Here's Where I Go For The Crispiest Fried Chicken In Seattle - Tasting Table

"As a born-and-bred Southerner from the Mississippi Delta, where I spent childhood surrounded by cornfields, flooded rice paddies, and canopied pecan orchards, food was always central to the concepts of community, connection, and abundance. When shelling huge sacks of black-eyed peas or shucking corn on the front porch, it's a given that the bounty will nestle beside something fried by suppertime - preferably piled-high platters of crispy fried chicken. It's the unofficial multi-state symbol of Deep South cuisine, at least in my book."

"Frying Southern-style chicken is a time-absorbing art, not always compatible with busy metropolitan lifestyles. That's why, after eventually migrating thousands of miles from Mississippi to Seattle, it became crucial to find restaurant chefs who make it "just right" and ready to go. After many letdowns, I was intrigued to learn that a fellow former Mississippian by the name of Oprah Winfrey reportedly orders fried chicken flown from a certain Seattle chicken joint."

"Before finding my comfort-food haven at Ezell's, the passionate fried-chicken pursuit centered first on the non-negotiable holy grail of crispy crust. That crust must also be golden-hued and extra thick, generally achieved by double-dredging in seasoned flour and beaten eggs. The interior meat is ideally well-done yet tender, often due to marinating for hours in buttermilk. Finally, fried chicken is at its core a finger food, so it must exist as a single, compact entity."

Food anchored community, connection, and abundance in the Mississippi Delta, with shelling peas and shucking corn accompanying fried platters. Fried chicken demands a golden, extra-thick crispy crust, often achieved by double-dredging in seasoned flour and eggs, and interior meat tenderized by hours of buttermilk marinating. Southern-style frying is time-consuming and harder to find in metropolitan areas, prompting a search for ready-made quality. Ezell's Famous Chicken began as a humble Central District eatery and expanded to 16 Greater Seattle locations. Ezell's delivers single, compact pieces ideal for finger food and satisfies high expectations for authentic Southern fried chicken.

Read at Tasting Table