The 5 Best NYC Fried Chicken Sandwiches Out Of The 13 I've Had So Far

Last October I published my 5 best New York City fried chickens out of the 27 I have had so far list and I had mentioned that I also keep a fried chicken sandwich list. So after I published that list, I decided to switch things up and started researching on sandwiches. Please don't take this list or my opinions as final words. My favorites may not be your favorites and I like to encourage you to go out and find your own. I have listed the places, address, and prices for all the places I have been to plus another list of places I haven't been to.

Hopefully when you're done reading this, you will head out and eat some fried chicken sandwiches!

1. Allswell Okay, if you really REALLY need to know which sandwich is my favorite then here it is. Nate Smith of Allswell makes my favorite fried chicken sandwich ($13). It's a very simple sandwich. Housemade bun, chicken soaked in buttermilk and fried, escarole, and copious amount of mayo inside the sandwich. That's it! And also crazy good fries that aren't skinny, more mayo, and pickles on the side. The sandwich is amazing but so is the entire plate. Check out how the sandwich is made here. Allswell - 124 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn

Meat Hook Sandwich Shop I expected epic sandwiches from the Meat Hook people and they did not disappoint. The Hot Chicken ($13) is really really good and really really big. I love the different layers and temperature and texture. Hot, spicy, crispy, cool, juicy, salty...etc. Awesome sandwich. Meat Hook Sandwich Shop - 495 Lorimer St. Brooklyn

Joseph Leonard I actually took a day off from work so that I can eat this sandwich cause they only have it during lunch time and it was so worth it. Squishy bread, delicious crispy chicken but what won me over is the honey/tabasco/mayo mixture all slathered inside the sandwich. Though I wasn't too thrill with the chips. Give me fries! Joseph Leonard - 170 Waverly Place Manhattan

Pies 'n' Thighs I still remember the very first time I had the chicken biscuit ($7.50) from Pies 'n' Thighs. My friend and I shared one at the very first Madison Square Eats. I think we both regretted sharing because it was so damn freakin good. Flaky delicious biscuit and fried chicken but what really got us was the honey, hot sauce, and butter sauce all dripping from the sandwich and from our hands. *They also serve a fried chicken sandwich ($12) that I still haven't had. Pies 'n' Thighs - 166 S. 4th St. Brooklyn and 43 Canal Manhattan (Opening soon)

Wilma Jean Keeping things simple is always the best. Potato roll, chicken, and lettuce, simple ($7). Nothing gets in the way and you can really taste the chicken. Also, did I mention potato roll?! Wilma Jean - 345 Smith St. Brooklyn

Be sure to leave comments about your favorite fried chicken sandwich or if I had left anything out.

----All the other good ones----Cheeky Sandwiches Buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken, slaw, and gravy all in one sandwich ($6.50). What's not to love about it? Cheeky Sandwiches - 35 Orchard St. Manhattan

The Commodore I love love love The Commodore. I love their drinks and their fried chicken, so I totally jumped on the chance to try out their brunch when I was in the area. Their chicken biscuit ($9) is a little more expensive than other chicken biscuits but it's a solid....delicious sandwich. Bonus points for making awesome hash brown and nachos. *They also have a hot chicken sandwich that I hear is good. The Commodore - 366 Metropolitan Ave. Brooklyn

Genuine Roadside I heard many great things about this sandwich ($11) but I guess I was expecting more. It's a solid, delicious sandwich but $11 for just the sandwich is a bit pricey. I do give them points for using potato roll. Genuine Roadside - 600 11th Ave. Manhattan (Inside Gotham West Market)

Empire Diner Oh...what a trek from 8th Ave. It's a pretty darn tasty sandwich ($15) and I love that they use thigh meat. The meat needed more seasoning but great fries and great space. Empire Diner - 210 10th Ave. Manhattan

----Sorry, these didn't do much for me----Sweet Chick I'm not sure if I went on an off day but this sandwich ($12) wasn't that great. There was just too much slaw and the crispy layer of the chicken began to soak up all that slaw juice. Eventually the crispy layer just slid off the meat. I love their chicken and waffles but not so much the sandwich. Also I'm not a fan of skinny fries. Sweet Chick - 164 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn and 178 Ludlow St. Manhattan

The Double Windsor I was so confused by this sandwich ($14). It sounded awesome on the blackboard but once I bit into it, it just didn't work for me. The spicy guac and fried chicken combo was kind of weird. Also the chicken needed seasoning. Though they do make great fries. The Double Windsor - 210 Prospect Park West Brooklyn

Hudson Common Midtown prices! $14 for just the sandwich. This sandwich was actually pretty decent for a hotel beer hall kitchen in Midtown Manhattan. The bread was crusty and the chicken was crispy. It just needed some seasoning. I do recommend getting the fries ($4). It was enough for sharing with people and they were great fries. Hudson Common - 356 West 58th St. Manhattan (Inside the Hudson Hotel)

Can you tell I love fries also?

----Don't even bother----Schnippers I was excited when I found out that Schnippers serve a fried chicken sandwich. I like their burgers so I thought their chicken sandwich would probably have the same level of goodness. HECK NO! Oh boy, this sandwich was terrible. A thin piece of fried chicken inside an okay bun with loads and loads of pickles. Skip! Stick with the burgers. Schnippers - Multiple locations in Manhattan

And below you'll find restaurants, separated by boroughs, that serve fried chicken sandwiches that I still need to try. Manhattan Birds & Bubbles Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter Bua The Butterfly Charles' Country Pan Fried Chicken Clinton Street Baking Co. The Daily (Can't find a menu but a friend said he saw it once when he was there for a drink) Dudley's Egg Shop Empire Biscuit Georgia Eastside BBQ The Gin Mill Harlem Shake Hill Country Chicken Jacob's Pickles Jake's Dilemma Keg No. 229 Kin Shop Live Bait The Malt House Melt Shop Mother's Ruin Shopsin's Spitzer's Corner The Writing Room

Brooklyn Cafe Colette Keg & Lantern Brewing Company Krupa Grocery Lodge Montana's Trail House Peaches HotHouse Putnam's Pub & Cooker Red Star Spike Hill

Queens Queens Comfort Sweet Afton Unidentified Flying Chickens

Staten Island Randall Manor Tavern

Bronx Howl at the Moon

Yep, that's a big list of places serving fried chicken sandwiches that I need to work through. Check out my Foursquare fried chicken sandwich list, with all the places plus a handy map.

The 5 Best NYC Fried Chickens Out Of The 27 I've Had So Far

I rarely trust lists that people make. You're telling me, these 5 plates of salad is the BEST in New York City and I should go eat them. Have you tried every plate of salad from everywhere? I doubt it. My goal is to find my favorite fried chickens and to do that, I've been trying to eat all of them in New York City. Yes, all of them. This is a long term research project that started many years ago but didn't take it seriously till last May. My economics professor once said that if you want the facts, the truth, don't rely on the news. Go out and find out for yourself. Food is subjective. Many people have said The Redhead does a great fried chicken but when I had it, I thought it lacked seasoning and that it was boring.

The rules are simple, no chains, no wings places, no chicken tenders, no chicken nuggets. I have a whole other list for fried chicken sandwiches because those are darn tasty too. There are some places that serve boneless fried chicken which my friend doesn't consider to be "fried chicken." What do y'all think? Talde in Park Slope does a good one but it's boneless!

Anyways...

So to be fair and honest, I'm listing out 5 of the BEST fried chickens in New York City from the 27 I've had so far.

In no particular order, they are... 1. Birds & Bubbles (picture above) I'm gonna say it, Sarah Simmons is the queen of fried chicken. I couldn't get enough of her fried chicken when she was only serving it at City Grit. I was so excited when she told me she was opening a fried chicken restaurant. The fried chicken is just really really good. Birds & Bubbles - 100B Forsyth St. Manhattan

2. Charles Country Pan Fried Chicken He is like the godfather of fried chicken. If you read reviews, they're pretty mixed but I love it. My friends and I go right when the door opens, when the food is hot and fresh. Also, what beats an all-you-can-eat fried chicken brunch for under $20?! Good thing for me, Charles Country Pan Fried Chicken is an hour away by train or else I go there once a week. Charles Country Pan Fried Chicken - 2839-2841 Frederick Douglass Blvd at 151st St. Manhattan

3. The Breslin Holy fuckin fried chicken. This whole meal was intense. It's expensive (with drinks) but it was so worth it. The chicken, the sauces, champ, salad, BISCUITS!, desserts. Probably my favorite meal of 2013. The Breslin - 16 W. 29th St. Manhattan

4. Peaches HotHouse Get it hot and don't look back. The plain fried chicken is good but man...get the hot. Spices on the crust and on the meat. Peaches HotHouse - 415 Tompkins Ave. Brooklyn

5. Wilma Jean I was so happy when I shook Rob Newton's (chef and owner) hand at Taste Talks. I thanked him for opening Wilma Jean. Seersucker was good but all I really wanted was just the fried chicken. Wilma Jean - 345 Smith St. Brooklyn

----If my list was top 11, these would be in it----The Commodore I love their fried chicken because they only serve the thigh (best part!) plus honey butter. Oh and they have tiki drinks and probably have one of the great nachos of NYC. The Commodore - 366 Metropolitan Ave at Havemeyer St. Brooklyn

Pies 'n' Thighs I see Pies 'n' Thighs as one of the pioneers in NYC fried chicken. There will always be a place in my heart for their fried chicken but lately I've been going for only their chicken biscuits. Flaky biscuits, fried chicken, and hot sauce/honey. *drooooooooooooooooool....... Pies 'n' Thighs - 166 S. 4th St. at Driggs Brooklyn

Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter I feel bad. I've been neglecting Bobwhite. I'm just rarely in East Village and that's a sad thing because they fry up some really nice chicken. Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter - 94 Avenue C Manhattan

Sweet Chick I came here for my birthday once and quickly fell in love. The chicken is great here and my vegetarian friend approves their vegetarian fried chicken. Everybody wins! Sweet Chick - 164 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn & 178 Ludlow St. Manhattan

The Dutch Because the pieces of fried chicken (tasty) and biscuits are served on a silver platter. Wow. I don't mind trekking out to Soho on the weekend for this. The Dutch - 131 Sullivan St. Manhattan

Thistle Hill Tavern They do a great job with the fried chicken. Coated in rice flour, it's really crispy and the meat is juicy. A lovely neighborhoody restaurant. Thistle Hill Tavern - 441 7th Ave. Brooklyn

----These are good but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way for them----The Brooklyn Star Red Rooster Harlem (Need a repeat visit) Walter Foods & Walter's Momofuku Noodle Bar Jimmy's Diner Amy Ruth's (Need a repeat visit) Sugar Freak (Moving to Brooklyn and need a repeat visit) Little Neck Sidecar (Need a repeat visit) ----I thought these were meh----Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken The Redhead (Need a repeat visit) BFC/Buttermilk Channel (Not sure what happened to Buttermilk Channel but the chicken I had was THE worst fried chicken ever. Check out their Smorgasburg outpost, it's so much better.) The Cardinal (Need a repeat visit) Hill Country Chicken Kiwiana (Need a repeat visit) Clover Club

That's about it. I have 40 more places to go in New York City and another dozen of places in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Philly. Oh boy!

Obviously, don't take my word for it. Go out and eat. Find your own favorite fried chicken.

Let me know in the comments, where I should eat next. Thanks!

Behind-The-Scenes At Taste Talks 2014

Another year, another Taste Talks. I was asked to photograph the event again and got a chance to sit through some very cool demos and interesting panels. The fun part is always the chance to meet the chefs. Here's a photo recap of Taste Talks 2014.