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#The 5 best new fried chicken spots in NYC

“The 5 best new fried chicken spots in NYC”

The bird is the word — especially if it’s hot and crispy.

Call it a longing for comfort food in the wake of the pandemic or a back-to-basics approach to eating. Whatever the reason, fried chicken is having a moment. And, no, we don’t mean the bland and uninspired fast-food kind from our youth. 

These days, there are plenty of interesting and varied takes on the plucky dish — from Southern to Indian to Korean. All are relatively inexpensive, tasty and sure to please a crowd.

Read on for the best fried chicken spots and standout battered-bird dishes popping up all over NYC.

A spicy Indian spin

Rowdy Rooster chicken
Rowdy Rooster opened in February and offers three different spice levels for its chicken.
Paul McDounough

Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya of Dhamaka and Adda fame opened the eight-seat Rowdy Rooster in February to introduce New Yorkers to the fried chicken they grew up eating in India — particularly Pandya’s memories of the spicy masala pieces from Mumbai’s street stalls.

“My creation is meant to be as authentic as possible, which is why I only use chicken legs,” Pandya said. “They’re the most prized in India for their juiciness.”

He soaks the meat in a secret brine for two days, then marinates it for an additional day in yogurt, ginger-garlic paste and a house-spice blend that includes red chili powder and turmeric. A toss in a mix of white flour and starch is the final step before frying.

Whether you order the chicken in a sandwich or as a three-piece plate (from $9), it comes in three different spice levels, none of which are for the fainthearted. “It’s either hot, hotter or hottest,” says Mazumdar. “That’s the Indian way.”

149 First Ave.; RowdyRooster.com

Comeback of a Southern classic

Charles Pan-Fried Chicken's fried chicken
Charles Gabriel, owner and chef of Charles Pan-Fried Chicken, wouldn’t divulge specifics about his legendary fried chicken, but did reveal one of his tricks was to use a cast-iron frying pan.
Evan Sung

Proprietor and chef Charles Gabriel first debuted his legendary fried chicken in New York 25 years ago by selling it on the streets of Harlem. He eventually opened a brick-and-mortar Charles Pan-Fried Chicken in the neighborhood, but it closed in April 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. Now he’s making a fast comeback with new locations on the Upper West Side (now open) and Harlem (coming soon).

One of 20 children who grew up on a cotton plantation in Charlotte, NC, Gabriel’s recipe is a replica of his mother’s. “The trick is to use a cast-iron frying pan and never a deep fryer,” he said. “It comes out crispy and golden brown but not oily.”

Gabriel won’t divulge specifics but said his process starts by cutting up a whole bird into nine pieces and marinating it in seasoning for eight hours. Salt, pepper, an egg wash and a mixture of flour and more seasoning factor in before the chicken goes into the pan (from $1.75 for a wing). Sides are winners, too, and include what Charles Pan-Fried Chicken COO Quie Slobert calls “the holy trilogy of Southern fried chicken”: baked mac ‘n’ cheese with an overload of cheddar; candied yams; and collard greens.

146 W. 72nd St., 646-590-0662; 340 W. 145th St. (opening March 26), 212-281-1800; CharlesPanFriedChicken.com

Cluck it up over cocktails

Wings and cocktails from Chick Inn
At the Chick Inn, there are several refreshing cocktails to enjoy with the chicken.
Julie Nicotra

Forget a grab-and-go affair. The Chick Inn’s chef-owner Steve Gallo said that his restaurants — his Harlem spot opened last year, with a Kips Bay location debuting next month — are meant to make the tradition of eating fried chicken a night out. “We want you to sit and enjoy your chicken with a great cocktail, glass of wine or draft beer,” he said.

Gallo offers wings and tenders, as well as sandwiches. The former (from $11 for three pieces) are seasoned overnight in salt, pepper, garlic and dill, while the cutlets are brined for a day in bay leaves, thyme, water and salt. The meat is tossed in a batter and deep-fried in corn oil, with exceptional results. Think tender and crunchy, with a spicy kick. House-made sauces up the ante and include blue cheese, vegan pesto, and cilantro green with jalapeño and lime.

For a side, Gallo recommends the spicy vodka rice: white rice in a creamed vodka-laced sauce with Calabrian peppers. There are also plenty of refreshing cocktails to choose from, including a Harlem mule featuring mezcal, pineapple, mint, lime and ginger beer.

3508 Broadway, 212-234-3084; 415 Third Ave. (opening in April); NYChickInn.com

A fancier fry in Brooklyn

fried chicken cutlet with mushrooms at restaurant The Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen’s fried chicken cutlet with mushrooms.
Stefano Giovannini

Celebrated James Beard-nominated restaurant the Four Horsemen in Williamsburg serves a mean take on fried chicken that’s a bit more sophisticated. Chef Nick Curtola pulled out his recipe from the archives during COVID, and it has since become a best seller.

“When I made the dish a permanent part of the menu, Sungold tomatoes were perfectly in season, so I included a sauce of blistered tomatoes, toasted garlic and chicken jus in the presentation,” he said. “It just seemed like the perfect cheerful thing to serve people during a bleak time when we all needed joy.”

Curtola uses chicken thighs brined in water, salt and brown sugar, and instead of eggs, he relies on a mixture of egg whites and cornstarch for an extra-crispy crust. The $33 dish has now become a vehicle to showcase seasonal produce. These days, that means a healthy topping of roasted black maitake mushrooms, cipollini onions and a garlicky Marsala pan sauce with chicken jus and butter melted in.

295 Grand St., Brooklyn; 718-599-4900, FourHorsemenBK.com

An addictive Korean update

The honey soy garlic bite from Bull Chicken.
The honey soy garlic bite from Bull Chicken.
Tamara Beckwith

Bull Chicken co-founder Juwon Song started selling Dakgangjeong — Korean-style fried chicken — at Queens Night Market in 2019. It was such a success that he established a permanent footprint with a location at Urbanspace on West 52nd Street in February and has a second venue debuting in April on the East Side. 

Song prides himself on combining American techniques with Korean ingredients and using boneless breast and thigh meat in his preparations. “It’s not messy when you eat it, plus I think it tastes better than chicken on the bone,” he said.

A 12-hour marinade in buttermilk and Korean ingredients such as gochujang (red pepper paste), gochugaru (red pepper flakes) and kimchi is the precursor to a double-frying technique with less oil that yields a super-crispy end result. Order it as a sandwich (from $9.45 for a classic) or, better still, go for the bites tossed in sauces such as Korean BBQ and honey-soy garlic. Dip the nuggets in buttermilk ranch sauce or kimchi mayo before eating and, trust us, you’ll be hooked.

Urbanspace at 152 W. 52nd St., 646-415-8652; and at 570 Lexington Ave. (opening April 15); TheBullChicken.com

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