Let’s talk about fried chicken! It is my favourite food and every region on Earth has their own version of fried chicken. The most popular variation is the Southern Fried Chicken and is deeply rooted within New Orleans’ food scene. A visit to NOLA is not complete without tasting some fried chicken from its local spots. During my trip to New Orleans, I visited five different spots! In this post I will give you a guide to best fried chicken in New Orleans.
Mother’s Restaurant
Since 1938, Mother’s Restaurant has been serving up classic NOLA dishes such as po’ boys, seafood gumbo, turtle soup, and of course fried chicken. Expect long lines to get in this restaurant, as we waited around 30 minutes before we were able to order. The wait was definitely worth it for what I think is the best fried chicken I ever had! It had the best skin on fried chicken. It was crunchy and had a really flavourful seasoning. The meat was tender and moist.
Price: $11 USD for 2 pieces served with 2 sides, $13.50 USD for 1/2 chicken served with 2 sides
Rating: 9.5/10
Coop’s Place
Located in the heart of the French Quarter, Coop’s Place is a Cajun grub famous for creating delicious local foods and cocktails inside a laid-back atmosphere. Maybe it was my fault for getting the $15.75 USD Coop’s Taste Plate which came with a cup of seafood gumbo, shrimp creole, red beans & rice with sausage, and rabbit & sausage jambalaya. I couldnt really focus on the fried chicken with so many other things on my place. But from what I can remember, the chicken tasted good but nothing outstanding. The skin was also not as crispy as I would like.
Price: $11.25 USD for 2 pieces served with rabbit & sausage jambalaya and coleslaw
Rating: 7/10
Cafe 615 Home of Da Wabbi
Across the Mississippi River and technically outside of the city limits of New Orleans, Cafe 615 Home of Da Wabbi has been around since 1949! They have amazing wait service and offers a clean and comfortable eating environment. Food portions are huge which you can see from the size of the chicken. The taste itself was great. The batter they used was lighter than what I would like, but the meat was tender and juicy.
Price: $14 USD for 1/2 chicken served with 2 sides
Rating: 8.5/10
Willie Mae’s Scotch House
A 25 minute walk from the French Quarter, this family-owned restaurant prides itself for serving some of the city’s best fried chicken and soul food. It has even gained recognition from the Food Network and the Travel Channel as “America’s Best Fried Chicken.” I can see why as the skin was crispy and seasoned to perfection even though it doesn’t have that much batter. The meat was just as good as it was hot and juicy. Choose the mac and cheese as a side! I regretted it after I got to taste it.
Price: $15 USD for three pieces and a side
Rating: 9/10
Dooky Chase’s Restaurant
Founded by Leah Chase, the Queen of Creole Cuisine, Dooky Chase’s Restaurant has been through a lot of history. From the numerous gatherings during the Civil Rights Movement to the visits of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama making their fried chicken pilgrimages to this dining room. This restaurant is one of the finer restaurants on this list and shows in the price of its food. I found the meat to be one of the better ones on this list. It was juicy, tender and flavourful. Unfortunately, my rating for this is not as high as others as the skin was lacking in crispiness.
Price: $15.95 USD for three pieces served with a side of vegetables
Rating: 8.5/10
In the span of my four days in New Orleans, I was able to visit these five restaurants and ate an enormous amount of fried chicken. All in the name for SCIENCE!
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