The Souths Best Fried Chicken Restaurants. Southern food, despite persistent stereotypes, is about so much more than fried chicken. We revel in Louisiana gumbos and Lowcountry pilaus, oysters from Apalachicola and apple stack cake from the Appalachians. But lets face it We do love our browned bird, and our cooks excel at it. The seeming simplicity of fried chicken makes it a culinary tabula rasa open to interpretation. There are the basic variances White meat or dark Pan fried or deep fried Marinated in buttermilk, brined, both, or seasoned only with salt and pepperFried Chicken Seasoning Flour RecipePreparation Directions. STEP ONE. For Seasoned Flour COMBINE flour, garlic salt, pepper, paprika and poultry seasoning in shallow bowl or pie plate. Savory Breakfast Ideas. Southern Fried Chicken The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase and are part of our story on Mardi Gras. While fried chicken traces its origins to the South, innovative chefs across the country understand the innate appeal of the homey, crunchy, juicy. Fried Chicken Seasoning MixMore broadly, though, the dishs universality allows it to preen in every facet of our restaurant culturefrom obscure soul food joints to white tablecloth pantheons, and at time honored cafes as well as mom and pops that reflect the gamut of global cuisines arriving in our region. In the gospel of bird, we can honor tradition and herald change equally. This is our snapshot of Southern fried chicken right now, in all its many fine feathered guises. Down home Classic Fried Chicken. The come as you are golden brown standard. BARBECUE INN Houston, Texas. Sure, this beloved time warp in business since 1. The kitchens fryers trump its barbecue pits. Take a seat in one of the candy apple red leatherette booths at the family run establishment and savor the greaseless, cocoa hued crust that flakes off the chicken in rippling shards, revealing flawlessly seasoned meat beneath. GUSS FRIED CHICKEN Mason, Tennessee. Franchises in Memphis, Nashville, and other cities are spreading the Guss gospel. Make the pilgrimage, though, to the original location in Mason, opened in 1. Memphis, for the juke joint vibe and the crusty, copper colored bird, seasoned with a secret recipe that has a hot and spicy kick. MARTHA LOUS KITCHEN Charleston, South Carolina. Lightly dredged in flour and dipped in milk batter, then submerged in peanut oil until bronzed, chicken fried to order is the one menu mainstay at the bubblegum pink soul food shack run by Martha Lou Gadsden and her daughter, Debra, since 1. They cut steam vents into leg and breast meat to reduce the frying time to 2. The dont miss sides peppery, meaty lima beans and sultry okra stew. Related Dinner in Charleston, SCWILLIE MAES SCOTCH HOUSE New Orleans, Louisiana. Rebuilt by volunteers after Katrina, this Treme hood icon began as a bar in 1. Willie Mae Seatons wet batter method creates a coating that hugs each piece, holding in the  juices until the first shattering bite. New Classic Fried Chicken. Hip new joints with old school flavor. BEASLEYS CHICKEN HONEY Raleigh, North Carolina. Ashley Christensen, the toast of Raleighs dining scene, uses newfangled pressure fryers to timeless effect Her mottled, crackly fried chicken induces sentimental sighs. A  drizzle of honey which comes standard, though you can ask for it on the side is an ode to Ashleys father, a hobbyist beekeeper. Order buttermilk biscuits to complete the feast. LITTLE DONKEY Birmingham, Alabama. Southern charm with a dash of Mexican chiles A paste of dried arbols and other fiery peppers infuses the bird while it brines, which registers as a mellow, earthy heat rather than a lashing blaze. Splash the nubbly crust with a house made vinegar made from morita and habanero peppers, and pair the chicken with elotes corn on the cob speckled with crumbly Cotija cheese. MAXS WINE DIVE Multiple cities in Texas. Fried chicken infused with earthy spicy jalapeo and tangy buttermilk headlines the menu of retooled comfort foods at Maxs, which has locations in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas. Were partial to the funky fun, brick walled Austin outpost. Staffers wear T shirts that say, Fried chicken and Champagnewhy the hell not Sure enough, a glass of sparkly Perrier Jout tempers the birds unctuousness brilliantly. YARDBIRD SOUTHERN TABLE BAR Miami Beach, Florida. In a city best known for Cuban empanadas and Jewish delis, this bustling hot spot, with its dining room lined in smoky woods, finally brings the South to south Beach. The bar stocks 7. Upscale Fried Chicken. White tablecloth spots that arent afraid of a grease stain. HARVEST Louisville, Kentucky. At this rustic chic restaurant with pictures of smiling local farmers on the wall, Coby Lee Ming cooks food mostly grown and raised within 1. Kentucky to make her pepper flecked fried chicken. She arranges an airline cut breast with wing attached over a fluffy hoecake or savory bread pudding in a pool of milk and cream gravy and with a slick of homemade hot sauce sweetened with beets or carrots. WATERSHED ON PEACHTREE Atlanta, Georgia. A new kitchen staff helmed by Louisiana native Joe Truex, revamped menu, and relocation to Atlantas tony Buckhead community gave Watershed a slick makeover. But the fried chicken, made only on Wednesday nights and always sold out by 8 p. Scott Peacock over a decade ago. FEARINGS Dallas, Texas. At Sunday brunch, Dean Fearing turns out his grannys paper bag shook cast iron skillet fried chicken. The chicken, brined in apple cider and coated with a gossamer crust, sidles up to whipped potatoes, long simmered bacony green beans, and luscious smoked tomato gravy. Ask to sit in the Sendero, the restaurants romantic, glass walled room perfect for a languid meal. International Fried Chicken. Jet set fryers packed with herbs and spices. AL ASEEL GRILL AND CAFE Houston, Texas. Garlic and zaatara Middle Eastern spice blend that includes sesame seeds, sumac, and thymelend exotic zing to the chicken fried to order at this low key Palestinian restaurant, a standout among the global eats along the citys diverse, bar heavy Richmond Strip. CARDAMOM HILL Atlanta, Georgia In a dining room regal with carved wood walls and silk covered partitions, Asha Gomez serves boneless, delicately battered chicken thighs imbued with the spices of her native Southern India tiny black mustard seeds, citrusy fried curry leaves, and a tropical whiff of coconut oil. You can order a gluten free variation made with rice flour, which imbues extra crunch. SOO CAFE Raleigh, North Carolina. Hanging wooden trinkets and plastic plants decorate this cozy storefront that specializes in the other KFC Korean fried chicken. A half or whole bird is fried to intense crispness and then coated in one of three sauces sweet, hot and spicy, or, our favorite, a sticky, fragrant soy garlic glaze. Fast Food and Supermarket Fried Chicken. POPEYES LOUISIANA KITCHENIts tender and juicy with seasoning that goes deep, all the way from crust to bone. Get this It tastes like chicken. The Cajun version vaunts a balanced heat that starts up front with white pepper, followed by waves of red pepper for a subtle afterburn. Bonus The paper packaging is vented, which keeps the crust from steaming to wilted flab inside the box. We wouldnt blame you for trying to pass this off as your own. PUBLIXThis fowl hits the fried bird trifecta for flavor we detect celery salt, crunch deeply satisfying and crust shattering, and grease factor extremely lowits eat while you drive chicken. Leftovers held up well in the fridge, making this a prime candidate for picnics, family reunions, and church suppers. MRS. WINNERS CHICKEN BISCUITSThe golden brown crust, a flour coated relief map with a glitter like smattering of black pepper, conceals supremely juicy meat. While fewer locations of this Georgia founded chain dot the asphalt landscape than in years past, the chicken still holds court. LEES FAMOUS RECIPE CHICKENModest size thighs and legs are enveloped in a pale blond, almost buttery crust our guess the result of frying in vegetable shortening. At this 4. 8 year old franchise founded by Lee Cummings, nephew of KFCs Colonel Harland Sanders, they hand bread, dip in honey, and then pressure fry every piece of chicken.