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Best Fried Chicken

Both Tacos

By Both Tacos
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HouTex

HouTex 1867

Posted
Posted

It was probably a factor of being a little hung over and very hungry after a weekend hunt in the early 00's, but the Chester Fried Chicken at some convenience store between Uvalde and San Antonio had some of the best fried chicken I have ever had.  I still see those signs at some Chevron branded convenience stores. I think the store at or near Montrose and Washington Ave has it.  I haven't had it since but for fast food/convenience store fried chicken it was amazing.   This probably belongs in the unpopular opinions thread.  

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futureman

futureman 22462

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Posted
50 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

Maybe I caught it on the wrong day, but the Randall's fried chicken I just had was nasty AF.

Not crispy and tasted way too salty and a weird taste of something like sage.

I will likely give it one more shot at a different location, but that was definitely strike one.

it’s very hit or miss but decent if you get lucky

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8679

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Posted
5 hours ago, idigTexas said:

No, do not /thread

While that looks like a great recipe, this thread is about where you can get the best fried chicken that has already been prepared. 

I see a lot of love for Bill Miller's, but it is b-l-a-n-d, bland.  That's the same problem I have with Bush's, who also offers consistently well-made under-seasoned fried chicken.  I love Popeye's spicy, but have not had a good batch in over 10 years.  They tend to overcook it, and their pieces are tiny.  Church's spicy is great, but the past four times I have asked for it, I have received the "it will be 20 minutes" bullshit, so I don't go there anymore.  I have not tried Randall's, but am not sure the search for consistently good and seasoned fried chicken is worth having to go to such a soulless place.  I'd rather just pick up a box from Bush's next door and sprinkle a little Tony Chachere's on it. 


Then "Ad Hoc". That's where this fried chicken is prepared on a daily basis. (or at least on Mondays.)

Screen-Shot-2019-01-31-at-12-48-07-PM.pn

https://www.thomaskeller.com/adhoc

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8679

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Posted
2 minutes ago, C-Man said:

I've made this at home and it's fucking spectacular.

I have too. And you are correct.


NOTE: It is much better on pieces of chicken with the skin. I tried it on strips of chicken breast to make amazing chicken fingers, but the crust doesn't stick to just the muscle nearly as well.

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DoobieWah

DoobieWah 1437

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Posted
1 hour ago, Orange&White said:

Maybe I caught it on the wrong day, but the Randall's fried chicken I just had was nasty AF.

Not crispy and tasted way too salty and a weird taste of something like sage.

I will likely give it one more shot at a different location, but that was definitely strike one.

Which Randall's?

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31470

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3 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Time of day is definitely a factor. Around noon or 6pm is your best bet. But I've never had it "not crispy".

Do the Dallas Tom Thumbs hold up?  Specifically the one across from Northpark?  I remember Mom bringing some home that wasn't half bad at all, but it was probably before TomThumbSafewayRandallsAlbertsons.

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ztejas

ztejas 43448

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Posted
11 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Do the Dallas Tom Thumbs hold up?  Specifically the one across from Northpark?  I remember Mom bringing some home that wasn't half bad at all, but it was probably before TomThumbSafewayRandallsAlbertsons.

I mean, yeah. Randall's and Tom Thumb are basically identical.

Awful grocery stores but their deli is pretty good and sometimes I'll pick up a big container of one of their soups with some bread. 

Whole Foods has really taken over Dallas and on the other end of the spectrum Kroger does its best HEB imitation.

I have a Trader Joe's across the street so I do most of my grocery there.

I still fucking miss HEB though.

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C-Man

C-Man 27227

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Posted
1 minute ago, ztejas said:

I mean, yeah. Randall's and Tom Thumb are basically identical.

Awful grocery stores but their deli is pretty good and sometimes I'll pick up a big container of one of their soups with some bread. 

Whole Foods has really taken over Dallas and on the other end of the spectrum Kroger does its best HEB imitation.

I have a Trader Joe's across the street so I do most of my grocery there.

I still fucking miss HEB though.

Huh? I think Central Market is a bigger deal than Whole Foods.

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C-Man

C-Man 27227

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38 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

I have too. And you are correct.


NOTE: It is much better on pieces of chicken with the skin. I tried it on strips of chicken breast to make amazing chicken fingers, but the crust doesn't stick to just the muscle nearly as well.

Never tried it on strips. The hardest thing is finding 3-pound whole birds like Keller suggests. Secondly, I'm a terrible butcher of whole chickens so the next time I make it, I think I'm going straight for already cut skin-on pieces of chicken. The overnight brine is a PITA as well with everything in it but it matters.

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8679

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Posted
1 minute ago, C-Man said:

Never tried it on strips. The hardest thing is finding 3-pound whole birds like Keller suggests. Secondly, I'm a terrible butcher of whole chickens so the next time I make it, I think I'm going straight for already cut skin-on pieces of chicken. The overnight brine is a PITA as well with everything in it but it matters.

In Argentina, the chickens tended to be about 2 kilos (4.4 lbs), so I also had a difficult time finding the right sized chicken.

After taking forever hacking up a whole chicken, I vowed to buy pre-cut chicken from then on, though the breast will still need to be halved.

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C-Man

C-Man 27227

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Posted
20 minutes ago, ztejas said:

There are 2 Whole Foods for every Central Market in DFW. I stand by my claim. 

WF has not "taken over" Dallas. Today, in Dallas there are five Whole Foods and three Central Markets. CM is superior in just about any way too.

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Dutch

Dutch 4465

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Posted
27 minutes ago, C-Man said:

WF has not "taken over" Dallas. Today, in Dallas there are five Whole Foods and three Central Markets. CM is superior in just about any way too.

This. The only thing I prefer at Whole Foods is their pre-packaged guacamole (WF has more cilantro and lime, which I prefer),  but beyond that CM blows them away on selection, price, and (IMHO) quality.  CM Lover's Lane > CM Plano* > Whole Foods. 

*Don't know about CM Fort Worth.

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Longhorn Al

Longhorn Al 440

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Posted

Here's one that's a little unexpected.  Not sure it really fits, but it's chicken...and it's fried.  The Sunday Special at Cracker Barrel.  Two fried chicken breasts (boneless).  They're big, juicy, and I can't get enough of the breading.  First time I tried it, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Now I get it every time I happen to be there on a Sunday with the parents.

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DougO

DougO 5247

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Posted

Popeye's spicy

Popeye's regular

Williams Chicken. Old school greasy cheap chicken, tough to beat when you can find a location.

Had Lucy's in north Austin a couple of years ago, it was very good. I enjoyed the mashed sweet potato stuff, too. A bit pricey.

Luby's had some goodass fry chicken back in the day.

Church's if you can find a good one. Their spicy is spicier than Popeye's, veyr nice, but management tends to be a total dumpsterfire.

Golden chick, good quality fry chicken, but I actually go for the spicy roasted chicken.

KFC isn't really so much fried chicken, but I enjoy a couple of pieces of original once in a while for a change of pace.

Really hard to find any non-chain fried chicken in the heart of Texas.

Haven't been to Gus's. Was supposed to go there a couple of times when in Austin and Memphis, but something always comes up and I get screwed out of trying it.

 

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DougO

DougO 5247

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Posted

Leslie's chicken shack in Bellmead, the original Church's before they changed everything and went full ghetto, various small down diners and joints, too many former great ones have ceased to exist.

A couple of years ago I hit the Golden Chick in Georgetown, and it was much like the original Golden Fried Chicken of my younger days. Great stuff.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31470

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Posted
5 minutes ago, DougO said:

Leslie's chicken shack in Bellmead, the original Church's before they changed everything and went full ghetto, various small down diners and joints, too many former great ones have ceased to exist.

A couple of years ago I hit the Golden Chick in Georgetown, and it was much like the original Golden Fried Chicken of my younger days. Great stuff.

Werent you the one with the fry chicken manifesto on TOS?

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RPM

RPM 26321

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Posted
2 hours ago, DougO said:

Church's if you can find a good one. Their spicy is spicier than Popeye's, veyr nice, but management tends to be a total dumpsterfire.

Used to love the spicy chicken sammich at Church's. Not a fan of their other chicken. They cut it into smaller pieces (breast are 2 pieces and so are wings). They do not, however, charge less for those smaller pieces.

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Sam Lin

Sam Lin 3559

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11 hours ago, South Austin said:

This doesn't qualify as the "best" fried chicken, but since we're on the subject, am I the only one who can still slam some KFC Original Recipe?

Back when KFC was actually Original Recipe and used the pressure fryers, it was amazing. Now, not so much.

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21469

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If you are in Charleston and don’t get some fried chicken from Leon’s you are failing at life.  Best chicken ever, plus they have a wonderful variety of oysters.  Last time I was there I think I mowed through a dozen raw,  half dozen grilled, and half a bird (give or take, lots of things were shared).  One of the better meals I’ve ever had.

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C-Man

C-Man 27227

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Posted
2 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

If you are in Charleston and don’t get some fried chicken from Leon’s you are failing at life.  Best chicken ever, plus they have a wonderful variety of oysters.  Last time I was there I think I mowed through a dozen raw,  half dozen grilled, and half a bird (give or take, lots of things were shared).  One of the better meals I’ve ever had.

Yeah, it's amazeballs. And folks on here talking about Church's and KFC and Chicken Express -- sheesh.

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RollLeft

RollLeft 5045

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Posted
On 1/30/2019 at 10:54 AM, SimonBolivar said:

Let's all calm down a bit. The real answer is going to be some hole in the wall place in East Texas that only 2 or 3 people on this board even know about. Oh and can I add Fried Chicken to the overrated thread? Sure it's fine, but I get tired of it fairly quickly.

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EasyRecentIndianglassfish-size_restricte

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pepper brooks

pepper brooks 580

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20 hours ago, Orange&White said:

Maybe I caught it on the wrong day, but the Randall's fried chicken I just had was nasty AF.

Not crispy and tasted way too salty and a weird taste of something like sage.

I will likely give it one more shot at a different location, but that was definitely strike one.

probably.  their fried chicken is damn solid most days.  It does generally suffer a bit due to most people having to transport it causing it to steam in the container.  Randalls sucks in general, but that fried chicken is good.  Not out of this world, all time great or anything, but very good. 

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South Austin

South Austin 52504

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Posted

Neal's Dining Room in Concan has some damn good fried chicken.  They ask that you allow 45 minutes to prepare.  We only go there once a year for Friday dinner to kick off our annual family camping trip at Garner State Park.  If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend checking it out.  BYOB. 

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Deej

Deej 76791

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Posted (edited)
12 hours ago, RPM said:

Used to love the spicy chicken sammich at Church's. Not a fan of their other chicken. They cut it into smaller pieces (breast are 2 pieces and so are wings). They do not, however, charge less for those smaller pieces.

Strange. Not the one I go to. Unless that's changed in the last 6 months. 

Edited by Deej
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DougO

DougO 5247

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Posted
14 hours ago, RPM said:

Used to love the spicy chicken sammich at Church's. Not a fan of their other chicken. They cut it into smaller pieces (breast are 2 pieces and so are wings). They do not, however, charge less for those smaller pieces.

Church's here had huge wings. They have the big hunk of juicy shoulder meat they hack off the breasteses, best part of the chicken. But they had a fire and now they're closed, probably for good. Place needed to rebuild somewhere else long ago. Their management was total crap.

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DougO

DougO 5247

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Posted (edited)

Popeye's, as much as I love them, is the one  that rips you off for wings. They just give you the skinnyass elbow bone with no meat on it. They must use the good part to make their stupid nuggests and strips for children. Never get wings at Popeyes.

Edited by DougO
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