76. Hainan Chicken Rice at Baos Hog

Behold the beginning of our 100 Favorite Dishes of 2016 listicle! Every day through the publication of our Best Of 2016 issue (and sometimes, twice a day), we’ll be bringing you our favorite dishes across Orange County, leading up to the best in the land. Enjoy!

Last summer, Baos Hog—Orange County’s first bao sandwich specialist—opened in Garden Grove. Their baos are great, but if there’s one dish I’d get above all else, it would be the Hainan chicken rice.

It’s easily one of the best plates of its kind in Orange County. In fact, I would argue the Hainan chicken rice is Baos Hog’s true, unspoken specialty. The chicken-broth-cooked rice is, of course, scrumptious. But the steamed chicken is also immaculate and the ginger sauce wondrous—both so close to the Hainan chicken I had at a Singapore hawker stand a few years ago, it’s almost uncanny.

Perhaps the most convincing sign this dish is made for connoisseurs is that the dark meat option is more expensive than the white meat—and trust me, when it comes to Hainan chicken, you always want dark meat.

The List:

77. Fruit- and Ice Cream-Topped Waffles at Crave 
78. Garlic Shrimp Poke at Costco 
79. Chimichurri Fries at Piaggo on Wheels 
80. Torta Cubana at Cancun Juice 
81. Adobo Bowl at Irenia 
82. Garlic Noodles at Krave Asian Fusion 
83. Broccolini at SeaSalt WoodFire Grill 
84. Spicy Tuna Roll at Yard House 
85. Amber Roll at Orange Roll and Sushi 
86. Frito Chili Cheeseburger at Burger Parlor 
87. Maui Sunrise at The Original Banzai Bowls 
88. Meals from The Performance Kitchen 
89. Pizza-Sized Quesadilla at Los Sanchez
90. Filipino Brunch at EATS Kitchen And Bar
91. Mexican Chocolate at the Pie Hole 
92. Biscuits at James Republic 
93. Mushroom Flatbread with Kale and Kumquat Salad at Lemonade 
94. Mexican-Style Gelatins from Santa Ana’s Gelatina Goddess 
95. Hot Pastrami Caesar Salad at Bruxie
96. Jalapeño Pupusas at Las Cazuelas
97. Meatball Sliders at Fresh Brothers
98. Buffalo Cauliflower at Mead’s Green Door Cafe
99. Raindrop Cake at Sunmerry Bakery
100. Doughrito at Surfin’ Donuts

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