Six More Chickens

Before Al Copeland changed fried chicken forever with his delicious crispy and spicy fast food chicken, most fried chicken was lightly battered and lightly seasoned, but still delicious. But he did change the game with his fast food chicken and batters became heavier with more crunch and certainly spicier.  As I said in Part 1 of this round -up, both versions are delicious, and the ones doing it the old-fashioned way likely pre-date Popeye’s in the 1970s.

This piece is not about fast food chicken, but I start it off by saying it’s hard to beat Popeye’s chicken. You can still have it and have it in a sit down restaurant. It’s on the menu all the time at Al Copeland’s second great idea: Copeland’s. The same crunchy, spicy, thick-battered wonder can be had with insanely terrific biscuits as well.

An example of the old guard that pre-dates Popeye’s is L’il Dizzy’s, another legacy restaurant like Dooky Chase which spans generations. L’il Dizzy’s goes back to the old Eddie’s on Law St., which ended with the floodwaters of Katrina. It landed on Esplanade near Claiborne in Treme, with a stop or two before that, but this home is adorable. The fried chicken is lightly-battered and really flavorful, with exactly the right amount of crunch. It is served as part of a buffet full of other New Orleans favorites.

Tom had Fury’s in Metairie as a show sponsor with the seemingly insignificant buy of one spot a week. He used it to promote a few things but what stuck in the minds of listeners was the fried chicken. Fury’s would sometimes call Tom to say they think the contract lapsed because the clamor for the fried chicken was light. Fury’s arrived on the scene after Popeye’s so the crust tends to be the heavier and crunchier style, though not as spicy.

The same is true for Mr. Ed’s, in terms of batter thickness, but Mr. Ed’s packs a lot more flavor. Ed McIntyre runs very good restaurants  that embrace all that New Orleans has to offer in terms of fat and salt, meaning his food is very desirable. Mr. Ed’s Seafood &Italian Restaurant started his group of restaurants, and the menu is what the title says: seafood and Italian food, and a very good version of it all. The fried chicken is available at his Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House. His crispy chicken is very crispy and crunchy indeed, and it mirrors the flavors and texture of Al Copeland’s creation. Good stuff. The jambalaya is a great side dish for it. 

Last week I mentioned Rocky & Carlo’s fried chicken, and on this list of six is DiCristina’s, the Covington version of the Chalmette landmark. It’s not necessarily the same recipe, but it is crispy and full of that New Orleans flavor. Mandina's also has a great feied chicken. It is surprisingly thick-battered for a place that has been around a lot longer then when Al Copeland changed the game in the 1970s. It is greaseless and golden brown, hot from the fryer, and also heavy on the salt and spice, making it a good version of our local fried food.

I have often asked the question about a number of things that are so beloved there is no bad version of them. If fried chicken is hot, greaseless, and golden brown, whether the crust is thick or thin, and the flavor light or spicy, it is good.