--- title: The Best Places to Eat Fried Chicken in America description: From Illinois to Mississippi canonical: https://time.com/4008394/best-fried-chicken-america/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-24T18:19:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:24.902Z og:title: The Best Places to Eat Fried Chicken in America og:description: From Illinois to Mississippi og:url: https://time.com/4008394/best-fried-chicken-america/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Best Places to Eat Fried Chicken in America twitter:description: From Illinois to Mississippi twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # The Best Places to Eat Fried Chicken in America by [Food & Wine](https://time.com/author/food-wine-2/) ## Food & Wine Aug 24, 2015 6:19 PM UTC by [Food & Wine](https://time.com/author/food-wine-2/) ## Food & Wine Aug 24, 2015 6:19 PM UTC While fried chicken traces its origins to the South, innovative chefs across the country understand the innate appeal of the homey, crunchy, juicy dish. ### Michael Solomonov’s Federal Donuts (Philadelphia)  Michael Persico [Federal Donuts](http://www.federaldonuts.com/)’s simple, wickedly great business model—superb fried chicken and doughnuts—has proven so popular that five outposts now dot the city. The 24-hour-cured chicken is double-fried for extra crispness and come spiced or glazed, depending on the location, in flavors like chili garlic and buttermilk ranch. _More from Food & Wine:_ * [Best Southern Food in the U.S.](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-southern-food-in-the-us?xid=PS%5Ftime) * [Best BBQ Cities](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-bbq-cities?xid=PS%5Ftime) * [Best Chicken Wings in the U.S.](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-chicken-wings-in-the-us?xid=PS%5Ftime) ### Watershed on Peachtree (Atlanta)  Watershed on Peachtree [The Atlanta institution](http://watershedrestaurant.com/) has undergone a number of changes, but new chef Joe Truex knew not to mess with Scott Peacock’s legendary fried chicken. Brined in buttermilk and fried in ham hock-flavored fry fat, the crisp, golden, utterly addictive chicken is now served both at lunch and dinner on Wednesdays—and sold out usually by 7:30pm. ### Little Goat Diner (Chicago)  Little Goat Fried chicken makes all sorts of cameos [here](http://littlegoatchicago.com/) (including accompanying onion brioche French toast). But traditionalists should order the fried chicken plate, a half-chicken that’s been brined in buttermilk and hot sauce for 12 hours before being steamed and tossed in the fryer. ### Yardbird Southern Table and Bar (Miami)  50 Eggs, Inc Following a 27-hour soak in a sugar-salt brine with a hint of paprika and cayenne pepper, the fantastic chicken [here](http://www.runchickenrun.com/) is fried in lard and served with Tabasco-spiked honey. ### Beasley’s Chicken + Honey (Raleigh, NC)  Angie Mosier With extra-craggy triple-fried chicken paired with a thick, custardy Belgian waffle, [Ashley Christensen](http://ac-restaurants.com/beasleys/)’s take on chicken and waffles is “all about the textures,” she says. ### Wayfare Tavern (San Francisco)  SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF - OCT 19, 2012: Tyler Florence's Wayfare Tavern restaurant in San Francisco. Photo by John Lee.COPYRIGHT 2012 JOHN LEE PICTURES.www.johnleepictures.com John Lee The secret to TV food star [Tyler Florence](http://wayfaretavern.com/)’s fantastically crispy and perfectly moist chicken: baking it at 200 degrees for 2 1/2 hours before coating with seasoned flour and frying in garlic-and-herb-infused oil. ### Pies-N-Thighs (Brooklyn, NY)  Winnie Au “I’m on the record as a fried-chicken freak,” says editor in chief Dana Cowin, who wasn’t disappointed by this cult [Williamsburg spot](http://piesnthighs.com) known for fried chicken seasoned with paprika, black pepper and cayenne. “I adored its homey mood and comfort food.” ### Two Sister’s Kitchen (Jackson, MS)  Two Sister's Kitchen [Two Sister’s Kitchen](https://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Sisters-Kitchen/110275064463), in a two-story house, opens only for lunch (every day but Saturday) and serves a buffet of soul food made with recipes culled from all the women in Diann I. Alford’s family. “It’s like Sunday lunch at your grandmother’s,” she says. Piled on Sisters’ all-you-can-eat buffet: light angel biscuits; grits and Southern sides that might include turnip greens; and corn bread salad (Alford’s mother got her to eat vegetables by adding chunks of corn bread). The one constant: “If the front door’s open, we have fried chicken,” assures Alford. ### Momofuku Noodle Bar (New York, NY)  Momofuku Noodle Bar Ordering the fried chicken at [David Chang’s East Village spot](http://momofuku.com) requires planning—you’ll need a group of four to eight people, and you’ll have to reserve the order online. It’s worth the hassle. He serves two styles in one sitting: Southern with Old Bay seasoning, and a spicy Korean version. Diners can wrap hot pieces of meat in moo shu pancakes with a variety of sweet and salty sauces. ### Harold’s Chicken Shack (Chicago, IL)  Writing With My Mouth Full Founded in 1950 by “Fried Chicken King” Harold Pierce, [the chain](http://www.haroldschicken55.com/) thrives on a simple model: White or dark meat plunged in oil to order, and served with hot sauce. [_Read the full list here._](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-fried-chicken-in-the-us/11?xid=PS%5Ftime) _This_ [_article_](http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-fried-chicken-in-the-us?xid=PS%5Ftime) _originally appeared on_ [_Food & Wine_](http://www.foodandwine.com/?xid=PS%5Ftime)_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4008394/best-fried-chicken-america/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4008394/best-fried-chicken-america/"},"headline":"The Best Places to Eat Fried Chicken in America","datePublished":"2015-08-24T18:19:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:24.902Z","description":"From Illinois to Mississippi","url":"https://time.com/4008394/best-fried-chicken-america/","keywords":["Living","Food & Drink","Chicken"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Food & Wine","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/food-wine-2/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4008394/best-fried-chicken-america/","name":"The Best Places to Eat Fried Chicken in America"}}]}] ```