The best chicken shops in Sydney

One of the original heavyweights in the Sydney chicken game, El Jannah has been kicking since 1998. The unbeatable garlic sauce is its selling point here – that and a rpice point that means dinner for two here is less than a wine and a bar snack many other places. Hit up locations around Sydney, including Granville, Campbelltown, Penrith, Punchbowl, Blacktown and Newtown. 

Crown Street's vibey Lebanese charcoal chicken shop combines fast-casual dining with a little touch of fancy. From the team behind nearby Middle Eastern eatery Nour, Henrietta is dishing up Middle Eastern-style chook (best eaten with a wrap and a slather of garlic sauce) and a selection of bread, dips, pickles and salads.

Despite its name, this chicken joint is all about fried chicken, Champagne and – oh, yeah – sneakers. Hold the butter. Ex-Nomad chef Julian Cincotta is at the helm of food here. After lining the walls of a Surry Hills corner joint with hip, unusual sneakers and serving up crisp chicken, it made its mark in Parramatta, and opened in Chatswood in late 2020 (with a new charcoal menu). Aside from chicken, you'll find ramen, stuffed doughnuts, kicks from brands like Hypebeast and Raised by Wolves, and of course, bubbles.

Another of Sydney's big-hitters, Frango (meaning 'chicken' in Portuguese) has perfected its butterflied and charcoal-grilled mainstay over the 30 years since it first opened up in Sydney. Now there are outlets in Petersham, Smithfield, Bella Vista, Gregory Hills and Penrith, plus Australia's first charcoal chicken drive-through is now officially up and running, thanks to these good folk. 

The smell of Granville is surely chicken skin charring to a smoky crisp as fat drips and sizzles onto glowing charcoal below. This expansive eatery does barbecue chicken, Lebanese-style. Garlic sauce is mandatory, with pickles, flat bread, falafel and tabouli on their mammoth mixed plates.

Melbourne import Belles is now scattered around Sydney, having planted its flag at Tramsheds, Darling Square and Barangaroo. Under the guidance of head chef Morgan McGlone, Belles offers  something for every level of spice tolerance – and you can guess which end the frankly violent-sounding ‘Sex Panther’ sits. Grab another glass of natty wine to go with that one. 

The Chicken Shop on Oxford Street is a lifter not a leaner when it comes to a takeaway dinner. It's the casual tuckshop to Merivale's redux pub, the Paddington, and you can even order online so that your order is ready to go when you are. They use free range, Bannockburn hens, make an ace roast chicken roll and their gravy is some of the best in town.

Sunday is a Potts Point rotisserie by one of the co-founders of Belles Hot Chicken, designed to evoke the casual, hearty comfort of Sunday night family dinners, but set inside a snazzy new restaurant and bar – the best of both worlds.

This local chain has been in the chicken game for a while, and it's amassed a cult following of its own through its 16 stores spread across Sydney and Melbourne. Grab extra-large chickens, a half or quarter chook, or the classic – a chicken and chip pack – for the ideal pick-me-up after a lazy day of sun-lounging and swimming. 

From the team behind Mr Crackles on Oxford Street comes Thirsty Bird – more ace late-night treats for Potts Point and Newtown. Fried chicken is what Thirsty Bird does best – and that's the only thing it's interested in here, be that in the form of a tender, a wing or stuffed in a burger. 

Petersham is the traditional enclave of Sydney's Portuguese community, and Silvas is a well-kept secret outside of the area (Frango's gets a lot of the limelight). But this unassuming eatery is a charcoal chicken gem. Go for low-key vibes and juicy, juicy chook. 

‘Goobne’ means ‘oven-roasted’ in Korean, and it's also the name of the global chicken chain which hit Sydney's shores in 2019. You can find Korean fried chicken all around Sydney, but Goobne's is oven-roasted and doesn't use a drop of oil – it's a healthier alternative for when those resolutions are still going strong.