🍽️ Turkey Rice

Chiayi turkey rice with chicken-oil drizzle.

Turkey Rice is the signature affordable bowl of Chiayi, Taiwan, reflecting the local poultry industry. Turkey is boiled until just done, hand-shredded into strips or diced, laid over steamed rice, then drizzled with a rich savory sauce simmered from turkey fat and soy, often finished with a sprinkle of fried shallot. The meat is tender and not dry, the oil-glossy sauce salty and aromatic, and every grain becomes flavorful once mixed. Chiayi's long history of turkey rearing gave rise to this one-of-a-kind rice bowl, distinct from the chicken rice of other Taiwanese cities. Inexpensive and fast, it is a daily lunch and dinner favorite among locals and tourists alike. A bowl of turkey rice with a bitter-melon or bamboo-shoot soup is the classic Chiayi street meal.