Best Fried Chicken in Memphis: Cast Iron, Spice and Soul

The best fried chicken in Memphis tends to be spicy, thin-crusted and cooked in cast iron, and the city's cooks take pride in not copying Nashville or Kentucky. Memphis is known for barbecue and the blues, but its fried chicken has a reputation of its own, from the downtown chicken houses to soul food kitchens.

Ask how long the chicken takes. Properly cooked fried chicken, made to order, can take twenty minutes or more, and some places warn you with a sign.

What makes the best fried chicken in Memphis different?

Memphis chicken is usually seasoned with a peppery spice mix that works its way into the meat, not just the crust. The coating is thin and crisp, and the chicken often tastes more of heat and salt than of batter. Many kitchens still use cast-iron skillets, which hold an even temperature and give the crust a deep color.

The result is chicken that is spicy but not greasy. It is usually served with white bread, pickles and sides, and a cold drink is welcome. Some places offer mild options for people who do not want heat.

Why do people make a trip for the famous downtown fried chicken?

The best-known chicken house downtown has become a destination for people who want to try spicy fried chicken in the Memphis style. The chicken is cooked in cast iron, crisp outside and fierce with heat, and the city has built a name on it.

The room is casual and busy, so expect to wait at peak times. Order a mixed plate if you want to try breast, thigh and leg, and add beans or slaw. Check which locations are open before you go, since the name is used at several restaurants and not all are the same experience.

Where can you get cast iron fried chicken and Memphis soul food?

In the Pinch District, soul food kitchens serve mahogany-colored fried chicken cooked the way a grandmother would in a cast-iron skillet. Catfish and meatloaf are worth ordering alongside, which is a good reason to bring a group and share.

Long-standing soul food restaurants also serve fried chicken livers, catfish and mac and cheese, so check current information before you go. Soul food kitchens often have a short daily menu, and a plate with a meat and two or three sides is a normal order.

What about a local chain?

Memphis also has local chains with a handful of locations, selling dinner boxes, wings and tenders. A chain like this is a useful comparison point: it shows what a fast, affordable Memphis fried chicken box tastes like, against which you can judge a restaurant version.

For a quick lunch or a road trip meal, a box with a side and a drink is the easy choice. Lines are usually short.

What are the best Memphis Southern sides?

Fried chicken is rarely eaten alone. The classics are collard greens, black-eyed peas, mac and cheese, candied yams, green beans, cornbread and fried okra. Slaw is common too, and sweet tea is the default drink. If a restaurant offers banana pudding or peach cobbler, a small portion is a fair way to end the meal.

Share sides across the table. The right mix balances salt, sweet and bitter: something creamy, something green and something starchy. The sides at a soul food kitchen can be as memorable as the chicken.

What should you know about the history behind the plate?

Fried chicken came to the American South with Scottish and West African cooking traditions, and in Black communities it became a food for Sundays, church suppers and travel. Before highways and fast food, travelers who were not welcome at many restaurants carried boxed fried chicken on the road, and soul food kitchens grew out of that history. Memphis, with its river port, its migration from the Delta and its music scene, has been a place where those traditions met for generations.

Knowing that makes the plate more interesting. A well-made piece of fried chicken in a plain room is the end of a long line of home cooks, and it is worth eating slowly.

How should you order fried chicken at a Memphis restaurant?

Ask how long the chicken takes. Properly cooked fried chicken, made to order, can take twenty minutes or more, and some places warn you with a sign. If you are in a hurry, ask what is ready now. A half chicken is a good meal for two with sides.

Be clear about heat. If the menu offers mild, medium and hot, medium is usually a good starting point for a first visit. Eat with your hands, and take the rest home in a box if you cannot finish.

What to read next if you are planning a trip

Chicken is one part of a Memphis visit. The family friendly restaurants in Memphis guide has plans for eating with children, and the cheap eats in Nashville guide covers the next city up the road. For barbecue in the South, read about Birmingham, Alabama, and for a Mississippi drive see fried catfish in Mississippi. All the cities are on the US guides page.

Everyone has a favorite bird. In the Mosey app you can rate the plate you ate, write a note on the spice and the crust and build a Memphis fried chicken list that you can hand to a visitor.