-revised 2 Sep 2020
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(you won't need to add caps)
In order:
1. Pretty Bird Chicken, SLC. Asian style, from the spices used. Even the white sauce is great, and it contains anchovies, buttermilk, mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a blend of other spices. (Note: their A grade chicken sandwich is the best in Utah as well, even beating out Chic Fillet!) A
2. Kluck's Krispy Chicken, Orem (much better than their version for 3 years at the Provo Farmer's Market)
3. Handle, Park City chicken alone: B+; with added white cream sauce it's higher. We tested this in 2014. On 23 Jan 2017 a national site on MSN listed the best fried chicken in every state, awarding Utah's to Handle. B++
4. Talisker, Park City (chef went to Handle summer 2014 - same chicken, better sauce at Handle, where he brought it)
a. leg A (with white sauce)
b. breast B (but with white sauce: A)
5. Back 40, Heber. A
6. Simon's Restaurant, the Homestead, Midway B+ (Fanny's Famous Fried Chicken: along with Pretty Bird, best white meat - chicken breast - in the state, most tender, followed by The Harvest, listed below). Some seasons and years apparently not served.
7. Meier's Country Fried Chicken, Holladay, in SLC. Locals should really support this place! Less salty than KFC, if your heart matters, and very similar crust to original KFC, not quite as tasty because of less herbs/spices, but it does the trick with so much less sodium and is much CHEAPER. Support a local place - go here for really good chicken! B+
THE FOLLOWING MUST BE HOT (which you can get when the first open:)
8. Popeyes Spicy B+ Spicy has a hint of Tabasco-like flavor. Note: We've had Popeyes with an A grade at 3 places coast to coast and a C- at 3 other places coast to coast, so there can be consistency issues at various locations
4. Talisker, Park City (chef went to Handle summer 2014 - same chicken, better sauce at Handle, where he brought it)
a. leg A (with white sauce)
b. breast B (but with white sauce: A)
5. Back 40, Heber. A
6. Simon's Restaurant, the Homestead, Midway B+ (Fanny's Famous Fried Chicken: along with Pretty Bird, best white meat - chicken breast - in the state, most tender, followed by The Harvest, listed below). Some seasons and years apparently not served.
7. Meier's Country Fried Chicken, Holladay, in SLC. Locals should really support this place! Less salty than KFC, if your heart matters, and very similar crust to original KFC, not quite as tasty because of less herbs/spices, but it does the trick with so much less sodium and is much CHEAPER. Support a local place - go here for really good chicken! B+
THE FOLLOWING MUST BE HOT (which you can get when the first open:)
8. Popeyes Spicy B+ Spicy has a hint of Tabasco-like flavor. Note: We've had Popeyes with an A grade at 3 places coast to coast and a C- at 3 other places coast to coast, so there can be consistency issues at various locations
9. KFC Original B/B+
10. KFC Crispy B/B+'
11. Popeyes Regular B
12. Cracker Barrell, national chain, fried chicken introduced 2019 B+
13. Maddox Restaurant at Brigham City (their iconic location) and their grand kids' fast-food location at Layton known as C. B. Maddox. This chicken is at its best if you get it ONLY FRESHLY COOKED! (If Maddox is only warm, and several below are warm, Maddox loses.) Grade: B+
OUT OF BUSINESS: El Tropical, Provo. Tropical fried chicken, thighs with no bones, rolled in flour before frying. (different than version below that is flourless). B+
14. Curry Fried Chicken, Salt Lake City. (NOTE: First time was B- - and cooked in old oil perhaps, or for too long, resulting in the batter being too dark and the spices too strong. Second time it was lighter colored and had much milder spices). NEW RATING (Feb 2014) B+
15. The Harvest, Thanksgiving Point. Pricey: $18, WHITE MEAT ONLY. (We prefer both or dark only.) They serve fried chicken at dinner only - buttermilk fried. Very tender and moist. But coating is only a B+. Without gravy, breast alone: B+. With gravy: B+/A-
16. Chuck-a-rama B+
17. Jupiter Bowl's cafe, Park City. Pricey - $16 for 3 pieces. B/B+, with white gravy: B+
18. Golden Corral B/B+
19. Bird and Barley's, Park City (strong rosemary flavor) B
20. Kevin's Fried Chicken, SLC. Don't let the fact it's in a gas station fool you - it's better than most places and worth getting, at low prices! Great service and super-friendly proprietor! B
21. Harmon's deli, regional grocery chain. The best of all grocery fried chicken, using their own recipe, and mixed for them at Lehi Mills. B
22. Franck's, Holiday, strong herb flavors B
23. Billy Blanco's, Park City. B-/B
24. Chick's Cafe, Heber City. B-
OUT OF BUSINESS: El Tropical, Provo. Their other version of fried chicken, different than above. This one has chopped up pieces of boneless fried thighs with two herbs, but has no flour coating. (The version above has flour coating.) Before they made their chicken boneless, they had to cook it too long and made it dry, with a grade C, now it's up to a B. They also have best fish and chips in the state - see our blogsite.
25. Grocery stores who make their own (the best is at Harmons above): B/B+
26. All other grocery store deli's: C+ to B-: Smiths, Wal-mart, Target, Macey's, Winco, etc. and Convenience Stores who make their own: Gas-N-Go just north of Trafalga off Center St., Orem, and others. We've tested all we could find. None are seasoned enough. All are OK, none are great. But to get it at its peak, order it when it first comes out of the oven, which is usually 10 AM; otherwise, it will be hit and miss throughout the day as to when it will be freshly cooked again - which is only when they run low on the previous batch.
27. NO LONGER AVAILABLE EXCEPT IN SANDWICHES: KFC Georgia Gold C+
28. NO LONGER AVAILABLE EXCEPT IN SANDWICHES: KFC Nashville Hot. The grade for this one is more subjective than most, as it appeals or repulses based on its strange bbq-like sauce which some like. Note that it's also spicy-hot. C+
29. Station 22, Provo. Small white fried chicken medallions served 3 different ways - as chicken and waffles, whiskey sauce with mushrooms, and in a sandwich. (As an entire sandwich, with other great ingredients, it gets a B+/A-. Chicken alone: C
30. Lucky H at Little America Hotel, SLC C
OUT OF BUSINESS:
a. Big Bones, Spanish Fork, A-
b. So-Co, Salt Lake City. The hint of rosemary makes it pretty good, but it's pr1cey. B+
c. The Tropical (listed in order above)
13. Maddox Restaurant at Brigham City (their iconic location) and their grand kids' fast-food location at Layton known as C. B. Maddox. This chicken is at its best if you get it ONLY FRESHLY COOKED! (If Maddox is only warm, and several below are warm, Maddox loses.) Grade: B+
OUT OF BUSINESS: El Tropical, Provo. Tropical fried chicken, thighs with no bones, rolled in flour before frying. (different than version below that is flourless). B+
14. Curry Fried Chicken, Salt Lake City. (NOTE: First time was B- - and cooked in old oil perhaps, or for too long, resulting in the batter being too dark and the spices too strong. Second time it was lighter colored and had much milder spices). NEW RATING (Feb 2014) B+
15. The Harvest, Thanksgiving Point. Pricey: $18, WHITE MEAT ONLY. (We prefer both or dark only.) They serve fried chicken at dinner only - buttermilk fried. Very tender and moist. But coating is only a B+. Without gravy, breast alone: B+. With gravy: B+/A-
16. Chuck-a-rama B+
17. Jupiter Bowl's cafe, Park City. Pricey - $16 for 3 pieces. B/B+, with white gravy: B+
18. Golden Corral B/B+
19. Bird and Barley's, Park City (strong rosemary flavor) B
20. Kevin's Fried Chicken, SLC. Don't let the fact it's in a gas station fool you - it's better than most places and worth getting, at low prices! Great service and super-friendly proprietor! B
21. Harmon's deli, regional grocery chain. The best of all grocery fried chicken, using their own recipe, and mixed for them at Lehi Mills. B
22. Franck's, Holiday, strong herb flavors B
23. Billy Blanco's, Park City. B-/B
OUT OF BUSINESS: El Tropical, Provo. Their other version of fried chicken, different than above. This one has chopped up pieces of boneless fried thighs with two herbs, but has no flour coating. (The version above has flour coating.) Before they made their chicken boneless, they had to cook it too long and made it dry, with a grade C, now it's up to a B. They also have best fish and chips in the state - see our blogsite.
25. Grocery stores who make their own (the best is at Harmons above): B/B+
26. All other grocery store deli's: C+ to B-: Smiths, Wal-mart, Target, Macey's, Winco, etc. and Convenience Stores who make their own: Gas-N-Go just north of Trafalga off Center St., Orem, and others. We've tested all we could find. None are seasoned enough. All are OK, none are great. But to get it at its peak, order it when it first comes out of the oven, which is usually 10 AM; otherwise, it will be hit and miss throughout the day as to when it will be freshly cooked again - which is only when they run low on the previous batch.
27. NO LONGER AVAILABLE EXCEPT IN SANDWICHES: KFC Georgia Gold C+
28. NO LONGER AVAILABLE EXCEPT IN SANDWICHES: KFC Nashville Hot. The grade for this one is more subjective than most, as it appeals or repulses based on its strange bbq-like sauce which some like. Note that it's also spicy-hot. C+
29. Station 22, Provo. Small white fried chicken medallions served 3 different ways - as chicken and waffles, whiskey sauce with mushrooms, and in a sandwich. (As an entire sandwich, with other great ingredients, it gets a B+/A-. Chicken alone: C
30. Lucky H at Little America Hotel, SLC C
OUT OF BUSINESS:
a. Big Bones, Spanish Fork, A-
b. So-Co, Salt Lake City. The hint of rosemary makes it pretty good, but it's pr1cey. B+
c. The Tropical (listed in order above)
STILL IN BUSINESS BUT NO LONGER SERVING BONE-IN FRIED CHICKEN:
a. Communtal, Provo. Chef Aldric, before leaving, took fried chicken to a whole new level in Utah! A+
b. NOW OFF THEIR MENU: Culvers, American Fork. Fresh fried every day. No apparent seasoning in coating. Tastes very much like the national burger chain Hardee's when they used to make fried chicken 1990-1992. B-
c. Cafe 300, Provo (only makes it occasionally on Saturday nights. Call them before going: 801-691-0218. Half chicken, seasoned, in a full dinner. A
Check out our OTHER FOOD REVIEWS at TasterTestersClub.Blogspot.com
COLD FRIED CHICKEN from the major chains.
a. Communtal, Provo. Chef Aldric, before leaving, took fried chicken to a whole new level in Utah! A+
b. NOW OFF THEIR MENU: Culvers, American Fork. Fresh fried every day. No apparent seasoning in coating. Tastes very much like the national burger chain Hardee's when they used to make fried chicken 1990-1992. B-
c. Cafe 300, Provo (only makes it occasionally on Saturday nights. Call them before going: 801-691-0218. Half chicken, seasoned, in a full dinner. A
Check out our OTHER FOOD REVIEWS at TasterTestersClub.Blogspot.com
COLD FRIED CHICKEN from the major chains.
Note: A different order than when fresh and hot!
2 Sep 2020
1. KFC original B/B+
2. Popeyes regular B/B+
3. KFC crispy B/B+
4. Popeyes Spicy B-
RE-HEATED HOT FRIED CHICKEN (in butter and olive oil) from the major chains:
1. KFC Crispy B-/B
2. KFC Original B-/B
3. Popeyes regular B-
4. Popeyes spicy B - -
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