While there are quite a few spots in Houston where you can treat yourself to spectacular fried chicken, from Frenchy’s to Jollibee, there are a number of chef-led restaurants that host space on their menus for top-tier versions of the classic Southern dish. If you’re on the hunt for some James Beard Award-caliber fried chicken, or if you want to experience the dish with Southeast Asian or Afro-Mexican flair, this is the fried chicken guide for you.
Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers
Fried chicken from a James Beard Award semifinalist? Yes, please. From celebrated Houston chef Greg Gatlin of Gatlin’s BBQ fame, this Creole restaurant in Independence Heights features a menu centered around Gulf Coast and Southern comfort foods. While the seafood is top notch, the “feathers” part of its moniker is equally worth exploring. The fried chicken ($22), a half fried yard bird, sports a delightful crunch, and pairs well with sides like collard greens and red beans and rice. 302 W. Crosstimbers St., Houston, gatlinsfinsandfeathers.com
Esther’s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food
Esther Lewis-Bernard’s eponymous restaurant is a haven for good ol’ fashioned soul food. A quick journey through the line, where dishes like oxtails in brown gravy, smothered pork chops, and fried catfish entice behind glass, is proof of that. While there are plenty of standouts, Esther’s classic fried chicken ($16) is hard to pass up. This hand-battered, Cajun-style fried chicken is as crispy and lovingly fried as they come. Pair with sides like mac and cheese, fried okra, and yams, and you’ve got a dreamy fried chicken feast on your hands. 5007 N. Shepherd Dr., Houston, estherscajunsoul.com
Late August
Good things come to those who wait. In the case of Late August, a long-awaited project from chef and restaurateur Chris Williams of Lucille’s Hospitality Group, that good thing happens to be some great fried chicken. After a four-year delay, the Afro-Mexican restaurant opened this spring at the Ion in Midtown, the former home of the Sears department store that has since been transformed into an innovation and technology district. The restaurant’s moniker is an ode to the time of year that the Sears catalog was mailed out. Along with a hefty side of nostalgia, Late August serves up its fried half-chicken with a side of potato salad and a house hot sauce ($32)–a simple presentation that lets the bird do all the singing. 4201 Main St. Ste. 120, lateaugusthtx.com
The Breakfast Klub
If you’ve lived in Houston for any length of time, there is a good chance you have witnessed the long lines snaking around this Midtown restaurant every day of the week. Is it worth the often more than hour wait to get a seat? It most definitely is. Here, the fried chicken and waffles ($18) star. They sport a perfect balance of flavor and texture, sweet and savory, and fluffy and crispy. At the Breakfast Klub, you really can have it all. 3711 Travis St., Houston, thebreakfastklub.com
La Lucha
Sometimes three pieces just won’t do, and you need to go all-in on an entire fried chicken. You can spoil yourself exactly this way at chef Ford Fry’s Heights restaurant, with executive chef Bobby Matos at the helm. La Lucha’s Pollo Especiale comes as a half ($23) or a whole ($44), with sides including biscuits and pickles. Consider adding on a half-pound of fried Gulf shrimp for a stellar surf-and-turf experience. 1801 N. Shepherd Dr. #A, Houston, laluchatx.com
Jūn
This restaurant from Top Chef finalist and James Beard Award semi-finalist Evelyn Garcia, with chef Henry Lu, is lauded for its adept merging of Mexican, Salvadoran, and Southeast Asian cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavors. The menu is a healthy mix of vegetables and proteins, with standouts like sausage with a sambal honey glaze; sweet potato with labneh; mussels in red curry; and a spicy take on fried chicken ($24), prepared with shrimp paste, ginger, Thai chili, and herbs. 420 E. 20th St. Ste. A, Houston, junbykin.com
