Food: Fried Chicken

Don’t even start with me on nutrition and the health perils of fried foods. I’m not saying you should eat fried foods every meal, every day, or even every week. But when you want some good food, especially good chicken, nothing beats it good and crispy fried.

Those of you who live outside the South can just save your breath telling me how good your fried chicken is in Indiana or one of those square states out West. Fried chicken is a Southern dish. It’s meant to be eaten with potatoes, maybe mashed or even potato salad. And sweet tea. But then, that’s a separate Great American Thing all its own.

The South has many fried chicken meccas, but one that’s often considered the best is Willie Mae’s Scotch House in New Orleans. The restaurant was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but reopened a couple of years ago and is by all accounts as good as ever. Reading a couple of the five-star reviews on the dining site Yelp.com tells all you need to know:

“Hands down the best fried chicken EVER.”…”The chicken was divine. The batter so light and crispy. The meat so moist and tender.”…”The BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN AMERICA. If you are planning a trip to The Big Easy, this should be numero uno for your dining destinations.”

Fried chicken may be a disappearing art, considering the changing dietary preferences of Americans. And I’m sure you’re mama or your grandma made some really good fried chicken. If you can’t enjoy it now, get to one of the vanishing Southern restaurants where it’s still offered. Not KFC, though. Let’s all agree that grilled chicken isn’t what the Colonel had in mind. Take a look behind the scenes of Willie Mae’s in today’s video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtG6PiqfRes&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1]