Here are Staten Island’s best 3 Asian fried chicken joints in a raging new trend

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Fried chicken joints are jumpin’ in the borough. And there are enough of them of the Asian genre to start ranking who’s tops.

Some observations are interesting to note. While our top fried chicken establishments’ monikers sound similar with the a “c” (think crunch!) or some version of the word “chicken” or “burger” — each are distinct and not affiliated with one another. They are individually owned and not franchised…yet. And there’s a lot of culinary fusion going on. We see Korean, Japanese, regional Chinese and Taiwanese flavors interwoven and sometimes all together on one menu.

Here are the trailblazers so far and three spots we can declare “best” right now in the moment based on test-drives. Let’s start with the third.

NUMBER 3:

ChickN Burger — 302 New Dorp Lane, New Dorp, 718-979-8999; Chicknburgersi.com

For major crunch, give a “hooray” for Bang Bang chicken, fried cutlets, Popcorn Chicken, Chicken Nuggets, crispy wings, Chicken Wing Covered Sticky Rice and more. Copious coating and pleasant saltiness marks this spot on The Lane.

Call it hangover food or unctuous comfort, the tiny place has a few spots for other delights — noodle soups, takoyaki (octopus fritters) and Salty Squid Legs (fried squid.)

Open daily except Monday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday/Saturday until 10 p.m.

NUMBER 2:

ChickN’Go — 2242 Hylan Blvd., Grant City, 718-667-6888; Doordash.com

About two months old, ChickN’Go Korean fried chicken has a down home elegance. Indeed, this is not your average fast food spot with recipes designed by a Michelin-acknowledged chef. So you’re not getting salt blown out on the palate first, but instead a delicate flour-based coating with a happy crackle and tasty chicken flavor just behind that initial bite.