The inside of Motor City Soul Food doesn’t look like much, but the decor takes a backseat to the spot-on soul food, which has made this place a Detroit, Michigan, institution. Classics like oxtails, ribs, ham hocks, ocean perch and candied yams make for a great meal, but no visit is complete without trying the golden brown and delicious fried Read more...

Okarche, Oklahoma’s legendary Eischen’s is renowned for two reasons: It’s been in business since 1896, making it the oldest bar in the state; and it also serves some of the most delicious fried chicken you’ll find anywhere. For 14 bucks, you’ll get a whole fried chicken, bread, sweet and dill pickles, and onions (more than enough for two people to Read more...

Trina’s, one of the quirkier eateries in Boston, Massachusetts, features delicious, creative renditions of a dizzying variety of cuisines and cocktails in a vintage-noir, vaguely Southern atmosphere. Among other things, head chef Suzanne Maitland tops a buttermilk waffle with fried chicken and drizzles it with hot pepper maple syrup. It’s a must-order — and it’s even better paired with a Read more...

“Fried chicken and Champagne?… Why the hell not?!” That is the question; it’s also the slogan of Texas joint Max’s Wine Dive, which got its start in Austin but today has five locations, all featuring casual, industrial décor and top-notch food. Don’t miss their house-made jalapeño-and-buttermilk-marinated chicken, served with home fries, collard greens and Texas toast and chipotle honey or Read more...

Bottle & Bond in Bardstown, Kentucky, is serving a truly authentic Southern-style fried chicken, made with top-notch ingredients and a deft hand. The chicken here is brined; dipped in a buttermilk-egg mixture; and dredged in flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne before being fried the old-fashioned way, in a cast-iron skillet. It’s tough to get cast Read more...

Located near Logan Circle in Washington, D.C., Birch & Barley bases its diverse and deceptively simple dishes around the complex flavors of its collection of 555 artisanal beers. Since 2009, it’s been serving up a wide variety of styles and flavors, including a fair share of fried delights. Some might be drawn to the fried peach pie, but the real Read more...

The chicken and waffles at Indianapolis, Indiana, mainstay Maxine’s are just about perfect, kicked up by the addition of sweet potato to the waffle batter and a scoop of house-made peach butter on top. The huge fried chicken wings are addictively delicious, and the trifecta of waffle, chicken and peach butter is pure gustatory bliss. Read more...

Most fried chicken recipes contain a “secret” or two, but at The Dearborn chef Aaron Cuschieri employs about six or seven signature moves, turning out one of the finest plates of fried chicken in Chicago, Illinois. The first? After the chicken is broken down, it’s brined for 24 hours in pickle brine. Then it’s soaked in buttermilk for four hours Read more...

Little Donkey, a Birmingham, Alabama, Mexican restaurant, serves fried chicken with a twist: It is brined overnight with a mixture of three chiles, and splashed with a house-made vinegar made from morita and habanero peppers to impart some added heat. Read more...

Barberton is known as the “Chicken Capital of the World” because it serves seven and a half tons of chicken a week between just four restaurants, the oldest of which is Belgrade Gardens. The restaurant, which opened during the Great Depression, serves fried chicken in the Serbian-American (or “Barberton”) style. This recipe relies on fresh (never frozen) bird, lard and Read more...