Fried Chicken Near Me
Few things are as beloved and revered among all cultures as fried chicken. Always a crowd pleaser, fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried for a crisp outer layer. For centuries, individuals from all walks of life have been taking comfort in this delicious and warm dish.
Are you interested in finding fried chicken near you? Simply browse fried chicken near me on the map below and find a list of fried chicken establishments near you. Need a bit more information on fried chicken? Read on for interesting facts, trivia, and history on this revered and loved dish!
Fried Chicken Near Me – Find it on the Map
Fried Chicken Near Me – Fried Chicken Trivia
When did fried chicken first become popular in the US?
Like so many of the food dishes we know and love today, the exact origins of fried chicken history aren’t well documented, but there are many early references that can give historians an idea of when fried chicken was first popularized in the US and abroad. The earliest known written recipe for American style fried chicken first appeared in the British Cookbook, Hannah Glasse’s “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy.” This cookbook was first published in 1747 and contained a recipe titled “To Marinate Chickens.” The recipe called for an at home cook to flour pieces of chicken and then fry them in hog’s lard. Glasse’s cookbook became a wild and runaway hit on both sides of the pond. Surprisingly her recipe became a prized and revered way to make fried chicken in most well off American kitchens. Despite it’s very British pedigree, people who lived during the 18th century almost always associated fried chicken with the American South. That’s because some of the dish’s earliest and biggest boosters were of Southern descent. One of the earliest accounts of fried chicken eating comes from the diary of Governor William Byrd of Virginia who wrote in the 1700s. Southern fried chicken soon became the American culinary standard. Soon a version of Glasse’s recipe was published in a wildly popular cookbook called “The Virginia Housewife” which was written by Martha Randolph in 1824. Consider the history of this dish as you search fried chicken near me!
Fried chicken is one of America’s favorite dishes!
True or false: Before World War II it was a special occasion dish.
True! Fried chicken may be something we consume on a regular basis today, but up until the early 1900s, fried chicken was a dish that was only reserved for special occasions and holidays. The reason? There was a scarcity of spring chickens and the need for such an extraordinarily high volume of fat. Chicken was also very time consuming to prepare, which meant the odds of finding it on a restaurant menu at this time was nearly impossible. It wasn’t until after World War II that fried chicken became a common everyday kind of meal and that restaurants serving fried chicken began popping up all over the country. Today if you search fried chicken near me, you’ll find no shortage of both high end, mid-range, and fast food style establishments boasting their take on the now iconic American dish.
Fried Chicken Near Me – Fried Chicken Facts
Not Every Chicken is Suitable for Frying
With the advent of fast food fried chicken and mass production, it may seem as if all chickens have always been suitable for frying. In fact, today, just about any chicken you find at your supermarket or lining the case of a local butcher shop are broilers. Broilers are specifically bred to be suitable for every type of cooking, including frying, and searing. Since older birds tend to be tougher and require long cook times at a low temperature, in the early days only very young chickens were suitable for the high heat and fast cooking time required to properly make good fried chicken. This meant that fried chicken was only to be enjoyed in the spring and the summer, when young chickens were easily available. This resulted in fried chicken being deemed a luxury item due to the scarcity of the chickens needed to create the dish in the true Southern manner. As you search fried chicken near me, consider just how easy it is today to make or procure fried chicken.
Fried Chicken variants
If you’re searching fried chicken near me, you may be thinking that there’s only one kind of fried chicken in the world. You likely know the golden brown, crispy, battered or flour variety served up on its own. What you might not know is that there are fried chicken variants offered all over the world and even regionally in the US. For example, in Tennessee you’ll find Nashville hot chicken. Nashville hot chicken is marinated in a water-based blend of seasonings before being floured, fried, and finally sauced in a past that is spiced with cayenne pepper. It is traditionally served atop slices of white bread with pickle chips. That’s not the only variation on fried chicken. In Korea, this chicken dish is fried twice and then dunked in a sweet and spicy sauce to add several levels of flavor. In Japan, fried chicken is cut up and fried in a style that is most similar to tempura. They never serve the whole breast or leg pieces as we do in the US. In Thailand, fried chicken is soaked in a delicious and powerful marinade and then served alongside sticky rice. In Senegal, fried chicken is coated in peanut flour rather than traditional white flour. No matter which way you look at it, fried chicken has a global appeal that’s not going anywhere anytime fast. Enjoy this dish and enjoy experimenting with the many delicious variations to be found.
