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Fried chicken is the world's most universal cooking technique applied to the world's most universal protein, and the global fried chicken tradition has at least five distinct culinary lineages worth knowing. The Southern American (Black-Southern, soul food rooted) tradition uses a buttermilk soak and a seasoned flour dredge, then fries in lard or peanut oil in cast iron or a deep fryer, producing the chicken that ancestrally defines KFC, Popeyes, and the great regional fryers from Willie Mae's Scotch House in New Orleans to Gus's World Famous in Memphis. Nashville hot chicken (covered separately) is its own subcategory built on this Southern foundation. Buffalo wings, the Anchor Bar invention from 1964 Buffalo, NY, are a related but distinct American tradition.
Korean fried chicken (KFC, the local name) is twice-fried (an initial fry to cook through, a second fry to crisp the skin), often glazed with a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce, and served as a beer-and-chicken (chimaek) drinking food. The chain Bonchon and the older Mom's Touch, BBQ Chicken, and Kyochon are the major players, and the cuisine has spread globally over the past 20 years.
Japanese karaage (deep-fried bite-sized chicken thigh, marinated in soy and ginger and garlic, dredged in potato starch) is the country's dominant fried chicken, with regional specialties (Oita's toriten in tempura batter, Nagoya's spicy tebasaki wings, Hokkaido's zangi). Taiwanese popcorn chicken (yan su ji, bite-sized chicken seasoned with five-spice and fried with basil) is the night-market tradition that gave its name to the bite-sized format. And the broader frying traditions of Filipino chicken (often marinated in soy and citrus), Thai gai tod (deep-fried with coriander root and turmeric), and Hawaiian mochiko chicken (marinated and dredged in mochiko rice flour) round out the global picture.
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Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Top picks
The best-scored fried chicken place in each of 12 cities.
OJ's Diner ★ 4.8
OJ's Diner in Greenville: Black-owned Pendleton soul food counter, cash preferred and weekdays only. Locals know; tourists routinely miss it.
Why locals goBlack-owned Pendleton soul food counter, cash preferred and weekdays only. Locals know; tourists routinely miss it.
TipGet there before 13:00 on weekdays. The fried chicken sells out by 14:00 most days.
Bertha's Kitchen ★ 4.7
Bertha's Kitchen on Meeting Street Road in North Charleston runs Albertha Grant's soul food cafeteria from 1979. Fried chicken, okra soup, red rice.
OrderFried chicken, okra soup, red rice, lima beans with smoked turkey neck
Why locals goA North Charleston cafeteria steam table that has run since 1979 and won James Beard's America's Classics in 2017. Tourist guides barely list it.
TipLunch only Mon-Sat, cash and card. Arrive before 13:00 weekdays or the fried chicken is gone.
Frenchy's Chicken ★ 4.7
Frenchy's Chicken in Houston is the 1969 Third Ward Creole fried chicken counter on Scott Street, with a three-piece dark with two sides for $11 that fills.
TryThree-piece Creole fried chicken with sides
TipDark meat over white. Dirty rice and red beans. The Sunday queue is 30 minutes; weekday lunch is the move.
Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor ★ 4.6
Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor is the Kansas City pan-fried chicken anchor, set inside a restored 1840s log-cabin homestead that became the second Stroud's in 1983.
OrderPan-fried chicken with mashed potatoes, pan gravy and the legendary cinnamon rolls.
TipMon to Sat dinner only, Sun lunch. Walk-in or call ahead; the line wraps the porch on Friday nights.
Onion City Chicken and Oyster ★ 4.5
Aaron Josinsky and Laura Wade's sister restaurant to Misery Loves Co. opened in August 2022 in the historic Block Building at the top of the Winooski rotary.
OrderThe fried chicken half-bird plus a half-dozen Vermont oysters and a hot-honey biscuit.
TipBar takes walk-ins; book the dining room on Resy. Dinner 16:00-21:00 daily; weekend brunch 10:00-15:00.
Screen Door Eastside ★ 4.5
Nicole and David Mouton's Southern brunch counter on E Burnside in Portland since 2006, with buttermilk fried chicken on sweet potato waffles and biscuits.
TryButtermilk fried chicken and waffles
TipBrunch 08:30-14:00 daily. Walk-in line moves fast at counter pickup; reservations on OpenTable for the dining room.
Soi Polo Fried Chicken ★ 4.5
Polo Fried Chicken in Bangkok's Soi Polo is the Bib Gourmand garlic-fried-chicken room, a 1989 family business deep-frying half birds with crispy fried.
TryGarlic fried chicken with sticky rice
TipCash only. Lunch crowds fill the room by 12:00; arrive before opening or after 14:00. Open 07:00-21:00 daily.
Alcenia's ★ 4.5
Alcenia's in the Pinch District of Memphis runs Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's soul food plates under $15: fried chicken, collards and a hug at the door.
OrderFried chicken plate with greens and yams; ask for a Ghetto Aid.
TipCounter service, cash preferred. B.J. greets every table; the experience is half the meal.
Sapporo Zangi Honpo ★ 4.5
Sapporo's reference zangi (Hokkaido fried chicken) counter. Set meals under 1,000 yen with free rice and cabbage refills; weekend lines run 15 minutes.
TryHokkaido zangi teishoku
TipSame set-menu price all day; the Sapporo Station branch is the queue overflow.
Bossy Beulah's ★ 4.4
Bossy Beulah's flagship on Freedom Drive is the Charlotte chicken-sandwich counter that has built four city locations since opening in 2019, with simple.
OrderThe classic Bossy chicken sandwich and a side of fries.
TipThe Freedom Drive flagship is the original. The Ballantyne and Brandywine spinoffs serve the same menu.
Buxton Chicken Palace ★ 4.4
Buxton Chicken Palace at 56 Patton Ave is an independent fast food spot serving an Original Chicken Sandwich, tender trays and a Bourbon Cheerwine slushy.
TryOriginal Chicken Sandwich
TipOrder a tender tray for a birthday party, or an Original Chicken Sandwich and a Bourbon Cheerwine slushy as a pick-me-up.
Henne ★ 4.4
Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus on Leuschnerdamm in Kreuzberg has served one dish for over a century: a half-roasted milk-fed chicken with kraut salad and rye.
Why locals goHenne has cooked one dish since 1907 and is barely online. The room has no booking widget; you phone two weeks ahead and ask for the original 1907 dining room.
TipPhone reservations only: +49 30 614 7730. Ask for the original 1907 room when booking; the annex is less atmospheric.
Find a place
OJ's Diner ★ 4.8
OJ's Diner in Greenville: Black-owned Pendleton soul food counter, cash preferred and weekdays only. Locals know; tourists routinely miss it.
Why locals goBlack-owned Pendleton soul food counter, cash preferred and weekdays only. Locals know; tourists routinely miss it.
TipGet there before 13:00 on weekdays. The fried chicken sells out by 14:00 most days.
Bertha's Kitchen ★ 4.7
Bertha's Kitchen on Meeting Street Road in North Charleston runs Albertha Grant's soul food cafeteria from 1979. Fried chicken, okra soup, red rice.
OrderFried chicken, okra soup, red rice, lima beans with smoked turkey neck
Why locals goA North Charleston cafeteria steam table that has run since 1979 and won James Beard's America's Classics in 2017. Tourist guides barely list it.
TipLunch only Mon-Sat, cash and card. Arrive before 13:00 weekdays or the fried chicken is gone.
Frenchy's Chicken ★ 4.7
Frenchy's Chicken in Houston is the 1969 Third Ward Creole fried chicken counter on Scott Street, with a three-piece dark with two sides for $11 that fills.
TryThree-piece Creole fried chicken with sides
TipDark meat over white. Dirty rice and red beans. The Sunday queue is 30 minutes; weekday lunch is the move.
Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor ★ 4.6
Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor is the Kansas City pan-fried chicken anchor, set inside a restored 1840s log-cabin homestead that became the second Stroud's in 1983.
OrderPan-fried chicken with mashed potatoes, pan gravy and the legendary cinnamon rolls.
TipMon to Sat dinner only, Sun lunch. Walk-in or call ahead; the line wraps the porch on Friday nights.
Onion City Chicken and Oyster ★ 4.5
Aaron Josinsky and Laura Wade's sister restaurant to Misery Loves Co. opened in August 2022 in the historic Block Building at the top of the Winooski rotary.
OrderThe fried chicken half-bird plus a half-dozen Vermont oysters and a hot-honey biscuit.
TipBar takes walk-ins; book the dining room on Resy. Dinner 16:00-21:00 daily; weekend brunch 10:00-15:00.
Onion City Chicken and Oyster (brunch) ★ 4.5
Misery Loves Co.'s sister room runs chicken-and-waffle weekend brunch alongside the daily oyster pours. Hot-honey biscuit on the side; cocktails and natural.
OrderChicken and waffle, hot-honey biscuit, fresh-shucked half-dozen oysters
Rye Plaza ★ 4.5
Colby and Megan Garrelts' Rye Plaza on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City refined the Midwestern restaurant template. Fried chicken, biscuits.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipMegan Garrelts is a multi-year James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef semifinalist for her Rye work. Brunch on weekends; Tock for evening reservations.
Screen Door Eastside ★ 4.5
Nicole and David Mouton's Southern brunch counter on E Burnside in Portland since 2006, with buttermilk fried chicken on sweet potato waffles and biscuits.
TryButtermilk fried chicken and waffles
TipBrunch 08:30-14:00 daily. Walk-in line moves fast at counter pickup; reservations on OpenTable for the dining room.
Soi Polo Fried Chicken ★ 4.5
Polo Fried Chicken in Bangkok's Soi Polo is the Bib Gourmand garlic-fried-chicken room, a 1989 family business deep-frying half birds with crispy fried.
TryGarlic fried chicken with sticky rice
TipCash only. Lunch crowds fill the room by 12:00; arrive before opening or after 14:00. Open 07:00-21:00 daily.
Alcenia's ★ 4.5
Alcenia's in the Pinch District of Memphis runs Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's soul food plates under $15: fried chicken, collards and a hug at the door.
OrderFried chicken plate with greens and yams; ask for a Ghetto Aid.
TipCounter service, cash preferred. B.J. greets every table; the experience is half the meal.
Sapporo Zangi Honpo ★ 4.5
Sapporo's reference zangi (Hokkaido fried chicken) counter. Set meals under 1,000 yen with free rice and cabbage refills; weekend lines run 15 minutes.
TryHokkaido zangi teishoku
TipSame set-menu price all day; the Sapporo Station branch is the queue overflow.
Leon's Fine Poultry and Oysters ★ 4.4
Leon's Fine Poultry and Oysters in Charleston runs fried chicken and oyster plates from a converted body shop on King Street since 2014. Priced at $$.
OrderThe fried chicken sandwich and a half-dozen char-grilled oysters.
TipWalk-in counter seating. Lines at lunch are real; weeknight dinner is easier.
Bossy Beulah's ★ 4.4
Bossy Beulah's flagship on Freedom Drive is the Charlotte chicken-sandwich counter that has built four city locations since opening in 2019, with simple.
OrderThe classic Bossy chicken sandwich and a side of fries.
TipThe Freedom Drive flagship is the original. The Ballantyne and Brandywine spinoffs serve the same menu.
Bossy Beulah's Freedom Drive ★ 4.4
Bossy Beulah's Freedom Drive is the original Charlotte chicken-sandwich counter, opened in west Charlotte before the brand spread to Ballantyne, Brandywine.
Why locals goThe original Freedom Drive flagship is in a corner strip mall in west Charlotte, easy to overlook past the more famous Ballantyne branch.
TipCounter-order. The classic chicken sandwich with fries is the canonical visit.
Buxton Chicken Palace ★ 4.4
Buxton Chicken Palace at 56 Patton Ave is an independent fast food spot serving an Original Chicken Sandwich, tender trays and a Bourbon Cheerwine slushy.
TryOriginal Chicken Sandwich
TipOrder a tender tray for a birthday party, or an Original Chicken Sandwich and a Bourbon Cheerwine slushy as a pick-me-up.
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken ★ 4.4
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken on South Front Street downtown Memphis runs the city's cheap fried chicken plate, three-piece dark with sides under $15.
OrderThree-piece dark meat plate with fried pickles and slaw.
TipLunch line moves fast; dinner can run an hour. No reservations.
Henne ★ 4.4
Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus on Leuschnerdamm in Kreuzberg has served one dish for over a century: a half-roasted milk-fed chicken with kraut salad and rye.
Why locals goHenne has cooked one dish since 1907 and is barely online. The room has no booking widget; you phone two weeks ahead and ask for the original 1907 dining room.
TipPhone reservations only: +49 30 614 7730. Ask for the original 1907 room when booking; the annex is less atmospheric.
Honey Butter Fried Chicken ★ 4.4
Honey Butter Fried Chicken is a cashless, counter-service restaurant at 3361 N Elston Ave, with leashed dogs allowed on the patio, weather permitting.
TipTuesday brings $12 tacos and Tecates, and on Wednesday kids eat free with $9 glasses of wine.
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery ★ 4.4
Chef Jeff Balfour's Southerleigh brews 15 beers in-house at the Pearl Brewery and pairs them with Texas coastal cooking, a Michelin Bib Gourmand room.
BookBook on OpenTable ahead
TipSit near the brew tanks and pair the fried chicken with the house pilsner. The Gulf snapper is the seafood pick.
The Eagle Mass Ave ★ 4.3
Cincinnati import that nails the Mass Avenue fried-chicken brief. Brined and dredged in-house, served with spoonbread and a half-dozen Southern sides.
OrderHalf a chicken, the spoonbread, the kale salad. Sit at the picnic tables outside in summer.
TipNo reservations. Get on the standby list at 5:30 for a 6:30 weekend table, or go for an early lunch.
Reel M Inn ★ 4.3
Portland's most famous dive on SE Division for late-night fried chicken, with the bar open until 02:00 and the fryer pulling chicken until they sell out.
TryBroasted fried chicken and beer
TipLast fryer order around 23:30. After that, beer only. Pool table and poker machines stay open.
Delilah's Everyday Soul ★ 4.3
Delilah's Everyday Soul inside Atlanta's Chattahoochee Food Works hall serves the Oprah-praised seven-cheese mac, fried chicken and collards from a counter.
OrderSeven-cheese mac and cheese plus a side of collards.
Why locals goA counter inside the Chattahoochee Food Works hall on the Westside; the seven-cheese mac is famously Oprah-approved but the food-hall format keeps it under the radar.
TipPick up the seven-cheese mac and a side of collards, then take the order to the Westside Beltline benches across the parking lot.
The Crack Shack ★ 4.3
The Crack Shack in San Diego is Richard Blais and Michael Rosen's Little Italy fried-chicken yard since 2015, attached to Juniper and Ivy. Priced at $$.
OrderThe Firebird spicy chicken sandwich; the schmaltz fries with sherry-vinegar mayo.
TipAll outdoors; bring a sweater for marine-layer mornings. The Coop Deville feeds a table of four.
The Eagle Mass Ave Late Kitchen ★ 4.2
The Eagle Mass Ave in Indianapolis runs a late kitchen Friday and Saturday until midnight. Fried chicken, spoonbread and pours from a long beer list.
TryFried chicken and spoonbread
Hodak's Restaurant & Bar ★ 4.2
Hodak's has won Riverfront Times reader polls for best fried chicken since the 1990s. The family-run Gravois corner room is a no-frills temple to the bird.
OrderThe fried chicken dinner with sides.
TipThe fried chicken is the only thing most regulars order; pair it with the slaw and a cold draft. Expect a wait on Friday nights.
The Crack Shack ★ 4.2
The Crack Shack at Park MGM in Las Vegas is Richard Blais and Top Chef alums' Strip Jidori chicken shop, a counter-service room for sandwiches.
OrderThe Senor Croque: fried Jidori chicken, bacon, fried egg and miso-maple butter on brioche.
TipBreakfast menu runs 09:00-12:00 with chilaquiles and biscuits; the line is shortest at opening.
Soju ★ 4.2
Soju on Penn Avenue in Garfield runs a later weekend kitchen in Pittsburgh. Korean fried chicken, bibimbap and soju cocktails into the evening in a small.
TryKorean fried chicken
Gurt Wings ★ 4.1
Gurt Wings fries its multi-award-winning wings and cheese stix from a Cargo 2 container at Wapping Wharf, the food-truck success story of Bristol chicken.
TryAward-winning fried wings and cheese stix
TipThe name is Bristolian for very big, and portions agree; sauce flights make one box feed a bench.
Frenchy's Chicken (Scott Street) ★ 4.1
Frenchy's Chicken on Scott Street in Houston is Percy Creuzot's 1969 Third Ward Creole fried chicken counter, two blocks from Texas Southern University.
OrderThree-piece dark meat with dirty rice and red beans. A peach cobbler to close.
TipSunday after church is the line. Weekday lunch is the move. The Scott Street counter is the original; multiple satellites exist.
MOTR Pub Late Night ★ 4.1
MOTR Pub on Main Street in OTR runs Cincinnati's late kitchen until 2:30am, with burgers, vegan fried chicken, free live music and a long beer list.
TryBurgers, vegan fried chicken, late kitchen
Family Mart konbini Tokyo Station ★ 4.1
FamilyMart Tokyo Station is the konbini bento standard that anchors traveller lunches in Tokyo. Onigiri, fresh sandwiches, bento, oden, famichiki chicken.
TryOnigiri, bento, fried chicken
TipOnigiri at 150 yen each; the famichiki fried chicken is the local cult order. IC card and cash accepted.
LuLu's Maryland Style Chicken & Seafood ★ 4.0
LuLu's Maryland Style Chicken on Tuckaseegee Road brings Mid-Atlantic fried chicken and crab cakes to a quick-service counter in west Charlotte.
OrderA Maryland-style chicken plate and a side of crab cake.
TipCounter-order and quick takeout. The Tuckaseegee flagship has the longest hours.
City Bird OTR ★ 4.0
City Bird on Vine Street in OTR is Cincinnati's Thunderdome fast-casual chicken flagship, with brined tenders, sandwiches and house hot sauce options.
SignatureChicken tenders, Crispy chicken sandwich
Sapporo Zangi Honpo Late ★ 4.0
Sapporo Zangi Honpo's Susukino late counter pulls Hokkaido fried chicken with rice to 23:00. Cheaper alternative to a ramen close after a Susukino crawl.
TryHokkaido zangi
TipCounter only; teishoku sets under 1,000 yen.
Buck's Bar ★ 4.0
Buck's Bar on West Regent Street is the one that started it all back in 2016, with chicken, liquor and rock'n'roll, open 7 days from 11am till midnight.
OrderThe express lunch at £14.95, Monday to Friday from 12pm to 2pm.
TipThere is live music every Saturday, and cocktails are 40% off from Monday to Wednesday.
Free Bird Muizenberg ★ 3.9
Free Bird Muizenberg fries halaal certified, free-range chicken burgers a block from the surf beach in Muizenberg, on the edge of greater Cape Town.
OrderThe buttermilk fried chicken burger, the sandwich the whole menu is built around.
TipIt is a short walk from Muizenberg's surf beach, so it is an easy stop after a morning in the water.
Hillbilly's MacCurtain Street ★ 3.8
Cork's most-loved fried chicken chain on MacCurtain Street, open until 03:00 Mon-Thu and 04:00 Fri-Sat. Catches post-midnight Victorian Quarter crowds.
Brick and Bones ★ 3.8
Deep Ellum fried chicken bar celebrating its 10th year in 2025, serving crispy Nashville-style chicken until 2am every night. Open daily 6pm-2am.
OrderNashville hot chicken sandwich; waffle fries with house sauce
TipNo reservations. Lines form after 11pm on weekends. The back bar area is quieter if you just want a drink.
Miss Millie's Fried Chicken ★ 3.6
Miss Millie's is Bristol's own fried chicken chain, serving since 1998, and its Gloucester Road shop keeps frying to 03:00 weekends for the night-bus crowd.
TryFried chicken and spiced fries
TipAsk for the signature spice mix on the fries; seven other Bristol branches cover most late routes home.
Fried chicken by city
Charleston4 places
Bertha's Kitchen, Leon's Fine Poultry and Oysters
Charlotte4 places
Bossy Beulah's, Bossy Beulah's Freedom Drive
Asheville3 places
Buxton Chicken Palace
Bristol3 places
Gurt Wings, Miss Millie's Fried Chicken
Burlington3 places
Onion City Chicken and Oyster, Onion City Chicken and Oyster (brunch)
Houston3 places
Frenchy's Chicken, Frenchy's Chicken (Scott Street)
Indianapolis3 places
The Eagle Mass Ave, The Eagle Mass Ave Late Kitchen
Kansas City3 places
Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor, Rye Plaza
Portland3 places
Screen Door Eastside, Reel M Inn
Bangkok2 places
Soi Polo Fried Chicken
Cape Town2 places
Free Bird Muizenberg
Cincinnati2 places
MOTR Pub Late Night, City Bird OTR
Greenville2 places
OJ's Diner
Memphis2 places
Alcenia's, Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Sapporo2 places
Sapporo Zangi Honpo, Sapporo Zangi Honpo Late
St. Louis2 places
Hodak's Restaurant & Bar
Atlanta1 place
Delilah's Everyday Soul
Berlin1 place
Henne
Chicago1 place
Honey Butter Fried Chicken
Cork1 place
Hillbilly's MacCurtain Street
Dallas1 place
Brick and Bones
Glasgow1 place
Buck's Bar
Las Vegas1 place
The Crack Shack
Pittsburgh1 place
Soju
San Antonio1 place
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery
San Diego1 place
The Crack Shack
Tokyo1 place
Family Mart konbini Tokyo Station
Regional variations
Southern American
Buttermilk-brined, seasoned-flour-dredged, fried in lard or peanut oil, often in cast iron. The lineage from Willie Mae's Scotch House (New Orleans) to Gus's World Famous (Memphis) to Prince's Hot Chicken (Nashville, separate hot tradition) to Popeyes (the chain that elevated mass-market Southern fried chicken in the 2010s and 2020s).
Nashville hot chicken
Covered in its own pillar. Southern fried chicken coated in a paste of lard, cayenne, brown sugar, and other spices, served on white bread with pickles. Prince's Hot Chicken (1945) is the origin.
Korean
Twice-fried, glazed with sweet-spicy sauce (yangnyeom) or soy-garlic. Served whole or in pieces with pickled radish and Korean beer. Bonchon, Kyochon, Mom's Touch, BBQ Chicken (no relation to American BBQ) are the chains. The chimaek (chicken and beer) culture is one of the great late-night Seoul food traditions.
Japanese karaage
Bite-sized chicken thigh marinated in soy, ginger, garlic, and sake, dredged in potato or wheat starch, deep-fried. Regional variants include Oita's toriten (tempura-battered), Nagoya's spicy tebasaki wings, Hokkaido's zangi, and tatsuta-age (with rice vinegar).
Taiwanese popcorn chicken (yan su ji)
Bite-sized chicken seasoned with five-spice powder, white pepper, garlic, and rice wine, dredged in sweet potato starch, fried with whole basil leaves (which crisp into a fragrant crunch). The defining Taipei night-market street food.
Defining fried chicken dishes
- Southern fried chicken
- Bone-in pieces (leg, thigh, wing, breast) brined or buttermilk-soaked, dredged in seasoned flour (cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper), and fried in 350-degree oil until golden and the internal temperature reaches 165 Fahrenheit. The Black-Southern tradition that anchors the global format.
- Buffalo wings
- Chicken wings (drumette and flat), deep-fried unbreaded, tossed in a hot sauce-and-butter emulsion (Frank's RedHot is the traditional base). Served with celery and blue cheese dressing. Anchor Bar, Buffalo NY (1964) is the origin.
- Korean fried chicken (yangnyeom)
- Twice-fried chicken pieces glazed with a sweet-spicy sauce of gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, ginger, and rice syrup. Served with pickled radish (chikin-mu) and beer. The defining chimaek dish.
- Korean fried chicken (soy-garlic)
- Twice-fried chicken glazed with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a touch of sugar. The other major sauce option alongside yangnyeom; often ordered half-half (banban) for variety.
- Karaage
- Japanese bite-sized fried chicken: boneless chicken thigh marinated in soy, sake, ginger, and garlic, dredged in potato starch, and deep-fried. Crisp outside, juicy inside, served with lemon and Kewpie mayo. Izakaya standard.
- Popcorn chicken (yan su ji)
- Taiwanese: bite-sized chicken marinated with five-spice, white pepper, garlic, and rice wine, dredged in sweet potato starch, fried with crisp basil leaves. The defining night-market chicken.
- Chicken katsu
- Japanese: chicken breast or thigh pounded thin, breaded with panko, deep-fried, sliced, and served with tonkatsu sauce, shredded cabbage, and rice. Tonkatsu's chicken cousin.
- Pollo a la brasa
- Peruvian rotisserie chicken (technically not fried but adjacent): marinated in soy, vinegar, garlic, cumin, and aji, roasted over charcoal, served with fries and three sauces (huacatay green, aji yellow, mayonnaise). A different lineage but in the same chicken-dinner family.
- Chicken and waffles
- Soul food and American diner: fried chicken pieces over a square waffle, with butter and maple syrup. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles (LA, since 1975) made the dish nationally famous, though the origins trace to Harlem in the 1930s.
- Mochiko chicken
- Hawaiian fried chicken: marinated in soy, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar, dredged in mochiko (sweet rice flour), deep-fried. Slightly sweet, with a distinct chewy-crisp texture from the rice flour.
- Filipino fried chicken (chicken adobo fritura)
- Often soy-vinegar-garlic marinated chicken, then fried until crisp. Jollibee's Chickenjoy is the chain version.
- Thai gai tod hat yai
- Southern Thai fried chicken: marinated with garlic, coriander root, white pepper, and palm sugar, dredged and fried until deeply golden, topped with crispy fried shallots. Hat Yai is the regional origin.
How to order
At a Southern fried chicken spot, the standard order is two or three pieces (dark and white meat mix) with two sides (mac and cheese, collards, mashed potatoes, mac salad, slaw), biscuits or cornbread, and sweet tea. At a Korean fried chicken place (Bonchon, Kyochon), order a whole chicken (or half) cut into pieces, often half soy-garlic and half yangnyeom (the banban order), with pickled radish and beer. At a Japanese izakaya, karaage is a small plate or appetizer; one order is a 6 to 8 piece portion shared by 2 to 3 people. At a Taiwanese night-market stall, popcorn chicken is a single-person snack.
The rookie mistakes: ordering all white meat at a Southern fried chicken place (the dark meat is where the flavor lives), expecting a 5-minute wait at a serious Korean fried chicken place (it is twice-fried to order and takes 20 to 30 minutes minimum), missing the pickled radish with Korean chicken (it is the essential palate cleanser), and confusing karaage with chicken katsu (karaage is small marinated pieces, katsu is breaded cutlet).
What to drink with it
American fried chicken pairs canonically with cold beer (lager or pilsner), sweet tea, lemonade, or buttermilk. Korean fried chicken with cold draft beer is the chimaek tradition; soju on the side. Japanese karaage with cold lager or sake. Taiwanese popcorn chicken with bubble tea or boba milk tea. The dryness of fried chicken makes a carbonated drink the universal companion; the saltiness makes cold and crisp the right register. Champagne is a serious-people pairing with high-end fried chicken (the bubbles and acidity cut the fat beautifully).
Where to eat it
Southern American: Willie Mae's Scotch House (New Orleans), Gus's World Famous (Memphis and now national), Prince's and Hattie B's for the Nashville hot tradition, Roscoe's (LA, chicken and waffles), Bayou Bakery and Astro Beer Hall (DC). Korean: Seoul holds the deepest scene (Kyochon, Bonchon, Mom's Touch, Kkanbu Chicken), with strong satellite scenes in Los Angeles (Koreatown), New York (Flushing and Korean midtown), and Sydney. Japanese karaage: Tokyo izakayas; Hokkaido for zangi. Taiwanese popcorn chicken: Taipei night markets, especially Shilin. London, Sydney, and New York all have serious global fried chicken scenes with all five lineages represented.
A short history
Fried chicken in the American Southern lineage descends from West African pan-frying traditions and the Scottish-Irish tradition of frying chicken in lard (both arriving in the South in the 18th and 19th centuries). The Black-Southern tradition codified the buttermilk soak and seasoned dredge. Korean fried chicken developed in the late 20th century, with the modern double-fry-and-glaze format emerging in the 1980s and 1990s; the chimaek (chicken and beer) culture is from the same era. Karaage emerged in Japan in the 1920s and 1930s as Chinese-influenced home cooking, becoming an izakaya standard by the postwar period.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between Korean fried chicken and Southern fried chicken?
Technique. Korean fried chicken is twice-fried (low temp to cook through, high temp to crisp) and typically glazed with a sauce after frying. Southern fried chicken is dredged in flour, fried once at a moderate-high temperature, and served without a glaze (the seasoning is in the flour and the optional hot sauce or honey).
Is Popeyes Southern fried chicken?
It is Louisiana-Creole-Southern. Popeyes was founded in New Orleans in 1972 by Al Copeland and uses a Louisiana-style seasoning. The 2019 chicken sandwich popularized a new fried chicken sandwich format. The chain is now the most globally influential mass-market Southern fried chicken company.
Why is Korean fried chicken twice-fried?
The first fry cooks the chicken through at a lower temperature; the second fry at a higher temperature crisps the skin and renders out remaining fat, producing a notably crunchier and less greasy result than single-fried chicken. The technique also lets the sauce adhere without softening the crust.
More cities are in research. Want fried chicken covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.