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Best Fried Chicken Spots in Kissimmee & Orlando: A Local's Guide
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items Crispy, juicy, and worth every calorie: these are the best fried chicken spots in Kissimmee and Orlando, from Nashville hot chicken and Southern soul food to Korean double-fried wings near Disney. I've eaten my way through Central Florida so you can ...
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The Memphis legend landed on East Colonial and it lives up to the hype: thin, shatter-crisp crust with a slow-building cayenne heat. Order the three-piece dark with baked beans and slaw and thank me later.
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken (Orlando)
Nashville-style tenders and sliders right on I-Drive, perfect after a long theme park day. Start at Medium unless you've got something to prove, and don't skip the kale slaw to cool things down.
Dave's Hot Chicken
Guy Fieri's tenders at Disney Springs are brined in pickle juice and fried crazy crispy, and the 22 sauces are the real fun. Get the Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ and the Donkey Sauce, and eat outside by the water.
Chicken Guy!
Art Smith's famous fried chicken is brined for 24 hours and it shows: juicy all the way through with a craggy, buttermilk crust. The Fried Chicken & Doughnuts plate is the move, and the moonshine cocktails make it a proper night out.
Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'
From the 4 Rivers family, and the fried chicken here is Southern comfort done right: crackly skin, seasoned to the bone, served with real-deal sides like mac and cheese and collards. Sunday brunch gets busy, so go early.
The COOP (Winter Park)
Trina's Southern bakery in the Milk District makes the fried chicken biscuit I dream about: crispy thigh, flaky biscuit, honey drizzle. Weekend lines are long but it moves, and grab a slice of pie for the road.
Se7en Bites (Milk District, Orlando)
An Orlando soul food institution since 1949, and the pan-fried chicken is the reason. Get it with the candied yams and cornbread, and expect to leave with leftovers and a smile.
Nikki's Place
Chef Eddie's is Orlando soul food royalty, and the fried chicken is seasoned deep and fried golden every single time. Pair it with the mac and cheese and a sweet tea, and check their hours before you go since they cater a lot.
Chef Eddie's Restaurant & Catering (Orlando)
Korean double-fried wings with that glassy, crackly skin that stays crunchy even after the sauce. Go half soy garlic, half spicy, and add the pickled radish. Close to the airport, so it's my go-to before a flight.
Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken (Orlando Gateway)
Mills 50's Korean fried chicken spot uses olive oil for frying, so the crust is light and crazy crisp. The Golden Original is my pick, and the cheese-dusted Cheesling wings are a guilty pleasure worth sharing.
bb.q Chicken East Colonial
If you want to fry chicken at home, this is the pan. Cast iron holds heat like nothing else, so the oil temp doesn't crash when the chicken goes in, and that's the secret to a crust that stays crispy.
12 Inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
Guessing is how you get raw-in-the-middle chicken. This reads in a couple of seconds so you can pull thighs at 175 and breasts at 165 every time. Cheap insurance for a good dinner.
ThermoPro TP19 Instant-Read Meat Thermometer
My shortcut for weeknight fried chicken: buttermilk soak, dredge in this, fry. The seasoning is already dialed in with a little cayenne kick, and it gives you that craggy Southern crust without measuring anything.
Louisiana Fish Fry Seasoned Chicken Fry Mix
Yes it's a chain, but Kissimmee waited years for a Cane's and the line on Osceola Parkway proves it. Fresh, never-frozen tenders, Texas toast, and that Cane's sauce. The Box Combo is the only order you need to know.
Raising Cane's (Kissimmee, Osceola Pkwy)
The hot sauce you'll find on the table at half the spots on this list. Bright vinegar tang and mild heat that wakes up fried chicken without hiding it. I keep a bottle in the fridge and one in the car, no joke.
Crystal Original Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce, 12 oz