Geeze no KFC or Popeye’s on this list??? lol
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Hipster chicken. I still think they put the same names in a hat and pull them out for each of these lists, never leaving Manhattan in the process.
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Maybe it’s the photography. They mostly look all so bready and dry. The only ones that looked appetizing in the pictures were Yardbird in Miami and Simpatica in Portland. I think the only one I’ve eaten myself was Pies n Thighs which I thought was just OK - but I can tell you was much better than the photo makes it look.
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I’m a big fan of Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn:
http://www.buttermilkchannelnyc.com
It’s a little hipster but a little family too, like Brooklyn can be. The food that I’ve tried is all good and the portions are generous. But you need to get there early cause they are always busy and don’t take res.
The chicken and waffles are really good:
Otherwise I am usually happy with ShopTite, especially if you wait to get a fresh batch.
It does need a drop or two of hot sauce, however.
Btw has anybody actually been to KFC lately?
Last time I went they pulled the chicken out of some strange looking warming oven. It was extremely soggy and greasy, not at all as I remembered it from earlier days.
But they are huge in China !
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Yes, once a year I stop at the KFC on my way to a Giants night game, when I don’t have time to go early enough to tail gate etc. and pick up a bucket as our instant tail gate party in a bucket. You are 100% correct, the chicken sits in a larger warmer like Mc’D burgers, I do not think they do any frying on location any more. (although I have nothing to support that theory). The normal, I never get extra crispy, is always a bit soggy by the time I eat it. I have attributed to sitting in the bucket and steaming a bit while we drove to the stadium. I’ve never eaten it directly from the warming bin to know if it comes out soggy or not.
Honestly I’ve had the same problem with 5 Guys burgers, I’ve only had them to go, but the wrapping they use doesn’t breath or vent well, so by the time you get the burger home the lettuce and tomato are wilted and the cheese has melted out of the burger into the foil etc. The bun is “wet” and it’s just a hot mess of goop by the time you get it home to eat. No likey.
Vk and jr, give the gaslight chicken and waffle a shot. It’s honestly a few bucks overpriced but it’s a nicely balanced dish and it’s a fried thigh…juicy. The jus works for me. I like it a lot. It’s good on an early lunch day with a cocktail. If you’re looking for a huge and low price dish this isn’t where to go, but the flavor is here and the bacon makes it.
I honestly can’t remember a single time KFC’s original recipe has been crispy. I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be soggy. Properly crispy fried chicken will stay crisp for a loooong time under that warming light so I don’t think it’s got anything to do with that. I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be this way, and as ridiculous as it might sound, the soggyness of KFC chicken has sort of become part of its appeal to me.
Ditto on 5 guys burger. I think their burger in general doesn’t take well to lettuce and tomato, I find it disrupts the meat and cheese portion of the program. I’ve been wondering about this a lot lately, how some burgers become better and some worse with certain ingredient additions. For example a In n Out (Animal Style) and Whopper are pretty close to the same sandwich in terms of fixins, yet a Whopper tastes weird with cheese while InO is fantastic with it. Some times the cheese on a burger seems to fight with the lettuce and tomato and some times it doesn’t, and I just can’t figure out why. Anyway, I think 5 guys is one of those burgers where the cheese and veggies don’t play nice.
I’m totally side-eyeing this list and the overwhelming presence of hipster spots and celebrity chefs. I don’t doubt they have great fried chicken, but come on…
I had the chance to try Price’s Chicken Coop in Charlotte over the weekend. The chicken itself was great, but the chicken gizzards were on another level. If you gave me a bucket of those instead of popcorn chicken, I’d be set. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.
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Inspired by this thread, I went out and got some Popeye’s fried chicken. I know everyone loves Popeyes but it’s just not my jam. It needs more seasoning IMO.
I also picked up a chicken little sandwich from KFC. I gotta say this might be the best 1.50$ sandwich in existence right now.
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Did you the original or the spicy? We only get the spicy…
Any observation about this “best of” means absolutely nothing because there is only one restaurant listed, I would even consider visiting: Willie Mae Scotch House. I’ve never dined out to eat chicken. If a place is not known for its beef–or fish, it gets a pass from me. 
Yes I went with the spicy! I think their flavor and batter is much better suited for chicken strips than fried chicken. We have a lot of ghetto fried chicken places where I live and I prefer pretty much all of them over Popeyes. They’re also significantly more expensive than the competition it seems.
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