BEST CHICKEN IN CHICAGO

Don't listen to anyone else folks...Im a retired Policeman from Chicago, and I woulda starved if it werent for Harold's Chicken on 47th street...I ate many a bird sitting in a squad car in Washington Park workin the "midnights"(ckicken livers are good too)...Dont hold me responsible if you get robbed goin there though, the neighborhood is plenty tough...bring your pistol and keep it handy!!(joking)..Serioulsy Folks...The chicken is the best. There are other Harold's but they dont make it like 47th street Harolds does...I believe its at 47th and Greenwood, in Chicago's inner city...be careful when goin there though, especially you nice folk from the burbs...you have a way of sticking out and looking vulnerable in the inner city....and for all you brothers hangin out in the area...Be nice to the out of towners!!!

Bloozman, you might have seen my posting in the White Fence Farm forum that I wrote about a year and a half ago, but I'll repeat some of it here. I've left the Chicago area a few years ago, but remember well some of the good fried chicken places around Chicago. My experience with Harold's fried chicken, unfortunately, had not been as good as yours as I had always found their chicken to be dried out and not very flavorful. Maybe it was just the times and places that I got it from. The neighborhood that you got it in was probably the best for good fried chicken.

For what it's worth, the best fried chicken in the Chicagoland area IMHO is Tiebel"s in northwest Indiana (Schererville, at intersection of Rts. 30 and 41). Check out at http://www.teibels.com/dinner.htm You can get it as a meal or family style, which is always all you can eat. A very nice Sunday afternoon drive and meal. I often got it in combination with their delicious Yellow Lake Perch, which I rate the highest in the area also. Makes my mouth water to think about it.

A few miles south of Tiebel's is Dick's restaurant which is well known for a different style chicken, i.e. pressure fried chicken. It is a very popular place, but my leanings are still for Tiebel's. Dell Rhea's Chicken Restaurant is off the Stevenson Expressway at Rt. 83 (on Frontage Rd.) in Willowbrook and has excellent regular fried chicken. It's chicken has got to be in the top five in the Chicago area. It is rather plain, but sometimes I like it that way. And I've never found the chicken at White Fence Farm to be anything spectacular and I've tried them many times. But admittedly, they have their following.

Up north in Long Grove, the Village Tavern (http://www.restaurant.com/thevillagetavernoflonggrove/index.asp?rid=303753&pg=1&mma=6&rn=&zp=&ct=&st=&stp=0&pc=0&sc=0&nb=87&ps=&pct=0&flt=T&qt=1&srt=0&srvt=0&bsp=&rfi=0&asp=SearchResultsMMA.asp) has excellent chicken and it is all you can eat on Monday and Wednesday evenings (at least last I knew). They were always packed on those nights. And last place that I remember was the Lantern Tavern (http://www.lakeforestlantern.com/) and Restaurant in downtown Lake Forest. It is a small place, but also very popular and their fried chicken -- I think it's broasted -- is excellent.

Please let me know of any places that you or others have found to have good fried chicken.

I'll put my vote in for the Greek Chicken at the Athenian Room on (I beleive its)Webtser and Halsted. Its been years since I've been there but others on this site say its still alive and kicking out great birds.

Yes - the Greek chicken (Kalamata) at Athenian Room remains the best chicken in Chicago - no doubt.

However, today, the Tribune ran a taste test to find the best fried chicken in the city. They rated Harold's the best, followed by White Fence Farm and then Evanston Chicken Shack (which I've never been to). I've never been particularly struck by the product at Harold's, but I realize they vary from location to location. The Tribune tested the Harold's at 636 S. Wabash (Shack #62), and described it as "a perfect balance between crispiness and crunchiness, with the crust a consistent brown hue. The taste is unmistakably seasoned chicken - no hints of old drying oil. The succulent breast meat, an 8 out of 10 on the moistness scale, is snow white and cooked evenly." They rated Harold's as 9 out of 10 on their overall scale.

Has anyone been to Evanston Chicken Shack? The Tribune calls this place a true "shack" and says it's been around since 1990. I seldom eat fried chicken these days, but I'm tempted to try this place.

Danimal,

I read the article in the Trib today also, but was very disappointed by it. They basically compared 6 different places, and two of them were KFC and Browns!?

On LTHforum a while ago there was a big debate which place was better for fried chicken in Evanston between the Evanston Chicken Shack and Hecky's which is only a block or two away. They were pretty comparable if I remember correctly.

Glenn

quote:

Originally posted by glennpan

Danimal,

I read the article in the Trib today also, but was very disappointed by it. They basically compared 6 different places, and two of them were KFC and Browns!?

On LTHforum a while ago there was a big debate which place was better for fried chicken in Evanston between the Evanston Chicken Shack and Hecky's which is only a block or two away. They were pretty comparable if I remember correctly.

Glenn

I agree. Including KFC and Brown's was a joke. Kind of reminds me about when the local Galesburg, Ill. paper (the town where I went to college) did a survey to find out readers' favorite restaurant in Galesburg and it turned out to be McDonald's.

I like Del Rhea's in Willowbrook. Granted, I haven't been to the other places (other than KFC & Brown's) but Del Rhea's is damn good!

Popeye's gets my vote. Their biscuits are truly the best on Earth.

quote:

Originally posted by tuke

Popeye's gets my vote. Their biscuits are truly the best on Earth.

The only time I ever had Popeye's biscuits they absolutely reeked of fake butter. I threw mine away.

my vote is for harolds chicken on 74 and halsted.there is a cook by the name of parnell that has been cooking almost 30 yrs at this location ask for mild sauce on your order just make sure you dont bite your finger off.

Based on a recommendation earlier on this thread, we tried Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in the southwest suburbs and love the place. Great fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and root beer. Everything was real fresh and hot, portions are large, and the service was refreshingly good. It is a nice place with or without kids. Highly recommend this restaurant for fried chicken lovers in the Chicago area. Unfortunately there aren't many places like this.