Enjoy some of the Best Fried Chicken Joints In New Jersey on National Fried Chicken Day!
Every day should be National Fried Chicken Day! Fried Chicken is the ultimate comfort food right behind mac & cheese.
I LOVE fried chicken! I don’t recall my mother ever making fried chicken while I was growing up. It was one of those dishes that never made it into her repertoire.
My grandmother used to live across the street from Kentucky Fried Chicken. Every time we went to visit grandma, I would get all wide eyed seeing the big sign with Colonel Sanders mug alongside the KFC bucket staring me in the face. It was almost as if he was trying to lure me into the restaurant with his smile and the aroma of that crispy coated fried chicken. Oh, and let’s not forget those mashed potatoes and the well seasoned gravy.
If I had a choice for a last meal, fried chicken would be at the top of my list. I’ve made fried chicken a few times in my life, but not enough to claim a blue ribbon or any kind of award at all.
What Goes Into Making Great Fried Chicken?
Making great fried chicken and getting it just right is a long, labor intensive process. Creating the buttermilk marinade, figuring out the perfect spice blend, the perfect options to create, a crunchy coating, the perfect cooking temperature and the perfect cooking time, are absolutely key to creating a memorable plate of fried chicken.
I’ve eaten some amazing fried chicken here in New Jersey. Jameson’s Southern Cooking on Route 35 in Neptune City was the first place I had fried chicken when I moved here in 1996 and I must say that it is hands down, one of the best plates of fried I have ever eaten since living in New Jersey. Jameson’s ribs, mac and cheese, and their perfectly seasoned collard greens are hard to beat.
I love a good crispy coating that clings to the chicken. I’m talking the kind where the people from across town can hear the crunch when you take your first bite. The chicken cannot be too greasy or under seasoned.
Outside of Jameson’s, where does one find the perfect fried chicken in New Jersey?
Check Out These Local Places For A Killer Sandwich On The Jersey Shore
I put the word out to those who love fried chicken as much as I do. The passionate food-loving crews on the social media pages will be our guides to finding fried chicken that you would drive miles for every time you had a craving for this juicy, crunchy delight.
The first recipe for American-style fried chicken appeared in Hannah Glasse’s ‘The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy’ in the year 1747. The recipe called for the floured chicken to be fried in lard. Soon, American Southerners started their standard techniques of frying chicken with similar recipes. There is so much history of fried chicken. Too much to include here. Hey, I need to stay on point.
What say you, passionate food crew? See the list below to find out where New Jersey food lovers get what they consider, the best-fried chicken in the Garden State.
