St. Louis is a melting pot of fried chicken in all of its glorious styles, flavors and preparations.
“I've rarely met a fried chicken I didn't like,” said Sarah Kolling.
Kolling was one of the more than 600 people who responded to St. Louis on the Air’s “Chicken Fight,” which asked St. Louisans to share their thoughts on where to find the best fried chicken in the region.
On Thursday’s show, St. Louis Public Radio reporter Chad Davis and food writer Cheryl Baehr discussed folks’ top picks, be it breasts or thighs, drums or flats, shared insight on preferred cuts and hashed out the age-old debate: sauce or no sauce.
Among the highlights was sleeper hit Krispy Krunchy, which can be found in gas stations in and out of the St. Louis region. “This is not an elitist conversation about fried chicken,” Baehr said. “Krispy Krunchy in the gas station — it's excellent.”
After hearing the on-air crunch of fried chicken at a generational favorite in Alton — Castelli’s Moonlight Restaurant at 255 (3400 Fosterburg Road, Alton 62002) — Davis said, “I want to make that crunch my ringtone or my text tone or something.”
Caller Jackson said Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken in Maplewood (7434 Manchester Road, Maplewood 63143) is the best and added: “Oh, man. It's juicy. It's crispy. And I don't know how they do it — if it's in the batter or the brine — but it's just got a nice little kick without being too much, and it's always consistent.”
Porter’s Fried Chicken (3628 S. Big Bend Blvd., St. Louis 63143) is the choice for caller Russ Orf. “[It’s] St. Louis’ best-kept secret because of their spicing. I don't know what they use, but the spicing is incredible. [It’s] the best chicken I've ever had in my life — and I've eaten chicken anywhere and everywhere.”
In no particular order, here are a few more of St. Louisans’ top picks:
- Amigo Joe’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina (5901 Southwest Ave., St. Louis 63139)
- The Off Track Saloon (7301 S. Broadway, St. Louis 63111)
- Fergie’s Bar & Restaurant (1699 Lemay Ferry Road, St. Louis 63125)
- Hobo’s at the Legion (200 Main St., St Peters 63376)
- Schnucks (1020 Loughborough Drive, St. Louis 63111)
- The Piccadilly at Manhattan (7201 Piccadilly Ave., St. Louis 63143)
- The Lemp Mansion Restaurant (3322 Demenil Place, St. Louis 63118)
- Young’s Restaurant & Ice Creamery (206 Meramec Station Road, Valley Park 63088)
- Hodak’s Restaurant & Bar (2100 Gravois Ave., St. Louis 63104)
- Grace Meat + 3 (4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis 63110)
- Chicken Coop (1020 Cave Springs Blvd., St Peters 63376)
- Euphoria Kitchen and Kocktails (5916 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis 63112)
- King Edwards Fried Chicken (1201 S. Duchesne Drive, St Charles 63301)
To learn more about St. Louis’ fried chicken offerings, and what makes good fried chicken, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The production intern is Darrious Varner. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
