From Asian wings to Southern-style American, fried chicken can be found in many guises in this town. We found the freshest and crunchiest

Barn Barn Beyond the Russian Market, behind an unassuming shopfront, lies Barn Barn and its tasty Singaporean chicken, served crunchy fried as cutlets accompanied by rice ($3) or chips ($4) and salad. Be warned if you are especially wanting a deep-fried chicken cutlet, because if you simply order “fried chicken” they will assume you mean pan-fried chicken ($3). Which, for the record, is just as tasty. Either way, with its delicious barbecuey sauce, Barn Barn’s soft and juicy chicken is fingerlickin’ good. #174 Street 454. Open Monday to Saturday, 8am until 5pm

Tom Yung Kung A great accompaniment to deep-fried chicken is Thai somtam, or green papaya salad. The fresh flavours of the salad provide a lovely counterpoint to the meaty flavour of the chicken and the acidic juice cuts right through the oil. Remarkably, there are only a few decent Thai restaurants in Phnom Penh and even fewer that do both somtam and deep fried chicken well. Tom Yum Kung is one of them. Their chicken wings ($2.50) are lightly spiced and cooked crispy on the outside with the flesh still moist, and their somtam ($1.50) is great too. #10 Street 278. Open 7am until 10pm

Cadillac Bar and Grill First, a word of explanation: In the souther United States, “chicken-fried steak” refers to beef steak breaded in flour and pan-fried. Not chicken. But Cadillac Bar and Grill is now giving the same treatment to a chicken breast. Their chicken-fried chicken ($9.50), smothered in gravy, is comfort food at its finest and made all the more enjoyable by the accompanying mashed potatoes and veggies. And remember, these are American-style portions, so be prepared to dig in. Cadillac Bar and Grill, #219 Sisowath Quay. Open 7:30am until 11pm

Liquid There are two good reasons to spend an evening at Liquid Bar: the pool table and the fried chicken wings ($3.50). Served neatly stacked with a saucer of sweet chilli, amid fried garlic and coriander crumble, these Asian-style wings make an ideal snack between shots. The only problem is that there is simply not enough of them in one serving. If you buy a single plate to share, expect fights to break out. And make sure you give your fingers a wipe and chalk up before you try and sink the black. #3B Street 278. Open 9am until midnight

Malaman An unlikely place for such delectable chicken, this Japanese restaurant/tattoo parlour, will keep you coming back. Heavenly chicken deep fried in a batter mixed with ginger and garlic, among other spices, it comes in a variety of ways either on top of your delicious Japanese curry ($5), as a snack with cabbage salad and a slice of tomato ($2), or as part of a set, served with salad, steamed rice, spicy cucumber and miso soup ($5). A chilled out place to stop in for a quick snack and chat or tat. #128 Street 19. Open 10am to 10pm