Hokkaido's take on karaage. Bone-in chicken marinated overnight in garlic, soy, ginger and a touch of sesame oil, then double-fried for a crisp shell and juicy interior.
Zangi traces partly to Chinese karaage that arrived in Hokkaido through Chinese cooks after World War 2, and partly to a Kushiro chicken-restaurant menu (Toriyoshi, 1960) that codified the marinade. By the 1970s, zangi was the Hokkaido home-cooking standard and a Sapporo izakaya staple; today it competes with miso ramen for the Hokkaido household-food crown. Sapporo Zangi Honpo and Chinese Ryouri Hotei are the two reference shops, with Hotei's zangi-on-rice (zangi-don) the cheap-eat icon.
3 editor picks for Zangi (Hokkaido Fried Chicken) in Sapporo, ranked by editorial score. All Sapporo signature dishes · Zangi (Hokkaido Fried Chicken) across every city.
Sapporo Zangi Honpo ★ 4.0
susukino · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0063, Japan
Sapporo's reference zangi (Hokkaido fried chicken) counter. Marinated overnight with garlic and soy, fried to order; teishoku sets land under 1,000 yen.
Chinese Ryouri Hotei Honten ★ 4.0
odori · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0061, Japan
A Sapporo Chinese-Japanese kitchen famed for its zangi-on-rice bowl. Five minutes from Nishi 11-chome subway; lunch sets land 800-1,200 yen.
Zangi Ichiban ★ 3.8
sapporo-station · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0004, Japan
A Sapporo Station-area izakaya pulling chicken thigh zangi at 100 yen a piece. No appetiser cover, no service charge; cheap base for an after-work drink.