In the article “The 25 Best Fried Chicken Restaurants in America,” the website Eat This, Not That! gave itself the enviable task of finding the tastiest fried birds in the country. And they could have started in Alabama.
“Fried chicken may not be hard to find, but certain dining spots go the extra mile and knock it out of the ballpark when it comes to whipping up the comfort food,” the piece’s writer Brittany Natale said.
She searched “decades-old establishments with rich histories” and “newer spots gaining attention” for “delicious, innovative recipes,” and of course, she found one of them in Alabama.
“Recognized as one of Alabama’s best fried chicken spots, Martin’s Restaurant in Montgomery is an old-school locale that knows a thing or two about fried chicken,” Natale writes. “It opened in the 1930s and has been the must-visit spot to get fried chicken ever since.” She also shouts out the sweet potato casserole, roast beef and coconut cream meringue pie, so props to her for exploring the menu.
The list is ordered, with Martin’s coming in at 21st. Topping the list is Roscoe’s in Los Angeles. It also includes American mainstays like the original Willie Mae’s Scotch House in New Orleans, The Jerk Shack in San Antonio and Le Chick in Miami.
One more minor Alabama connection: The list includes the Tennessee-based and incredibly popular Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, which has a location at 2808 Seventh Ave. South in Birmingham. “Its menu features dark meat chicken, white meat chicken, legs, and wings, all fried to perfection and prepared to your spice liking — choose ‘Southern’ if you’re not into spicy foods and ‘Shut the Cluck Up!’ if you can’t get enough heat,” Natale writes.
Read the full Eat This, Not That! list.
Alabama obviously knows fried chicken, and AL.com found 22 spots you must try (and what to order). We absolutely included Martin’s Restaurant (located at 1796 Carter Hill Road in Montgomery) on our list, because any list that doesn’t is, well, fried.
Alabama food guru Bob Carlton said it best: “Martin’s has been a mainstay in Montgomery for more than 80 years, so it’s had plenty of time to perfect its fried chicken. And oh, it is perfect. It’s so perfect. It’s crunchy, tasty and is packed with flavor. Even better, it’s one of a handful of places in Alabama that serve ‘pulley bones’ — the part of the chicken in between the breasts.”
“The thing about the pulley bone is, you cannot just call (a supplier) and say, ‘Send me two cases of pulley bones,’'’ owner Maryanne Smith Merritt told Carlton in 2020. “You have to cut a whole chicken to get one pulley bone. We have just so many that we start out with each day, and then they’re gone.”
More on fried chicken in Alabama...
Alabama’s best fried chicken: Our top 10
Birmingham’s best fried chicken: Our top 5
Huntsville’s best fried chicken: Our top 5
Mobile’s best fried chicken: Our top 5