SF Peninsula: SSF Chickenbox

Since the pandemic hit, food fun days have been limited to cooking at home and getting take out from favorite local restaurants that we want to support.  AG and I did pull off a South SF excursion back in May though.  CK didn't want to risk getting carsick, so AG and I gathered the goodies to bring back to her.

We started off at SSF Chickenbox.  When AG's GPS led us to a random warehouse area, it did cross my mind that he might have taken me somewhere to dispose of my body:

Thankfully that wasn't the case.  At the top of the ramp was a makeshift counter of sorts:

We rang the bell and someone emerged from the depths of the warehouse to take out order.  

To get a sample of what SSF Chickenbox had to offer, we ordered the Big Box ($22).  It came with two mochi muffins and a choice of two sides:

For our sides, we went with macaroni salad and chicken gravy.  Other options consisted of steamed rice, fries, and coleslaw.  

The Big Box also included four pieces of fried chicken:

We asked for all dark meat and was told that there would be a $3 upcharge.  Considering how a single piece of chicken costs $4, this took us aback a bit.  But our abhorrence of chicken breast ultimately made us fork over the extra money.  (No self-respecting Asian orders white meat.)

We might not have been too happy about the upcharge, but we had to admit defeat when we finally bit into that chicken.  Dammit.  It was delicious.  It was delicious even though we didn't get to actually eat it until we got back to the South Bay over an hour later.  It was so well seasoned and the batter was so light and crispy.  

I especially loved how the thigh piece included the chicken butt.  Chicken butts are rarely found on Western cuts of chicken.  I've only ever seen it previously in Asia.  It's basically just skin and fat, which makes it my absolute favorite part of the chicken.  For that alone, I am a fan of SSF Chickenbox.

But there's more.  The biggest surprise of the meal ended up being the mochi muffins.  They may not look like much, but their crunchy top and buttery, chewy inside made our eyes roll back in bliss.

Meanwhile, the sides were kind of blah and we eventually forgot about them.

I liked SSF Chickenbox so much that I went back with Abby and UK a month later.  We skipped the sides altogether and just ordered the chicken and the muffins.  Wanting to enjoy them fresh, we plopped our butts down in the parking lot and ate right then and there.

It was just as good the second time around.  That time, not only did we get the regular mochi muffin ($2 each), we also tried the ube mochi muffin ($2.50 each):

The ube flavor was nice, but my favorite was still the regular because it was more buttery and decadent.

Chickenbox isn't cheap, but as a treat, it's worth both the drive and the price tag.  I'm not quite sure how the upcharge for dark meat works.  We were charged an extra $3 when we ordered four pieces of chicken and also when we ordered seven.  But when my friend ordered 12 pieces, she was upcharged $6.  

At what point do you get bumped from $3 to $6?  This is critical info!  Does anyone know the answer?

SSF Chickenbox

312 Swift Ave

South San Francisco, CA 94080

(650) 754-6258

https://www.sfchickenbox.com/