The Best Fried Chicken Featured On Diners, Drive-Ins, And Dives
For over 10 years, Guy Fieri has traveled the nation discovering hidden gem restaurants and showing viewers there's food to love in every corner of America on his hit Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." Fieri shares restaurant history and customer reviews with the audience before going into the kitchen to see how the locally-iconic dishes are made. The cooks give step-by-step tutorials and let Fieri have a bite at the end.
Fans of the show have traveled to every state vicariously through Fieri, watching him try nearly every food imaginable. Some of Fieri's favorite foods have been featured on the show multiple times, including fried chicken. He has his own recipe and even his own chicken restaurant, Chicken Guy! "Every culture has got a fried chicken in one way or another. Everybody can get down with fried chicken," he told Food & Wine about his beloved meal. And he's proven his point on his show — every culture puts their own spin on fried chicken, and he's tried almost all, taking his viewers with him. Here is the best fried chicken featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
Guy Fieri loves Pyrenees Cafe's garlic chicken
To taste some legendary fried chicken, Guy Fieri traveled to Bakersfield, California, to visit the Pyrenees Cafe, which opened in 1901 under a different name. In 1935, it became the Pyrenees Cafe and has been a staple there since, serving Basque food, native to the Basque Country in Northern Spain, near France. The Pyrenees Cafe employs a French-born chef, making their Basque food authentic and delicious.
Patrons of the Pyrenees Cafe especially love their garlic fried chicken. "It's not Southern fried chicken by any stretch of the imagination," one guest said of the dish on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." To make this twist on the classic fare, the chef seasons his chicken with a variety of spices, including minced garlic, one of the healthiest spices, all in heaping amounts. He then uses olive oil to meld the seasonings to the chicken and lets it marinate for at least two hours. After coating the chicken in buttermilk and dredging it in a flour mixture, he gently drops it into hot oil to fry.
The garlic fried chicken is served with French fries and topped with a garlic, butter, olive oil, and parsley sauce. After tasting the chicken, Fieri said it was "tender, juicy," and had "lots of flavor." He praised the crust and told the chef it was "outstanding," making viewers of the show envious of his opportunity to taste such a delicious dish.
Ginger fried chicken was a favorite at Hardena in Philadelphia
Guy Fieri stopped by Hardena in Philadelphia to try their authentic Indonesian food. Hardena is run by two daughters and their mom, and guests love having good international food locally. One of their popular dishes, which Fieri, of course, had to taste, is ginger fried chicken. "This tastes exactly like how my grandma used to make it," said one customer of the Indonesian dish on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
To make ginger fried chicken, the cook starts by making a ginger paste, which includes a variety of fresh ingredients like shallots, ginger, and turmeric, with ginger and turmeric two of the healthiest spices. The chicken is boiled for two hours in seasoned water, along with ginger paste, and coconut milk is added for the last 20 minutes. Next, they make a samotrasi, a hot sauce with shrimp paste and Thai chiles, served alongside the chicken.
Once fried, their ginger fried chicken is topped with a ginger fry crunch and is served with the shrimp paste and rice. After tasting the unique fried chicken, Fieri said "with the rice, with the crunch, with the fry, with the chicken, when you get that optimum bite, it's dynamite."
Guy Fieri tasted an original recipe of yam fried chicken at Florence's Restaurant
Guy Fieri returned to Oklahoma City to visit Florence's Restaurant, which has been in operation since 1952, to try their famous yam fried chicken. A mother started the restaurant when she was in her 20s, and she still cooks today, with the help of her daughter, Victoria. "We see fourth-generation customers," Victoria said on an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" of their customer base, proving Florence's Restaurant is a staple for many families. They've delighted so many customers with their fried chicken, Florence's Restaurant has worn out at least five separate dutch ovens.
Fieri had never heard of their famed yam fried chicken, as it's a Florence's Restaurant original recipe. It's made like a typical fried chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper and covered in seasoned flour, then fried in oil. The twist comes at the end when restaurant owner and chef Florence makes a candied yam syrup out of yams, butter, and sugar. The fried chicken is smothered in the syrup, then served with more yams and collard greens. "Delicious. You really season your chicken well. There's a lot of flavor in that pot," Fieri said after trying the yam fried chicken.
Guy Fieri had to try the double fried chicken sandwich at Sol Ave. Kitchen
Some prefer their fried chicken on a sandwich. Others, like fans of Minnesota-based restaurant Sol Ave. Kitchen, prefer a double-fried chicken sandwich — for an even crispier skin.
To make their signature sandwich, the cook marinates the chicken in a buttermilk and hot sauce batter overnight, then dredges it in a flour mixture, which includes several types of pepper and powder. The chicken is then fried in oil once, and, after resting, it's fried in oil again, which finishes cooking the chicken, making the skin extra crispy.
To elevate the sandwich, the cook adds generous portions of sauces, including a homemade lime aioli, and tops it with kimchi and house pickles. Before taking a bite, Guy Fieri marveled at the size of the sandwich and complimented the chef after, saying on the episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," "My friend, that is some excellent fried chicken."
Sol Ave. Kitchen patrons can order a variety of meals when visiting, many of them inspired by Korean fare.
Moseberth's fried chicken was a tasty staple
For even more fried chicken goodness, Guy Fieri traveled to Portsmouth, Virginia, to visit Moseberth's, a family-fun restaurant that had served their signature fried chicken recipe for over 70 years, serving some of their customers since they were children. Other patrons noted they'd rather eat Moseberth's fried chicken over something their mother would make. "It's juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside. To die for," one loyal fan said of the fried chicken on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
In just one day, Moseberth's went through 600 to 700 pounds of chicken, according to their chef. On top of the chicken? A tasty batter the consistency of pancake batter. The cook was careful not to make it too thick, though, as it could result in too hard of a crust once fried. After being dunked in the batter, the chicken was coated in a dry flour mix and dropped into hot oil for 17 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in a delicious piece of fried chicken, paired with coleslaw, potato salad, and hush puppies. "Do you deliver to California?" Fieri asked the cook after tasting it.
Unfortunately, per their Facebook page, Moseberth's closed in early 2021. "Without our customers and without our employees, we would not have been successful for 81 years," noted a post announcing their closure, adding that rising supply costs, a broken piece of kitchen equipment, and the COVID-19 pandemic all factored into their decision to close.
Uncle Lou's fried chicken is Guy Fieri's all-time favorite
Tucked away in a strip mall in Memphis, Tennessee, is the home of the best thing Guy Fieri's ever eaten with his hands: Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken. Uncle Lou's has legions of loyal customers, some willing to drive 30 minutes for a meal and who come back for a variety of chicken dishes on the menu, and Fieri got a behind-the-scenes look at how their famous fried chicken is made.
The cook, Lou, uses his grandmother's recipe and includes cinnamon in his spice mix, an ingredient Fieri had never seen included in fried chicken. After dredging it in the spice mixture, the chicken goes into hot oil for 12 minutes before coming out perfectly crispy. A fan favorite is the honey dipped fried chicken, which is dipped in a sauce similar to buffalo wing sauce, made with a special spice mixture called Corruption — and lots and lots of honey. "You're close to getting a hug right now," Fieri told Lou after trying his honey dipped fried chicken for the first time. Fieri further proved his love for the meat when reminiscing about Uncle Lou's fried chicken on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," saying, "Lou and his team ... they make chicken taste good."
Guy Fieri savored Show Dogs' fried chicken sandwich
Show Dogs was a restaurant in San Francisco, California's Tenderloin district that specialized in hot dogs. The owner, a chef, brought in another chef to help create a special menu, one full of different gourmet hot dogs and sandwiches, including their fried chicken sandwich.
To make their sandwich, which one patron described as "so tasty," the cook would marinate chicken in a dry rub, made with a variety of spices, including vinegar powder, Madras curry powder, and toasted ground cumin. The chicken marinated for a couple hours before being dredged in a flour mixture, coated in buttermilk, dredged again in the flour mixture, and then fried in oil for a quick two minutes.
The chicken sat on a bun with lemon cayenne aioli, coleslaw, and pickled ginger, all homemade. After trying the sandwich on the episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," Guy Fieri exclaimed, "That fried chicken is out of bounds!" and likened it to a Pink Floyd concert. Unfortunately, according to Yelp, Show Dogs has permanently closed. Based on the ingredients alone, it's no secret why customers had loved the restaurant's fried chicken sandwich so much.
Roost Fried Chicken knows how to make fried chicken
Bozeman, Montana, residents don't need to travel south to find Southern fried chicken. According to the Food Network, thanks to Roost Fried Chicken, the goodness that is Southern food is served up north, and Guy Fieri traveled to this beloved restaurant to try their fried chicken himself.
To make this tasty dish, the cook marinates his chicken in a dry rub for 24 to 48 hours before covering it in a buttermilk coating. Once tacky, the chicken goes into a bowl full of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and kosher salt, then is fried for just over 13 minutes. Roost Fried Chicken serves their meat with fried okra and a bun, making for a delicious meal, prompting Fieri to say, "It's juicy, it's tender, it's legit," on the "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" episode.
What sets apart Roost Fried Chicken's fried chicken from its competition is the cooking apparatus. Most restaurants use a traditional fryer, but Roost uses a pressure cooker. While they still use oil, the pressure cooker makes for a light, moist piece of chicken, cementing it as some of the best fried chicken from "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
Guy Fieri brought a friend to try Mojo Donuts' fried chicken sandwich
In Miami, Florida, lives a fried chicken joint with a totally unique spin on the classic dish. Mojo Donuts is famous for their donuts, as well as their Chicken Brulee Sandwich, which substitutes a bruleed donut for buns, and, as if it weren't decadent enough, tops the fried chicken sandwich with a cheddar sauce and bacon bits, per the Food Network.
For the tasting at Mojo Donuts, Guy Fieri brought along chef Richard Hales, and both loved the sandwich. "Who are we kidding here? This is over the top," Hales said of the sandwich. "This changes the fried chicken sandwich game," Fieri noted on the "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" episode.
Mojo Donuts is still open and has multiple locations across the state, so Floridians from all over, as well as tourists, can try the famous fried chicken sandwich. One reviewer noted that Mojo Donuts has become a permanent addition to their Miami restaurants list, and another said, "The chicken is perfection."
Guy Fieri is a fan of The Post Chicken & Beer
Guy Fieri traveled just outside Boulder, Colorado, to find The Post Chicken & Beer, stopping after learning they serve fried chicken. Before trying the chicken himself, Fieri learned from the patrons just how good The Post's fried chicken is, one telling him on the episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," "This will set you free."
The customers also noted the chicken's texture, adding that it's cooked in a pressure cooker. Fieri, when speaking with the cook, noted his admiration for the method, too, both of them adding that the skin has a better texture when fried in a pressure cooker.
The Post's fried chicken sits in a lemon rosemary brine for four hours, sitting in rice flour overnight before being smothered in buttermilk and dredged in a gluten-free flour mixture. All the chicken pieces are set in a multi-level rack, then placed in the pressure cooker to fry. It's covered in house seasoning, making for fried chicken that Fieri called "really dynamite."
Customers love The Post's fried chicken for its juicy, tender meat, seasoning, and gluten-free recipe, as it's rare to find. They have other options for chicken at The Post, too, like roasted chicken and chicken pot pie.
Parkette Drive-In is famous for its fried chicken
The Southern U.S. has claimed fried chicken as their own, and there are countless restaurants in the region that offer it, including Lexington, Kentucky's Parkette Drive-In. "My favorite thing on the menu is their fried chicken," one hungry customer shared on the "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" episode, and another said, "It's fried perfectly."
To make this perfectly fried chicken, the chicken is dropped in batter and flour and fried in pork lard, which the cook claims is "the only way to do it." The fried chicken is served with gravy, coleslaw, a roll, and the customer's choice of French fries, tater tots, or onion rings, making for a tasty chicken box. "Great flavor, not too heavy," Guy Fieri said after his first bite, adding that it reminded him of roasted chicken due to its thin crust.
The Parkette Drive-In is still open today, offering classic American fare, including the mouth-watering fried chicken Fieri ate. In addition to their chicken, the Parkette Drive-In is famous for their "Poor Boy" sandwich.