Seriously: Who doesn't love fried chicken? Some places make it spicy,
others marinate in buttermilk, some brine in pickle juice, while some don't brine at all.
Every technique seems unique, but the end goal is perfectly crispy,
tender, and crave-worthy chicken. Here's where to find the best.
Legend has it that James Thornton Prince was a notorious womanizer,
something that kept him in trouble with his girlfriends. One such dustup with a
lady friend found her feeding him a revenge meal of fried chicken so spicy, she doubted he could
eat it. But much to her dismay and Prince's inspiration, Nashville Hot Chicken was born.
Since Prince's BBQ Chicken Shack opened in 1945,
Nashville Hot Chicken has become a national trend. But during segregation,
the Black-owned chicken restaurant was so revered that they even kept a back door and
secret dining room where white customers would sneak in for a bite of that heat-filled meat.
Since then, Prince's Great-Niece Andre Prince Jeffries has taken the helm,
renamed the restaurant Prince's Hot Chicken,
and earned three James Beard Awards. In a time when even KFC is serving Nashville Hot Chicken,
there is no spice quite like the face-melting quality of the original.
Every now and then a local phenomenon becomes a much bigger one. Much like
flannel shirts migrated out of the Pacific Northwest on the licks of grunge guitarists,
Memphis institution Gus' Famous Fried Chicken has grown beyond its Tennessee roots.
Founded just outside of Memphis in the 1950s, the restaurant was brought to
national attention through GQ's list of best meals in the U.S. in 2001.
The recipe is kept secret, but it's clearly a wet batter with a little simmer of spice — not
nearly as hot as Nashville Hot chicken, but enough to get your sinuses clear.
Now, there's more than 34 locations around the country.
There's no denying it: among Asheville, North Carolina locals,
Chef Elliott Moss's fried chicken is revered, and for good reason:
it's like a gourmet version of Chick-fil-A's wildly popular, pickle-inspired bird.
Pickle-brined and fried in hog fat, it is some of the most delicious fried chicken you'll ever eat.
Moss's BBQ restaurant, Buxton Hall Barbecue, recently expanded to a satellite location
revolving entirely around the beloved sandwich. Buxton Chicken Palace opened
in the newly restored historic S&W Market — a stunning art deco building turned food hall.
The simple menu serves their iconic chicken sandwich, chicken nuggets,
a fried chicken salad sandwich, and waffle fries. Even better? This sandwich is best
consumed on a hot day when paired with one of their bourbon and Cheerwine slushies.
Mildred "Mama Dip" Council claimed that she started her restaurant back in 1976 with just $64;
$40 for food and $24 to make change. She parlayed those earnings to keep
coming back each day until her Chapel Hill, North Carolina restaurant eventually grew
into the nationally recognized institution of traditional Southern cooking that it is today.
Though Mama Dip passed away in 2018, the restaurant is still run by three different
generations of her family and specializes in cast iron skillet fried chicken.
Skillet chicken differs in that it isn't cooked in a deep fryer, meaning that a part of the
chicken isn't always submerged, making it a little crispier and less greasy than most fried chicken.
New Orleans mainstay Willie Mae's Scotch House opened in the 1950s;
at first, it was simply a bar tucked between the family-owned salon and barbershop. But offering
up long-time family favorites soon made the place popular: Eventually, the fried chicken earned a
reputation of its own, and the barber and beauty shops were replaced by expanded dining rooms.
These days they don't even serve alcohol, just the foods that were
passed down to Kerry Seaton Stewart, Willie Mae's granddaughter, who took over the kitchen.
While there's no denying that there are plenty of great places to grab a bite at in New Orleans,
Willie Mae's should be on any must-see list. Named America's Best fried chicken by Travel
Channel and the Food Network, as well as a James Beard American Classic award,
it's quite a different style than most Southern fried chicken.
After being tossed with dry spices, the chicken is doused in a wet batter
and deep-fried. That wet batter gives the chicken a big, pillowy skin with an even bigger crunch.
One ingredient crucial to understanding the food of St. Augustine, Florida is the Datil pepper.
Long having grown along the coast of Florida, it was seriously incorporated
into the cuisine back in the 18th century, when it was used by Minorcan indentured
laborers in the British colony attempting to recreate comforting flavors from home.
That peculiar pepper has been in just about every dish at O'Steen's restaurant since it
was opened in 1965; from the fry batter to the crabcakes, in the remoulade and
even in their famous Minorcan Clam Chowder. To call O'Steen's an institution would be
an understatement, with many of the staff having worked there for 40 years or more.
While O'Steen's is most celebrated for their fried shrimp, their fried chicken is some of
the best in the South — and it's always on discount for "Fried Chicken Tuesdays."
And it's that special pepper that gives it such a great body and kick.
Despite never advertising, it is not unusual for there to be a one
to three-hour wait for a table at this otherwise unassuming roadside fry house.
"A two piece special with lots of hot sauce and all the fries you can give me."
"Boy wake up, it's almost chicken time!"
Maryanne Smith Merritt now runs the restaurant that has been in her family for more than 80
years, and one thing that has kept the restaurant packed every year has been the fried chicken.
Unlike a lot of chicken joints that buy chicken pieces that have been broken down by the purveyor,
Martin's buys whole chicken. This means that you can actually ask for the "pulley-bone."
Known more commonly as the "butcher's cut" or "wish bone," it's a particularly delicate
and delicious cut of meat that is usually tossed by most commercial chicken producers,
and that's something we don't think you can get anywhere else. But since there
is just one per chicken, move quickly as they sell out fast!
Since 1947, Atlanta's Busy Bee Cafe has been doling out some of the South's finest
fried chicken to some of Atlanta's most distinguished guests and residents alike.
The restaurant, long situated on Martin Luther King Drive, occasionally hosted Dr. King himself
long before the road bore his name. There's also been more recent visits adding to a long
history of high-profile patrons, and it's no wonder: Their fried chicken is not to be missed.
Brined for 12 hours and hand-breaded with a blend of cake and all-purpose
flour, Busy Bee's Chicken is then cooked in a pressure fryer,
which helps keep the meat tender and juicy while the skin gets nice and crispy.
And because of that pressure fryer, the skin is cooked evenly,
so there are no overcooked wing tips or burnt ends.
Stick with the classic meat-and-three sides, have your chicken served over rice,
or have it nicely cushioned upon a fluffy waffle, but whatever you do, eat this chicken!
"Whatever you do, do it 100%. When you work, work.
When you laugh, laugh. When you eat? Eat like it's your last meal."
One would be remiss to talk about Southern fried chicken without mentioning one of our
favorite regional chains: Bojangles. This chicken and biscuits chain was founded in
1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina, which still serves as home to its headquarters.
While you can find this Southern staple as far north as Pennsylvania
and Illinois, the rest of the states to host Bojangles' are in the South.
Known primarily for its chicken biscuits, Bojangles' slightly spicy Cajun seasoned
chicken has been a hit with fans for decades. The chain didn't even serve a mild option until 1986.
The company prides itself on still making their food from scratch, with a 12-hour
marinating time and eight-step hand-breading process on-site,
they even have a dedicated baker at each location that makes fresh biscuits every
20 minutes. It's as close as you can get to home cooking at a drive-through window.
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