Alberta Chu initially thought Herculean Chicken would be a hobby, just something to do to keep her weekends busy.
She’d pop up at a local bar, serve the customers some crispy, juicy popcorn chicken and then head home. It would be a low-key, chill vibe.
But by her first event, that easy, laid-back idea was immediately thrown out the window.
Her friend had encouraged her to apply to the Asian District Night Market in Mesa. Since it was her first event, her husband and best friends came to help, not knowing what to expect.
For the whole night, Chu’s new Taiwanese fried chicken stand had a long line of hungry customers, ready to indulge in the crunchy goodness she was cooking up.
Now, you can’t go to a festival in Arizona without seeing people walk around with brown bags filled to the top with bite-size pieces of chicken or giant, funky-shaped cutlets covered in a crispy outer shell. Herculean Chicken has taken the state by storm and when it comes to Chu’s chicken, her customers are anything but laid-back.
Before making her way to Tucson, Chu grew up in Taiwan where she remembers frequently going to night markets and street fairs. The lively markets were filled with bustling people chowing down on delicious food, with some of the popular items being fried chicken cutlets and popcorn chicken.
“The night market culture and the street food culture was something that I kind of grew up being familiar with and obviously made quite an impression on me,” Chu said.
In 2018, Chu moved to Phoenix where she became immersed in the food scene. She was a social media foodie, meeting lots of people in the food industry, specifically small, local food vendors.
That’s when food tents began to pique her interest. People who owned food stands were able to pop up anywhere to share a taste of their culture with curious customers. They didn’t have to deal with rent or truck issues, they just had to set up, serve food and go home.
The gears inside Chu’s head began turning. There aren't many places in Arizona that offer authentic Taiwanese fried chicken like she had in her childhood. It was up to her to bring some of the magic from Taiwanese street markets to the Southwest.
She enrolled in Local First Arizona's restaurant boot camp, learning all the ins and outs of starting a small food business. After taking the course, she moved to Tucson and applied for her very first market.
Popcorn chicken is one of Herculean Chicken's most popular items.
Herculean Chicken was up and running by 2022. After working through the chaos of the Asian District Night Market, everything else coasted by smoothly.
“For the first year, we really didn't do too many events,” Chu said. “The second year, we started doing more events. And (in 2024), being our third year, we have just done more and more events. I think that's the biggest way that we have grown.”
In 2024, Herculean Chicken was everywhere. From Innings Fest in Phoenix to Made in Tucson on Fourth Avenue, you’d see people with bags jam-packed with mouthwatering chicken, walking with a smile on their face.
Now, this isn’t your average KFC fried chicken. Unlike American or Korean fried chicken, Taiwanese fried chicken is made with sweet potato starch and topped with a dry seasoning, giving it a unique texture.
For their cutlets, Chu first filets a chicken breast and marinates it. Once it’s soaked up all the yummy marinade, she coats it in egg and sweet potato starch. Now, it’s ready to toss in the fryer to get its crunchy, golden outer shell.
Finally, it's topped off with flavorful dry seasoning that includes flavors like white pepper.
In the end, you're served served a delicious, flavorful piece of chicken like you’ve never had before. One bite and you're transported from the hot desert to the bright, buzzing street markets in Taiwan.
Unlike American or Korean fried chicken, Taiwanese fried chicken is made with sweet potato starch and topped with a dry seasoning.
Popcorn chicken and the cutlets are the main menu items, but Chu has done everything from fried chicken sandwiches to ramen-crusted chicken breasts.
“Customers ask me, what was your breading?” Chu said. “I tell them it’s sweet potato starch and they're like, oh my God! So, I think people do comment on the uniqueness, like, I never tasted something like this before.”
Most importantly, Herculean Chicken allows Chu to bring a little piece of her hometown to Arizona. While people are familiar with boba and milk teas, she likes bringing something to the table that many of us have never tried before.
“As for other types of Taiwanese food, there's just not a lot of options in Arizona,” Chu said. “Since the street food and night market culture in Taiwan is so big, I really enjoy taking a part of that and bringing it here.”
So the next time you see the coveted Herculean Chicken stand, you’ll want to wait in the long line.
Check out Herculean Chicken’s Instagram to see where in Arizona she pops up next.
