We also got the daikon soup, and you could tell how fresh it was. Lastly, we walked up and ordered and it came out in 5-10 minutes and it was that good. This guy deserves for people to know about his food cuz it pops. And the owner is cool too. He talked with us and told us he has only been open for two months. I’m bringing friends here when they come up to visit.

I wanna experience this place again for...

Hen Chicken Rice is a new establishment serving Khao Man Gai (chicken rice) which is a popular Thai street food. I've been following them on Instagram since they started the renovation process, and now that I've visited, I can say that I am very impressed!

The menu has choices for the chicken to be boiled, crispy or a mix of both. All of their entrees come with sauces on the side and soup. Their sauces are delicious and perfectly complement the chicken. My favorite was "The Crispy" which paired with this red spicy/sweet sauce.

Besides from chicken, I also loved their mango sticky rice and Thai iced tea.

Their store is small but cute and aesthetically pleasing. Plus, they use eco-friendly takeout containers...