It’s hard not to love a fried food, especially chicken. One might argue over which cut is best—dark meat or white, wings or drumsticks?— but the consummate fried bird has a crackling brown exterior and moist and flavorful meat within. Like dumplings or noodles, fried chicken spans cultures; it’s not just a Southern thing, as the international success of the Other KFC can attest. Even vegetarian and vegan approximations of the dish are surprisingly good, because it’s hard not to argue with plenty of salt, fat, and a deep fryer. Below are our favorite spots to get fried chicken (and chick’n). Let us know yours in the comments.
Photo by LaTur.
ASTRO DOUGHNUTS AND FRIED CHICKEN: Astro may be best known for their doughnuts, but the fried chicken is nothing to sneeze at either. After all, frying dough isn’t all that different from frying a bird. In Astro’s case, they get the oil good and hot, resulting in a nicely crisped skin. If you can’t decide between chicken or doughnuts, go for broke and eat them together: Astro offers four chicken and doughnut sandwiches in buffalo, BLT, Old Bay, or honey butter flavors. Heart disease never tasted so good. —Alicia Mazzara
Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken is located at 1308 G Street NW or follow their food truck on Twitter.
BON CHON: Move over Colonel Sanders. Fried chicken has taken a pivot to Asia. This Korean chain has raised the bar (or wing) for what fast food fried chicken can be if you combine the passion for a high crunch-to-skin ratio (wings) with a choice of Asian inspired sauces—soy garlic and spicy hot garlic (very hot). Diners can choose from wings, strips (not your McNuggets variety), drumsticks, or a combo of wings and legs. Whether you add the sweet soy garlic or spicy hot garlic sauce, you will enjoy these wonderful additions to perfectly fried chicken. Bonchon’s menu is also very kid-friendly, should you want to start the initiation rites of for the next generation chicken lovers. There are Caesar and Italian salads that can also be a vehicle for this crunchy chicken. But more to my liking is the kimchi coleslaw, though purists may revert back to the old standard mayo-based cabbage. There are other main dishes on the menu – the proverbial bulgogi ssam (a wrap), bulgogi, fried rice, and a pork belly bun that is a dinner unto itself. But why go to Bonchon for anything except the chicken. —Johanna Mendelson-Froman
BonChon has six locations in the metro area. The chain is opening their first D.C. store near Navy Yard in the spring.
BOSS SHEPHERD’S: You could buy a whole bird at Popeye’s for the price of Jeremy Waybright’s quarter-chicken. But then it wouldn’t have been brined for 12 hours and come with a smoked egg. I’m tired of overpriced comfort food too, but with this moist fowl and rich, buttery biscuits (and smoked egg), that $24 pays not for a big portion but intense flavor. It’s an indulgence you’ll happily return to again.—Pat Padua
Boss Shepherd’s is located at 513 13th Street NW.
CENTRAL: If you’re all about the crust, Central’s fried chicken has got your number. The craggy pieces get their signature texture thanks to a mixture of bread crumbs and chicken shavings, stock, and milk (dubbed chicken “mayonnaise”). Yeah, it sounds a little horrifying, but it’s hard to argue with the ultra-crusty, golden brown exterior—one bite and you’ll forget all about that chicken mayo. As an added bonus, the bird is served upon a bed of buttery mashed potatoes, and no one makes potatoes quite like the French. — Alicia Mazzara
Central is located at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
FOUNDING FARMERS: Since opening in 2011, Founding Farmers has become a large presence amongst the restaurants within walking distance of the White House, World Bank, and the IMF. Their upscale casual, sustainable-ish style of food has become increasing common, but the most popular dish, the chicken & waffles, is uniquely satisfying. This meal, large enough to actually be two complete meals, features one piece of breast meat and wing, another of thigh and leg, a full Belgian waffle, mac and cheese, and an additional choice of sides like mashed green beans or succotash. Comfort food like this is why the hoards each night wait to be seated a half-hour after their reservation time.—Josh Kramer
Founding Farmers has three locations in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Photo by Dan Lawrence.
GBD: When you order fried chicken from a restaurant whose initials stand for Golden, Brown, Delicious, you know you’re in for a treat. While home to the infamous Luther sandwich, you can also get your fried chicken here sans bacon and a donut bun, if you’re into moderation. The Dinner for 4 is a great way to enjoy the perfectly crispy-on-the outside, moist-on the-inside chicken—$40 gets you a bucket with eight pieces of chicken, a large coleslaw, two sides of your choice and four deliciously flaky biscuits. If you find yourself craving fried chicken for breakfast, GBD opens at 8 a.m. Monday-Friday and offers a fried chicken biscuit sandwich to get your day started right.—Elizabeth Packer
GBD is located at 1323 Connecticut Avenue NW.
HERSHEY’S: Some of the best damn fried chicken I’ve ever had—succulent, juicy and tasty. The restaurant makes you feel like you’ve been transported back about 50 years. Located next to the railroad tracks in the little known (and hard to find) Washington Grove section of Gaithersburg, true aficionados of fried chicken know how to find the place and have been going there for years. — Merrill Cohen (a.k.a Matt’s dad)
Hershey’s is located at 17030 Oakmont Avenue in Gaithersburg, Md.
THE HITCHING POST: This Petworth staple has been in the fried chicken business for over 40 years. And while the restaurant changed ownership a few years ago, undergoing a renovation and hiring a new chef, the infamous fried chicken lives on. Diners should plan to arrive with an appetite: along with their crisp, well-seasoned Southern-style fried chicken, The Hitching Post is known for generous portions. The dinner platter comes with about half a chicken’s worth of food, plus two sides for $15. —Alicia Mazzara
The Hitching Post is located at 200 Upshur Street NW.
KOCHIX:The Korean-style wings at Bloomingdale’s KoChix are like a drug. No, really, you can’t eat just one. You always have to have one more until your belly is busting out of your pants, and you realize you’ve broken a sweat from eating wings. But it’s justified: KoChix’s Korean-style wings are double-fried for the perfect amount of crispiness and available with either soy garlic, honey spicy, or hot honey spicy sauces—each amazing in their own right. KoChix is seriously dangerous. Start eating there once and you’ll find yourself there every day of the week. Brb, getting KoChix. — Matt Cohen, from our Best Korean list
KoChix is located at 400 Florida Avenue NW.
Photo by R Lopez.
NATIVE FOODS: I imagine vegans get cravings for fried food just like the rest of us, and now that the West Coast chain Native Foods has expanded to D.C., they can satisfy that urge with the restaurant’s native fried chicken. Available in a variety of preparations, the chicken—a mix of wheat, soy and pea proteins—has a convincing texture and a pleasantly crisp exterior. Order the Chicken Ranch Burger or the Twister wrap with a side of fries, and you’ve got a tasty, vegan take on a fast-food fried chicken sandwich. And Native Foods may be the only place in town where you can order fried chicken and still feel virtuous—the Soul Bowl pairs the crispy chicken strips with a tangy barbeque sauce and a mound of steamed veggies. —Elizabeth Packer
Native Foods has locations at 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW and 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
PEARL DIVE OYSTER PALACE/BLACK JACK: Off-theme it may be, but no one’s complaining about Pearl Dive’s Amish fried chicken. The buttermilk-battered, juicy dark meat pieces are first braised, then fried to a delicate crisp and served with classic southern sides like dark greens braised with bacon, salt-roasted potatoes and coleslaw. Upstairs at Black Jack, the chicken comes in a bucket with jalapeno cornbread and two other sides. —Jenny Holm
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and Black Jack are located at 1612 14th Street NW.
WOODLAND’S VEGAN BISTRO: This skillful vegan preparation is the sensory twin of the carnivorous standard. It looks, feels, smells and tastes much like its animalistic sibling. However, the crispy bean curd chick’n filet is less juicy and briny than chicken meat. And, in contrast to convention, the fried coating isn’t glistening with grease or speckled with coarse black pepper. Woodlands’ chick’n is served as a sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onions and a tangy barbecue sauce. It’s also available as a side order of five chick’n drummies, small drumsticks served with the barbecue sauce. —Andrea Adleman
Woodland’s Vegan Bistro is located at 2928 Georgia Avenue NW.
