It is the Fourth of July and what is more patriotic than fried chicken. The Boston Globe ran a story on Boston’s best fried chicken, Fried and True. The article makes you hungry and there is even a video. They list a number of local spots but indicate that you have to go to Virginia to Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant & Bakery in Staunton to get real pan fired chicken. Well, I am very lucky as my wife makes wonderful southern pan fried chicken that she learned how to make in Arkansas. It has to be the best in Boston.
My wife looked at the video and noted more similarities than differences. She uses more spices and Mrs. Rowe uses buttermilk in the coating but regular milk, like my wife, in the gravy. Otherwise ingredients and methods are the same. Now I was introduced to real fried chicken in New Orleans as my mother made amazing fan fried chicken in the style of what my wife and Mrs. Rowe produces.
Here are pictures of the process starting with the floured chicken this then pan fired. Then the white gravy is made as well as the mashed potatoes and biscuits. A nice champagne goes well with this.
But if you are not able to come to our house, then look at the following. We plan to check some of them out.
Highland Kitchen in Somerville, on Monday nights only, produces buttermilk fried chicken. This will be our first stop as it is not too far away. It is located at 150 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA (617) 625-1131
Poppa B’s. PigTrip wrote æPoppa B's opens at 7:00 AM (9:00 AM Sunday), so their breakfast items are a main attraction: served with the usual eggs, pancakes and waffles are atypical hot sausage, biscuits and sausage gravy, grits, steak, fried pork chops and fried fish. Lunch and dinner items lean more to soul than barbecue, with smothered pork chops, fried whiting, fried catfish and fried chicken leading the way. The ribs (both beef and pork) are billed as dry rubbed and hickory smoked. Chicken is available smoked, smothered or fried (various piece options). Pulled pork is available on a sandwich.” It sounds good to me. It is located at 1100 Blue Hill Ave, Dorchester, MA (617) 825-0700.
Summer Shack has multiple locations. It more of a seafood place but the chicken is good. The Boston location is at 50 Dalton Street in the Back Bay, across from the Sheraton Hotel entrance and the Hynes Auditorium. Upstairs from Kings Bowling Alley. 617-867-9955.
Mrs. Jones, It is located at 2255 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124
(617) 696-0180 in the Lower Mills neighborhood. Hidden Boston writes “the menu is a lot more interesting than your typical takeout joint. Tender brisket, mouthwatering cornbread, buttery pork chops (perhaps the best this writer has had in Boston), gooey macaroni and cheese, flavorful cornbread stuffing, decadent candied yams… whole deep-fried chicken or turkey (the deep-fried white meat and dark meat turkey are both tremendous), ham hocks, and smoked turkey legs. And there are some really interesting entrees that are served every now and then here, including neck bones, pig feet, oxtails, and fish and grits.” I will take the chicken.
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