BigTime Bites - Bigtime Bites

Fried Chicken (Dark)

Rotation RT

Starter ST

All-Star AS

Franchise FR

HOF HOF

rating

hall of fame

Willie Mae’s Scotch House

where

New Orleans, LA

cuisine

American

I want to write my own report on this dish

scouting report JP82

03/18/19 This is the best fried chicken I've ever had. I waited for about two hours and nearly missed my flight because of it, but I'd gladly spend an extra night in New Orleans just for this chicken. Willie Mae's has won all sorts of awards, including a milestone award from the James Beard Foundation and being named "Best Fried Chicken" by just about every culinary media outlet on the planet. And it definitely lives up to the hype. Tucked in a small house in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, about a mile and a half north of the French Quarter, Willie Mae's has limited seating which makes for long waits - I waited outside for about 90 minutes, then another 30-45 once seated for the food to come out (I admittedly arrived a little after 6pm, probably their busiest time of day). There is a limited menu of soul food dishes, but the chicken is really the only thing to order, and I went with dark meat. The crust on the chicken is truly unlike anything I've ever eaten in my life. It is has a perfect light crunch without being over fried or overly crispy. It is almost airy, which is really unique for deep fried chicken. This coating is perfectly salty and has a great spice mix under the coating, which gives way to juicy, tender meat. I ate the standard three pieces in about two minutes and could have easily gone for seconds, but I had to rush to the airport. I also got the mac n cheese which was tasty and had a hint of garlic that I liked, and the dish comes with peas, which were a pleasant bite of freshness. The fresh lemonade was tart, tangy, and sweet. All told, I had a really amazing meal at Willie Mae's and would qualify it as must-visit when in NOLA and just my second Hall of Fame dish ever.

price

open

breakfast

lunch

dinner