I’d like to preface this post with the fact that as a Canadian, my previous understanding of fried chicken was that it came in a bucket from a grandfatherly Colonel. On arrival to the U.S. I made it my mission to find some “real” fried chicken, to see what I’d been missing all my life (the same goes for Mexican food, apparently Taco Time doesn’t properly represent the region’s finest cuisine). When I came to Seattle, I heard from many sources that Ezell’s was the place to go to satisfy my curious cravings.
Ezell’s Chicken is a notorious Seattle institution. Google “best fried chicken Seattle” and this place comes up #1 every time. It’s so good that Oprah herself has endorsed it, and it’s rumored she’s had it shipped to her home in Chicago. Ezell’s offers a good range of fried chicken, from dark meat to white (or a mix of dark and white), to chicken tenders and fried gizzards. They also have decent sides, my favourites including the bbq baked beans and coleslaw. By far the best accompaniment are the rolls they include with your meal, those sweet, addictive rolls that you could just fill up on alone. The prices are decent as well; a recent meal for two included 4 pieces of mixed fried chicken, 2 rolls, and 2 sides for around $13.00. Since each piece of chicken is quite large, juicy, and meaty, this allows for some leftovers if you don’t have a giant appetite.
Our total order
My biggest mistake eating Ezell’s the first time was opting for the original recipe; the spicy recipe chicken is BY FAR the best way to eat it. It’s not overly spicy itself, but packs a nice subtle heat and a ton of flavour.
Fried chicken always pairs nicely with wine from a tetra pak
As proof that I’m not a total food snob, we drank our tetra pak wine with the chicken, and it was a pretty solid pairing if I do say so myself (Wine: Peller Estates Pinot Grigio from the airport duty free shop).
If you’re a meatetarian like myself and you’re looking for some good southern-style fried chicken, head over to a nearby Ezell’s location!
Multiple locations.
