Eater - The best fried chicken across America

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When it came time to decide what dish or cuisine to explore for our next big feature (as we did with Mexican Food a few years ago), Eater editors, reporters, photographers, and beyond were nearly unanimous — and excited — to dive into the crispy-fried world of one of America’s favorite foods: fried chicken. We asked chef and food writer Amethyst Ganaway to expand on the cultural significance of a crispy bird, and she declares it “a dish that represents our past and our present as a country of immigrants and outsiders, and has been interpreted and reinterpreted time and time again.”

Read on to explore Eater's deep dive on fried chicken, published today — its history, the endless varieties, and how it's celebrated across the country.

FRIED CHICKEN IS UTTERLY CRAVEABLE

Illustration by Nat Belkov

The ultimate guide to the best fried chicken in America

From Hat Yai in Portland, to Detroit’s Pollo Chapin, to Willie Mae’s in New Orleans, these are the American experts in fried chicken.

Which chain makes the best fried chicken?

Welcome to Eater’s fast-food fried chicken bracket.

A four-ingredient fried chicken recipe with a story to tell

Gullah Geechee cookbook author Emily Meggett’s version of the Southern staple is an essential.

FRIED CHICKEN IS OUR HISTORY

Illustration by Keisha Okafor

For generations of Black women, fried chicken meant financial freedom

For Black women in America — especially in Virginia — fried chicken has always been a lifeline.

Food, fame, and fried chicken

This episode of Gastropod looks at why everyone from Aretha Franklin to Mahalia Jackson opened fried chicken restaurants. 

How theme parks use fried chicken to sell the American dream

Theme parks have long used fried chicken to evoke a sense of old-timey, wholesome Americana. But who, exactly, is this nostalgia really for?

FRIED CHICKEN IS FOR EVERYONE

Photo by Clay Williams

How fried chicken brings us together: five celebrations in photos

From Honolulu to Atlanta, when you need to feed a crowd, fried chicken is the answer.

A guide to some of Asia’s magnificent fried chicken styles

A technical (and abridged) guide to the crispy-fried delights of Japan, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and South Korea.

Indian fried chicken needs no reintroduction

How restaurants are showing off the full flavors of Indian fried chicken.

FRIED CHICKEN IS EVERYWHERE

Photo by Kim Kovacik

Like literally, everywhere across the country

From a chicken wing destination at Atlanta’s hottest strip club, to the LA family golden-frying 50k birds each week, to why Houston is America’s modern fried chicken capital, and maps to the best fried chicken — from NYC to Miami to Portland to Dallas and 20 cities in between.

TODAY'S VIDEO

WATCH: HOW LA'S HONEY'S KETTLE HAS BEEN PERFECTING FRIED CHICKEN FOR 40 YEARS

GIF: Carla Francescutti/Murilo Ferreira/Julia Hess/Christian Moreno 

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