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Featured Replies

Rudy's in South Dallas is pretty damned good. Although, the last time I was there it wasn't as good as usual. Hoping it was just an off day.

Babe's is pretentious?  I have never actually set foot in one but have been eating at Bubba's (original, same ownership, same recipes) for 30+ years.  I can see that the family style might not be as good as served "fresh" (at Bubba's it's under a heat lamp, but they turn it fasssst at mealtimes and don't serve it if it's sitting long).  But I wouldn't think to call it pretentious, unless you object to the family style, which I might consider a different, but legit complaint.

3 minutes ago, RPM said:

Rudy's in South Dallas is pretty damned good. Although, the last time I was there it wasn't as good as usual. Hoping it was just an off day.

Up thread you threw shade at Babe's. I have to concur. Went to the one in Granbury. It was..ok. The Chicken E down the road has nothing to fear.

I did finally get the chance to try Rudy's over by the Dallas VA hospital when my dad had an extended visit there recently. I like that they throw the jalapenos on there just because they're supposed to be there. I got the 3 piece breast and took 2 of them home. The fries need work. They could have been light years better if they were fresh. Will go back though. I heard you can ask for extra spice on it. 

 

You definitely want to ask for extra spice. Pretty sure it's crack. 

I had never been to Babe's but always heard good things about it. Finally went to the original in Roanoke. They were crowded and service was understandably slow. I can't hold that against them. The poor girls were working their asses off. When the chicken did show up it was literally fresh out of the fryer. Had to wait 5 minutes for it to cool enough to eat. Then... disappointment. Like I said, Golden Chick, ect are far better taste wise.

When I went to pay the cashier asked me how my meal was and I said I've had better at Golden Chick. She takes off (my credit card in her hand) to find the manager. He shows up and starts questioning me about my meal. I repeat my assumption about his chicken, but said I wasn't complaining, just being honest. He takes umbrage to my critique and tells me my meal is comped. Told him that wasn't necessary, I just want to pay my bill and leave. Nope, won't have any of it (meanwhile the cashier still has my CC). By now there's a line of people wanting to pay and are now an audience for the manger to tell me how great their food is and they won't accept money from an unsatisfied customer.

OK, I wasn't unsatisfied until you decided to make a scene. Umm, can I get my CC back? Got my card, walked over and left a $20 on the table for the waitstaff. Haven't been back.

I've been to Lucy's a couple times.  It was like chewing the ocean.  Everything was extremely over-salted.  And that's coming from a guy who loves salt.  Each person I took with me said the same thing.

Babe's sucks.  I've been multiple times because my aunt and cousin love it.  It's average.  The chicken is dry.  The sides are awful.  That "salad" is a joke.

I haven't had Gus's yet.  But I'll take Popeyes, Bill Miller, Chicken Express, Golden Chick and even Bush's.

I also haven't had the chicken at Top Notch yet, either.

9 hours ago, C-Man said:

Best fried chicken I think I've had was at Leon's in Charleston.

Might be GOAT.  Certainly in the top 3.

Back in the day, I would have voted for Dot's Place as the best fried chicken in Austin.  Something similar in East Texas, Houston, or Dallas would probably top the list now.
You can't convince me that anyone working at Lucy's can cook fried chicken better than Dot.
food_mini-6861.jpeg


I miss Dot, I used to personally help her shop(tons of baskets) at HEB on Parmer and Mopac when it was open. She personally bought all her food, never anyone to help her hence the reason why we at HEB did. We couldn’t accept tips but she forced us to take it.
I digress, loved her original trailer on Howard Ln. The Office Space crowd of the late 90s was the main clientele.

I am a fried chicken connoisseur,  and I’m telling you that Randall’s is about as good as it gets.  I’m crapping you negative. 

1 hour ago, Lat22 said:

I am a fried chicken connoisseur,  and I’m telling you that Randall’s is about as good as it gets.  I’m crapping you negative. 

randall’s is fine.  as good as it gets?  

giphy.gif

2 hours ago, Stunns38 said:

 


I miss Dot, I used to personally help her shop(tons of baskets) at HEB on Parmer and Mopac when it was open. She personally bought all her food, never anyone to help her hence the reason why we at HEB did. We couldn’t accept tips but she forced us to take it.
I digress, loved her original trailer on Howard Ln. The Office Space crowd of the late 90s was the main clientele.

 

This is why the surly shag is greatness 

Thomas Keller’s Fried Chicken

Best_Fried_Chicken_Recipe_fifteenspatula

This is the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. It’s also the best fried chicken that world-renowned Thomas Keller has ever had. If you love fried chicken, you must make it!

Best_Fried_Chicken_Recipe_fifteenspatula

Thomas Keller’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken

 
This is the best fried chicken I've ever had. It's also the best fried chicken that world-renowned Thomas Keller has ever had. If you love fried chicken, you must make it!
 
 Cook Time 10 minutes
 Total Time 10 minutes
 
 Servings 2 -4 servings
 Calories 2172kcal

Ingredients

For the Chicken Brine:

  • 8 cups water
  • 1/3 cup sea salt don't sub table salt
  • 1 lemon sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 4 cloves garlic smashed

For the Fried Chicken:

  • one 3lb chicken cut into 10 pieces (breast cut in half)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1.5 tbsp onion powder
  • 1.5 tsp paprika
  • 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • vegetable canola, or peanut oil, for frying (peanut is the best if you're willing to splurge)

Instructions

  • Place all the chicken brine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
  • Let it boil for 1 minute, until the salt dissolves, then chill it completely.  If you’re in a hurry, you can place the mixture in a bowl and set that in an ice bath.  Otherwise, let it chill to room temperature, then stick it in the fridge.
  • Once the mixture is chilled, place the chicken in the brine for 8 hours.  Try not to go beyond 8 hours or the chicken will get too salty.  Discard the brine and pat very dry with paper towels.  Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 1 hour while you prep the other stages.
  • Mix the flour with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Split this between two bowls.  Place the buttermilk in a third bowl, set in between the two spiced flour bowls.
  • Preheat your deep fryer to 320 degrees F, and right before frying, dip the legs and thighs into the flour mixture, the buttermilk, then the flour mixture again.  Fry for 10 minutes until golden brown and 170 degrees F (be careful not to crowd the fryer with too much chicken, do in batches if necessary), and drain on paper towels.
  • Raise the heat to 340 degrees F and dip the wings and breasts into the flour, then buttermilk, then flour.  Fry for 6 to 7 minutes until golden brown and cooked to 160 degrees F.  Enjoy the best fried chicken of your life!

Notes

Make sure to get a small 3 pound fryer chicken (don’t go larger than 4 lbs), that way the pieces don’t overbrown before cooking through.

https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/thomas-kellers-buttermilk-fried-chicken

/thread

 

Driven past this place in Van Horn 1000 times. Never stopped.

diesel-fried-chicken.jpg

  • Author
bbq inn- houston. the peeps in the back on the 1's and 2's know how to fry up some bird.
Does anyone speak jive?

Lucy’s is hit or miss. When it’s on, the chicken is solid. But it’s not always, and the sides are never any good.

Give me Gus’s.

My favorite is addendum behind ad hoc. Ridiculously juicy with great flavor. A plate of that chicken on a picnic table with a bottle of wine made about a mile down the road is perfection for me.

7 hours ago, Napoleon said:

Thomas Keller’s Fried Chicken

 

/thread

 

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. 

it's pretty hard to beat popeyes, tbh.  that spicy chicken is freaking good, and I dgaf if its fast food garbage.  

31 minutes ago, Larry T. Spider said:

My favorite is addendum behind ad hoc. Ridiculously juicy with great flavor. A plate of that chicken on a picnic table with a bottle of wine made about a mile down the road is perfection for me.

This. It's awesome (probably because it is marinated overnight, among other things).  Problem is you have to go to Yountville, and only between sometime in March until it closes late Summer/early fall.

In Austin, Tumble 22 is good.  

26 minutes 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. 

anigif_enhanced-8213-1463418934-3.gif

If you can catch the Randall's Fresh, it is great. 

Popeyes used to be great but after they got bought up a few years ago, the quality and the size of the pieces dropped considerably. 

Frenchys can be great or it can be damned pedestrian at any of the expansion locations. 

BBQ Inn in Houston is great and comes with old school ambiance.  Bonus is that you also get a couple of fried shrimp and/or fried oysters by the piece on the side.  You should do that. 

Brents Grocery in Amagansett NY, fresh chicken at 11:00 AM everyday. So, so good. 

Prince's Hot Chicken in Nashville

23 minutes ago, DoobieWah said:

 

 

CORRECTION:

BBQ Inn in Houston is great and comes with old school ambiance.  Bonus is that you CAN also get a couple of fried shrimp and/or fried oysters by the piece on the side.  You should do that. 

Too late to edit but shrimp and oysters don't automatically come with but make a killer add-on. 

20 minutes ago, next2naus said:

Brents Grocery in Amagansett NY, fresh chicken at 11:00 AM everyday. So, so good. 

Wat?

1 minute ago, Underdog said:

Wat?

Do you even Hamptons, bro?

10 hours ago, futureman said:

randall’s is fine.  as good as it gets?  

giphy.gif

You moron. He meant it's about "As Good As It Gets" referring to the cheesy yet earnest Jack Nicholson film. 

Like that movie, the fried chicken at Randall's isn't the best, but it'll do in a pinch, and is sure to attract fans of Nicholson's previous work. 

6 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Do you even Hamptons, bro?

No. 

1 minute ago, Underdog said:

No. 

Me neither. Had to look up where the fuck "Amagansett" was to make that shitty joke. 

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?

No need to go to the Hamptons when I can easily go to Cape Cod, Long Island...

Just now, 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?

No. 

Which poster on TOS came in and posted a damn dissertation on chain fried chicken joints?

Ate fried chicken for lunch 3-4 times a week for years, iirc. Ranked them. Description including spicy vs original, notable sides, and biscuits. Such in such has a 2 piece combo on Tuesday.

I remember being just floored.

Sounds like something Shank would do. I am jealous as hell

32 minutes ago, Llano Estacado said:

Which poster on TOS came in and posted a damn dissertation on chain fried chicken joints?

Ate fried chicken for lunch 3-4 times a week for years, iirc. Ranked them. Description including spicy vs original, notable sides, and biscuits. Such in such has a 2 piece combo on Tuesday.

I remember being just floored.

haha, i would love to see that. that sounds genius.

i love T22 but do have to admit that really the sides could use a lot of work and the trailer is the only one of the two worth going to.  but judging just on the bird, it is amazing.

46 minutes ago, Llano Estacado said:

Which poster on TOS came in and posted a damn dissertation on chain fried chicken joints?

Ate fried chicken for lunch 3-4 times a week for years, iirc. Ranked them. 

is he dead?

7 minutes ago, futureman said:

is he dead?

Only if he were originally scheduled to die 15 years from now...

13 hours ago, Lat22 said:

I am a fried chicken connoisseur,  and I’m telling you that Randall’s is about as good as it gets.  I’m crapping you negative. 

 

1 hour ago, DoobieWah said:

If you can catch the Randall's Fresh, it is great. 

 

There is a new Randall's right up the street from my office. Looks like I'm heading there right now. 

Also looks like I'll be going to T22 on Saturday.

Since Randall’s and Tom Thumb have the same parent company, can anyone confirm that they have the same fried chicken?

Thanks

Gus's in Memphis is great.

They dicked up the Iowa one big time  So many small town dives that do their own broasted chicken with some closely guarded recipe and they pick some hipster bullshit in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids corridor.

18 minutes ago, Stunns38 said:

Since Randall’s and Tom Thumb have the same parent company, can anyone confirm that they have the same fried chicken?

Thanks

Yes. It's basically identical. 

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