Top 5 fried chicken in Toronto
Published August 8, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Fried chicken is one of Toronto’s great comfort food options. Good fried chicken is defined by a crispy crunchy outer coating, often layered with a signature blend of spices and seasonings, and juicy meat on the inside.
Some of the top spots for fried chicken take their cues from the American South, but also aren’t afraid to put their own spin on the dish, or the sides for that matter. While chicken is the star of the show at these places, it often shines even brighter with the addition of a special sauce, a few tangy pickles, and sides like fries, slaw or mac n’ cheese.
Here are some of the top places to grab fried chicken in Toronto.
A coating with kick is what sets the fried chicken apart at this Kensington spot. They’re known for stuffing their chicken into grilled cheeses and epic sandwiches with mac n’ cheese inside.
The chicken is good enough to stand on its own in a two-piece meal as well, and is super juicy. A combo comes on a bed of nicely seasoned fries with lots of pickles, roughly chopped creamy coleslaw and a tangy sauce for dipping.
4 – Ding-A-Wing
Things have changed a little bit for this chicken shop since it first opened, but now it can be found within the bar Smith House on College.
Their fried chicken is still distinguished by being served with lemon wedges, something pretty much no one else in the city does, but a touch that balances out the fried dish with a little brightness and brings out the chicken’s succulence.
It’s also practically mandatory to accompany the chicken with their dinger hot sauce or honey dill sauce. Their spiced fries, pasta salad and potato salad are also worthy pairings.
3 – Chen Chen’s Nashville Hot Chicken
Nashville hot chicken is done almost surprisingly well at this humble takeout spot on Queen West. The neon red colour of their hot chicken is a warning as to the spice levels you’re about to encounter, and though it’s spicy if you select a middling heat level it’s definitely not too overwhelming, just enough to make your lips tingle and keep you coming back for more. Of course, you’re welcome to test your limits with a range of spice levels that reaches intense peaks.
The chicken doesn’t need to be paired with much more than the simple slice of white bread and pickles it comes with, but this place also offers it on top of mac n’ cheese. They also do a Szechuan-infused version of their Nashville hot chicken.
2 – PG Clucks
Locations on Queen West and in Little Italy serve up fried chicken that’s always made using deboned leg meat brined for 24 hours in a lemon and herb brine, then for six hours in buttermilk, and dredged twice for a crackly crisp coating. That whole process also infuses the meat with a ton of moisture and flavour.
You can order two to twelve pieces a la carte, regular or Nashville hot style, served with their house ranch and hot sauces.
1 – Chica’s Chicken
This Junction chicken shop snagged Bib Gourmand status from the Michelin Guide for its Nashville hot chicken that reaches lethal spice levels. Run by a husband and wife team, all their chicken is local, halal, grain-fed, free-run and brined with their house spice blend for two days. They also blend their ghost peppers by hand.
The bone-in chicken is incredibly tender, and the way the hot chicken is prepared really makes the spices stick to the crinkly skin and flavour the meat all the way through. Eating a couple pieces with white bread, pickles and Chica’s Sauce is a messy, fiery experience.