Lemon Shaka Shaka Chicken - Narita, Japan - December 2011

McDonald's Japan Discontinued Shaka Shaka Chicken with Lemon Seasoning

McDonald's Japan 2011

Consumed on 16 December 2011

Location - Narita International Airport (Terminal 1 Airside), Narita, Japan

Price - 120JPY = ~$1.29USD

Calories - ~215kcal

When I was writing my Texas Burger review/preview last week I over looked some of the other McDonald's Japan photos and realised that I took these photos back in late 2011 (shortly after starting the blog), and never ended up posting these.  Back in May 2012 when I visited Nagoya to go see a concert, my friend and I were able to try the Juicy Shaka Shaka Chicken which was the new replacement (read: smaller) for the original Shaka Shaka Chicken.  This was actually the second time I had a Shaka Shaka Chicken, with the first being back in 2009, when I tried the Black Pepper flavour (and they were 100JPY each).  In late 2011 they had increased to 120JPY, and I asked one of each of the three available seasoning flavours, Black Pepper, Lemon and Cheese, but the women who took my order said I could only have one, so I went with Lemon.  Over the years, they've changed up the seasoning, as well as had a couple promo flavours, none of which I've been able to try, but some that I've found online were Pizza, BBQ, Hot Chili and Lemon-Pepper.  If you happen to know of any others that have been released over the years, please leave a comment at the bottom of the page. 

I guess I didn't shake it well enough.

The back of the specialised Shaka Shaka Chicken pouch, teaching you how to 'Shaka it up'.

I was only in Narita for the afternoon, and when I was in town, I stopped into the McDonald's branch there in order to try the Chicken Tatsuta, Wafu Oroshi Edition. Not only did I eat that combo earlier in the afternoon, but I had lunch in a Japanese restaurant, and then back at the airport I had snacks (and a bowl of freshly cooked noodles, a highlight of the lounge) in the ANA business class lounge.  I was flying onto Honolulu, and eventually onto Lihue, Hawaii a few hours after that so I wanted to get my fill before having to suffer through United Airlines meals.  I left the lounge and went to the McDonald's so I could get a last minute snack before boarding my flight.  The public seating area (all the seats sectioned off for the McDonald's were full) is darker than the rest of the terminal at night, and its limited lighting is harsh, so thats why my photos look a little strange.  I was also trying to be pretty quick so I wouldn't miss my flight, I guess that's why I didn't shake up the seasoning well, and it seemed to bunch up at the top of the chicken patty, rather than being spread out evenly.  The Lemon seasoning wasn't overly salty, but still salty enough to not make you mistake it for lemonade powder.  It was sweet, but mostly an artificial sweetness, not a natural lemon sweet, personally, a bit of pepper would have made it taste better (I wonder why they stopped the Lemon-Pepper flavour?)

The chicken wasn't nearly as juicy or plump as the one that I had in 2012, but it was easily double the size.  Put a bun around it, and it would be perfect inside a sandwich, at only 215kcal it made for a perfect snack. The price was perfect for Japan, and even more perfect for inside of an airport terminal (McDonald's charges city prices inside airports, though they sometimes don't have a full ice cream selection).  The meat was nice, and the breading was not too thick, nor too thin, just right.  I'm a little disappointed that this original has been discontinued as the new 'Juicy' is good, but not as good as the original.

Rating - 4.5/5