When prepared well, it’s one of the tastiest things you can ever put in your mouth. Thinking of the crispy, salty breading enrobing moist, tender, falling-off-the-bone meat makes our mouths start watering. It’s the perfect combination of crunchy, soft, and savory. We love fried chicken because there’s not one right way alton brown buttermilk biscuits making it.
The breading can have a crunch you can hear from two states over, or it can be an ethereal, papery layer that barely holds in the onslaught of juices from the meat. The seasoning can be as simple as salt and pepper, or it can be a complex blend of secret spices. Chicken tastes great whether it’s mild or fiery-hot. It’s wonderful slathered in sweet sauces like maple syrup or honey too.
In this list, we’ve tried to capture the full spectrum of excellent fried chicken you can find in America. These places are from all over the country and they cook innumerable different styles of crispy poultry. The one thing they all have in common is that the chicken is so good that you’ll remember it fondly for years after eating it. This fast food import from the Philippines is establishing itself as one of the best fried chicken spots in the U. Sadly, Mashed tried the Jollibee chicken sandwich, and it didn’t live up to Chickenjoy’s high standards. It certainly wasn’t bad, but it’s not worth ordering when the bone-in chicken is life-changingly good.
Kenji Lopez-Alt once tweeted, “In every city that has a Popeyes, Popeyes is the best fried chicken in that city. He was being a little facetious when he made that pronouncement, but Popeyes is legitimately terrific, and we would wager that it actually is the best fried chicken option in many cities in America. What exactly makes Popeyes so delicious involves a combination of factors. The illustrious pairing of fried chicken and waffles offers every indulgent, craveable flavor you could ever want packed onto one plate. It’s fried, crispy meat with a bunch of buttered carbs, and you pour maple syrup and hot sauce over the whole thing.
Essentially, the dish is everything that’s great about America. Perhaps the most renowned purveyor of the combo is Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles, a local chain that got its start in Hollywood in 1975. Its prime location, as well as founder Herb Hudson’s show-biz connections, allowed Roscoe’s to develop a devoted celebrity fanbase. Snoop Dogg is a notable Roscoe’s booster. Of course, all that hype wouldn’t be worth much if Roscoe’s didn’t have great food.
Tripadvisor reviews indicate that Roscoe’s delivers, with one person writing, “Chicken A1 and the waffles are other worldly! I have never tasted a waffle that good ever. It might be called Federal Donuts, but the fried chicken wings and tenders are the real star of the show at this small chain of Philadelphia restaurants from chef Mike Solomonov. The result of all this effort is juicy, intensely-flavorful bird that stands on its own. Come hungry and opt for the 5 Wings Combo which includes fries, a drink, and a honey-dipped donut which fills in admirably for the standard biscuit side.
Although Willie Mae’s Scotch House is now a nationally-renowned institution, it didn’t initially serve food. No, as the name would suggest, it began life as a bar in 1957. Then it became a bar that also had a beauty salon in it. Finally, in the 1970s, the owners replaced the salon portion with a restaurant. There is a reason Bon Appétit called the chicken at Willie Mae’s Scotch House “some of the best you’ll ever eat. The breading is incredibly thin and delicate, very different from the heavy dredge at many chicken spots.