Bypass the gas station for a back-to-basics fried chicken dinner

It is Sunday supper, and all eyes are on the massive platter of fried chicken centered on the table. The sight, the smell, the expectation of that first juicy bite — all senses are on high alert. Daddy gives a blessing that concludes with a rousing “Amen!” — code for “pass the fried chicken, please.”

Decorum hangs by a thread while breasts, thighs, wings and legs are equitably divvied up. At this point, mama’s strict rules of dining etiquette are somewhat loosened as grown-ups and kids alike fully surrender to their appetites. Let the gnawing begin!

Why fried chicken is a winner

When all elements hit the mark, that first bite of fried chicken can be a gateway to gastronomic heaven. There’s a momentary resistance before the teeth shatters the crust and the eyes close involuntarily to the rush of hot grease and juices. The spices hit the palate, and the brain demands, mid-chew, that you go in for another bite of that chicken leg RIGHT NOW! That’s fried chicken done right.

Add to the plate: Servings of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rice and gravy, green things like collards or string beans and buttery biscuits or cornbread. Bam, you have a fried chicken meal done right. As far as origins, historians credit the Scottish tradition of deep-frying chicken in lard and the West African tradition of adding spices and herbs as seasonings.

It is the keepers of these traditions, having lovingly preserved and perfected these methods, who ensure that fried chicken dinners remain a core part of Southern dining.

Fried chicken legacies

If your mama made fried chicken, she likely learned the ropes from her own mama, who learned from her mama and so on. This time-honored ritual embedded in Southern culinary culture is an undertaking worthy of generational inheritance.

Just ask diners who patronize local restaurants like Workmen’s Café on James Island, where one-woman dynamo, Angie Bellinger, has faithfully recreated her mother’s fried chicken for a new generation of appreciative diners. When she toyed with tweaking the recipe to achieve a crispier crust back in 2019, the venture was short-lived. Patrons pushed back and Bellinger herself declared, “Let me be the first to say that I DON’T LIKE IT!” Lesson: Don’t mess with perfection.

A similar approach is seen in North Charleston at Bertha’s Kitchen, where the late, great Albertha Grant’s recipes are still very much alive thanks to her daughters. In 2017, that homestyle cooking earned Bertha’s a James Beard Foundation “America’s Classics” award. It continues to live up to that honor.

And who could forget the indomitable Martha Lou Gadsen, whose fried chicken (and a pink building) put Martha Lou’s Kitchen on Charleston’s culinary map? The closing of the restaurant in 2020 and subsequent passing of Gadsen in 2021 broke the hearts of a lot of fried chicken fans across Charleston and beyond.

North Charleston’s Bertha’s Kitchen fries up the late, great Albertha Grant’s fried chicken recipe | Ashley Stanol

In each case, these women (and their progeny) recognized the value in preserving the fried chicken traditions handed down through the generations. From the enslaved Black women who mastered the art of frying chicken to the free Black women who used their fried chicken skills to become entrepreneurs and on to the women who made fried chicken the star of church dinners and family suppers, the dish acquired a complicated identity born of economic practicality, communal appeal and, sadly, racial stereotyping.

These days, such historical complexities rarely surface as people of all backgrounds routinely indulge in the nation’s fried chicken frenzy.

Inconvenience food

While fried chicken as convenience food is in high demand, nothing can compare to the warm, nostalgic feel of a less convenient classic fried chicken dinner. That means a chicken entrée that is brined, coated or dipped, and fried to order served up with rib-sticking comfort-food sides. Charleston chefs do their part to keep the experience Southern and accessible.

While Bertha’s Kitchen and Workmen’s Café are hotspots for building amazing Southern-style meals around fried chicken served a la carte, there are several tried-and-true options for a fully plated sit-down dinner, Magnolias, which serves about 100 fried chicken dinners daily with whipped potatoes, creamed corn, collard greens, White Lily biscuits and herb gravy, certainly fits the bill.

“What makes us different is we use a marinated double breast with the skin on and a simple light breading,” said Chef Kelly Franz, culinary director. “A few of the recipes have evolved since Magnolias opened in 1990, but the chicken has stayed the same.”

Rudy Royale made fried chicken the anchor of its menu, and it remains a strong local favorite. Owner Macready Downer said the fried chicken was a “happy accident” that occurred at Semilla, the restaurant he once owned with his sister.

“We were running a fried chicken special and decided to use masa flour in the breading,” he said. “It created this incredibly crisp, flavorful crust that guests really connected with, so much so that it became one of the signature dishes on that menu.”

That original recipe laid the groundwork for Rudy Royale. Its technique for fried chicken involves overnight brining, then dredging and breading each piece twice prior to frying. Diners can order it with either honey-sea salt or Nashville hot seasonings. (Downer prefers the former.)

While all that makes for great fried chicken, the choice to offer a classic plate added nostalgic appeal to the Rudy Royale dining concept. Whipped potatoes, cucumber salad and a cheddar biscuit round out every fried chicken dinner.

Rudy Royale uses masa flour in its fried chicken | Ashley Stanol

“You have to be really careful with comfort food because everyone has expectations about how it’s made and served,” said Downer. “Fried chicken is already such an iconic dish, and we felt it deserved a recognizable cast of characters.”

But no matter the recipe or who gets credit for it, in the end it is what it is. As the late, great Martha Lou Gadsen once said: “People ask me ‘Is it just fried chicken or is it really Southern fried chicken?’ I say it’s just fried chicken.”

In that spirit, go ahead and arrange a napkin on your lap.

But reserve the cutlery for the sides, please.