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The fried chicken sandwich is a thing of comfort and simplicity—no need to masquerade the Southern-fangled thing as a fancy-pants meal and dress it up with a zillion accoutrements. These are our new fowl favorites to dig into across the city right now.
Spicy chicken sandwich at Emmy Squared
While many chicken sandwiches promise tongue tingling, yet deliver a milder punch, Emmy Squared’s sweet sambal-smeared rendition is in fact hot, hot, hot. Also of note: the radishes and bok choy packed inside that pretzel bun. $16
Crispy chicken-thigh sandwich at Llama Inn
On the brunch menu, behold a twist on the old favorite: fried chicken thighs marinated in fermented soy bean sauce, topped with aji verde salsa and garnished with fresh salsa criolla (red onion, cilantro, and grapeseed oil). $14
Hot chicken at Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen
TV chef Carla Hall serves up a plethora of chicken bits (breasts, thighs, wings, legs) at varying spice levels (from level-1 no-sauce “Southern” to the searing “Boomshakalaka”) in a cozy, intimate setting. The frizzled bird arrives on top of sliced bread so you can DIY. $13.25–$15.50
Colonel Tso’s chicken on a biscuit at Belle Shoals
The team behind Seamstress serve up a Southern-twanged take on General Tso's chicken, remade with green onions, cashews, chili and pickles for a slightly less casual finger-lickin' affair. $13
Fried chicken sandwich at Dromedary Bar
It may be listed on the menu as “Yes, A Fried Chicken Sandwich,” but it's no garden-variety take on the form. Instead, the buttermilk-soaked chicken thigh is capped with kale guacamole and agro dolce ketchup. Jazz it up even further by adding mac salad. $10
Fried chicken sandwich at Fuku
From Momofuku honcho David Chang, this spicy number features a boneless, skinless, habanero-marinated chicken thigh that's dipped lightly in buttermilk, breaded and fried until crispy. The focus is the chicken—the squishy potato roll bun is simply a bookend; the smattering of pickles and butter, the punctuation. $8
Chicken Buddies at El Cortez
Fried chicken is what Stephen Tanner is known for in these parts. The unceremonious hen-fried concoction at his Williamsburg neo–Tex-Mex bar features four crunchy-skinned chicken sliders with lettuce, pickles and mayo, served kebab-style on a giant toothpick. $12
Chick’n Shack at Shake Shack
Shake Shack’s latest line-former is an uncomplicated but immensely crispy chicken breast with lettuce, pickles and buttermilk-herb mayo. Spice it up with Louisiana hot sauce on the side. $6.29