I love Spring Hill, but did not find their fried chicken dinner all that great. The skin and the crust did not coalesce into one. Rather there was the crispy outer part and then underneath this pale flabby skin, not appealing.
Why not just stop supporting factory farming which is responsible for destroying our planet at an alarming rate. Think about that the next time you want "fried chicken that will make you very very happy" Gross.
You can pay $20 for a fried chicken dinner if you want and if you can afford it, and you can take your chances at Ezell's and hope not to get old, past-its-prime (fried more than an hour ago) chicken which has happened to me more than once - also at a premium (and I think their cobbler tastes powdery). But for me, catching the fried chicken at QFC right out of the fryer at around $2 a breast works great for me. I think it's delicious. And by the way, I'm from the South and grew up with fried chicken for dinner about 2-3 times a week. Nobody fried a chicken like my mama (but most Southerners say that).
I have tried Ezells on two (count that TWO) separate occasions. And the service was really great, the line was really long and the chicken WAS REALLY REALLY LACKLUSTER!!
And yeah, big shit that Oprah likes it. Look at Oprah's waistline! Do you really think she cares what she puts in her body?
As a southerner I can tell you every southerner knows Popeye's has the best fried chicken. I realize this stabs at the heart of hipster's corporations produce nothing good thought processes but it is true. And please Seattle. Fucking stick to frying salmon or tofu.
The honey-stung fried chicken at The 5 Point is really fuckin' good. Better than Ezells anyway. And it comes with a giant pile of delicious mashed potatoes and gravy.
Wait a second, I thought horseradish was what gave Ezell's coleslaw that kick. I swear I taste horseradish. It's certainly a more complex kick than just pepper, isn't it?
@17: That is an interesting question. I attributed it to the pepper because I saw lots of large bits of cracked pepper in the cole slaw, but if it was horseradish, I will love Ezell's even more. I'll reinvestigate sometime soon.
I ate the "Chicken & Eggs" Breakfast @ HUNGER this weekend and it was AMAZING...far better than any chicken I have ever had at Ezel's or any other place for that matter. Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Poached Eggs, AND Hollandaise sauce on a bed of bacon braised greens...its the ultimate hangover cure!
Whenever I give up vegetarianism to eat fried chicken it's always really weird, too chewy and stringy. In fact it's almost like biting through many layers of tendon and muscle tissue. But this article really made me want to again.
@14- I've spent a LOT of time in the south, and am a devotee of all things therefrom. But I must say that y'all don't really have any monopoly on great chicken. For my tastes, the best chicken EVER is from the little Ethiopian grocery 1/2 block east of MLK on jackson. There is also an amazing Senegalese place in Nantes, France doing something completely different, but very good.
@14: Couldn't agree with you more. Grew up in the South and would kill for some Popeye's chicken and rice 'n beans. Talk about a sweet, sweet burn. So good, it's almost worth the drive to Renton.
You go to a much different Ezell's than I ever had. Maybe Oprah gets special chicken but the stuff i've gotten from them has been terrible. Now Chickie Pub down in Federal Way, that is good Korean Fried Chicken, maybe some of the best I've ever had.
Please wait...
and remember to be decent to everyone all of the time.
And yeah, big shit that Oprah likes it. Look at Oprah's waistline! Do you really think she cares what she puts in her body?
But I will try the places you mentioned. To to reaffirm my own opinions of course.