The Southern Fried Chicken Chain That Won Beyoncé's Approval

If you know Beyoncé, you know she famously sang about keeping hot sauce in her bag (swag). But we bet that if she could, she'd probably keep some fried chicken from Frenchy's in there, too. The superstar has a soft spot for the Houston-based chicken chain. Opened in 1969, it got its start in the city's Third Ward, where the singer grew up. She shouted out the restaurant in her 2013 track "I Been On (Remix)." She also featured it in her 2023 documentary, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," in which she called the food "dangerous," but added, "There's no place like home" (via Instagram).

The singer made it a point to stop by Frenchy's (and take pictures with fans) after helping to serve food to victims of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and swung by to pick up some chicken following a Kamala Harris rally in the city in 2024. Safe to say, if Beyoncé is making a trip to her hometown, she's not leaving before getting her Frenchy's. Luckily, with 11 outposts scattered around Houston and other cities in the Lone Star State (as of 2026), she doesn't have to go far to access it.

What does the music icon like to eat when she visits? Well, besides the "best chicken in the world," according to her mother, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé and her crew have ordered rice, beans, fries, and cornbread. They also left room to have "[Ms. Sallie's] famous lemon pound cake" for dessert.

While Bey has expressed her love for traditional Texan cuisine, Frenchy's actually serves up a different sort of Southern comfort food: Creole. The late founder Percy "Frenchy" Creuzot Jr. landed in Houston from New Orleans, and originally opened the eatery as a Po'Boy shop. He eventually expanded to fried chicken, working with his wife to come up with a secret recipe that Frenchy's has continued to use (and keep under wraps) ever since. "We tried to develop a recipe that was different," his wife Sallie Creuzot told USA Today. "I worked at it for some years, but finally I think we got it to where we wanted it, we were happy with it, customers we're [sic] happy with it, and people began to talk about it."

Creuzot kept the flavors of Louisiana at the forefront, serving up fried fish and shrimp, Gris Gris sauce, dirty rice, and boudin, a type of sausage that ties back to Louisiana's French roots. (In fact, it was the boudin sausage that Beyoncé called out in her song: "I remember my baby hair with my dookie braids/Frenchy's, boudin in the parking lot.") With classics like collard greens, cornbread, red beans, and, of course, "Frenchy" fries on the menu, the chain is like a one-stop shop for Southern comfort meals. And the best part? You don't need a budget like Beyoncé's to get your fill.