Americans eat more chicken than any other protein. The USDA says we eat twice as much chicken as anything else—three out of four of us eat chicken every week. I used to think it was foolishness: an inaccurate perception of healthiness, coupled with an inoffensive, bland, and dry character. But the truth is, when a great restaurant gets it right, there’s something special about the tautness of a perfectly cooked skin or the crunch of the ideal batter paired with the juiciness of that tender chicken meat.
We’ve ranked the best drippy chicken sandwiches, the top tenders, the wings that make your heart sing, and the best broasted, fried, and whole birds. Get ready to take flight—it’s chicken season.
David Paul Schmit
Sandwiches
ABANG YOLI
Maybe the best value in town: For $15, you get chef Jamie Yoo’s crispy Korean chicken breast with your choice of sauce (I like the spicy gochujang), pickled veggies, Asian mayo, tomato, and lettuce. Minnetonka; abangyoli.com
HEN HOUSE EATERY
The G.O.A.T. is a grilled Cajun chicken breast topped with barbecue sauce, bacon, and pepper jack cheese—it was named a winner in the Artesano bread company’s national Chicken Sandwich Challenge. Minneapolis; henhouseeatery.com
KHUE’S KITCHEN
The spicy chicken sandwich made this restaurant internet famous because of a buttermilk brine and corn and potato starches that lead to a crazy crisp. It’s topped with chili crunch and a bright-green herb aioli. St. Paul; khueskitchen.com
LAKE & IRVING
A thick buttermilk chicken breast is topped with Duroc bacon, pepper jack, and sriracha aioli—flavor for days. Minneapolis; lakeandirving.com
WHISKEY INFERNO
Chef Thomas Boemer is a legend for his chicken at his old restaurant, Revival, and now he’s bringing it to the southern ’burbs. The Firehouse Chicken Sandwich is no joke at Whiskey Inferno, with ghost-pepper cheese, bacon, and ghost-pepper honey. Apple Valley and Savage; whiskeyinferno.com
Jason’s Pick:
CURIOUSER COFFEE
Apple Valley and Eagan
Is it wrong to have two Boemer knockouts on the list? The Crispy Honey Butter Chicken Sandwich should be an icon. For under $15, you get a beautiful chicken breast with honey mustard slaw, topped with house-made pickles and served with a dollop of melty honey butter.
David Paul Schmit
Chicken Tendies
NASHVILLE COOP
Nashville makes a nice, crispy chicken tender, then dusts it with various spices to your personal spice level. Minneapolis, Richfield, and St. Paul; nashvillecoop.com
TENDER LOVIN’ CHIX
I love the Rush Hour 4—a couple of chicken tenders served with fried rice and Asian yum-yum sauce. It’s the perfect blend of Marques “Ques” Johnson and his partner Billy Tserenbat. Food truck locations vary; tenderlovinchix.com
Jason’s Pick:
MAC’S INDUSTRIAL SPORTS BAR
Minneapolis
There was a time in my life when I was part of a Facebook group that ranked chicken tenders in the Twin Cities, and my son and I ranked Mac’s a 10 out of Tendies (the top score). It’s the buttermilk breading, it’s that sports-bar fryer, and it’s the great sauces for dipping, too.
Nashville Coop
Broasted Chicken
BLACKSMITH LOUNGE & BROASTER
Blacksmith marinates its chicken pre-broasting, which locks in a great deal of flavor. Get 12 pieces for $28. Hugo; blacksmithlounge.com
M & H GAS STATION
When the sign on the awning at the gas station advertises “Car Wash” and “Broasted Chicken,” you know the chicken is going to be good. And it does not disappoint. Hastings; mhgas.com
OFFICIAL FRIED CHICKEN
Target Field is the only MLB ballpark where you can get chicken on the bone, and Official Fried Chicken is my favorite place to eat at Twins games. Target Field; officialfriedchicken.com
ROOSTER’S BARN & GRILL
Rooster’s cooks to order, so you may have to wait 20 minutes, but it’s worth it. The chicken is perfect every time. Rochester; roostersbarngrill.com
Jason’s Pick:
THE BLOCK FOOD + DRINK
St. Louis Park
The Block’s chicken is broasted to order, so it doesn’t sit on a warming shelf. Juicy, crispy, salty, just delightful—and worth the 30-minute wait to get it fresh.
Fried Chicken
THE COOP
With delicate, light batter and incredibly juicy chicken, The Coop does it right. South St. Paul; coopssp.hrpos.heartland.us
CUB FOODS
I know—but trust me, the Cub chicken at the hot bar is excellent, especially if you get it when it’s right out of the fryer. It’s hand-breaded, double-dipped, and never frozen. And so affordable—$12 for eight pieces. Multiple locations; cub.com
Jason’s Pick:
BULL’S HORN
Minneapolis
It’s almost unfair when you consider that former fine-dining chef Doug Flicker is behind this impossibly delicious fried chicken, which is brined in dill pickle juice and fried to a perfect crisp. I think this is the best fried chicken in the state—and also ridiculous to believe you’re getting it at a dive bar.
Half/Whole Chicken
BELLECOUR NORTH LOOP
Gavin Kaysen had a half chicken on the menu when Bellecour opened, but too many people were skipping it so they could try other things. No matter; get the roasted chicken entree in the rich, nutty vin jaune sauce. Oh, la la! Precise, juicy, decadent chicken. Minneapolis; bellecourmn.com
BLACK DUCK SPIRITS & HEARTH
The hearth is the centerpiece of this restaurant, and chef Jason Sawicki makes great use of it to slowly smoke his chicken, finishing it with a bright chimichurri and beet horseradish cream. Minneapolis; blackduckmpls.com
Vania Garrido
PIMENTO JAMAICAN KITCHEN
The Kingston-style jerk chicken is red hot and sneakily sweet—a combination of the Scotch bonnet peppers mashed up with pimento (all-spice), thyme, and garlic. Tomme Beevas slow cooks it, and it’s smoky, juicy, and fabulous. Minneapolis; pimento.com
Jason’s Pick:
MERITAGE
St. Paul
The French know how to do chicken, and Russell Klein’s crispy, all-natural half chicken is one of those dishes you don’t think you’re going to want to order when the server recommends it, and then you find yourself dreaming about it weeks (and months) later.
Worth-It Wings
D Spot: Made-to-order, chef-created, and served with creative sauces. Oakdale; eatatdspot.com
King of the Wing: Massive selection ranging from Thai chili to Carolina reaper garlic habanero. Champlin; kingofthewingmn.com
Hickory Hut: These juicy, whole wing beauties are made with Art Song’s Original Miracle Seasoning with 13 herbs and spices. St. Paul; hickoryhutstpaul.com
Milton’s Vittles, Vinos, and Beer: Four words—Get them Milton’s style. Crystal; miltonsvvb.com
The Monte Carlo: The dry rub king. The Monte Carlo consistently has the highest ranked wings in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis; montecarlomn.com
Ray J’s American Grill: The Bomba Wings are underrated, high-quality barbecue. Minneapolis; minneapolis.ray-js.com
Runyon’s: If The Monte Carlo is the king of dry rub, Runyon’s is the wet, saucy prince. Minneapolis; runyonsmn.com
D Spot
