by Jordan Shay                        Photo by Sara Essex

    When opening the menu at Willie Mae’s Scotch House in the Treme neighborhood, the first words that immediately grab your attention are “America’s Best Fried Chicken.”  It may seem a lofty claim to make, but after the James Beard Foundation awarded Willie Mae Seaton an “America’s Classics Award” in 2005, the restaurant was featured in multiple foodie publications; from Bon Appetit Magazine to the Food Network and the Travel Channel.  Each celebrity chef and food critic all seem to agree on this point: the fried chicken is fantastic, and the fact that Willie Mae, the owner, has never divulged her secret recipe has added enough mystique to the dish to elevate it to legendary status.
    Willie Mae’s restaurant began as a bar in the back of the building in the late 50s.  While waiting for her beer license, Willie Mae could only serve hard liquor, bringing her patrons to call the place “Willie Mae’s Scotch House.”  The name stuck, even as the business expanded to include a restaurant in the front of the building; a restaurant which continues to grow in esteem, driven by a deserved reputation for some of the finest fried chicken around.
    By 2005, Willie Mae, at the age of 88, reached the pinnacle of culinary success when she was selected to receive the James Beard Foundation’s “America’s Classics Award,” an award that seeks to identify small neighborhood establishments that are “maintaining an aspect of our identity through food.”
    A few months later, Seaton left New Orleans with little more than the clothes on her back and the James Beard Award in her purse as Hurricane Katrina approached.  In the weeks that followed, Willie Mae’s primary thought was, “I have to get back to my restaurant.”  Without telling her family, she boarded a plane back to New Orleans and surveyed what was left of her restaurant and home.  She was sitting on a chair outside the restaurant on the corner of St. Ann and S. Tonti when NOPD was alerted.  The Homeless Services officer who was dispatched called the James Beard Foundation, who in turn contacted the Southern Foodways Alliance.  Remarkably, the Southern Foodways Alliance came up with a team of dedicated volunteers that set to work gutting and renovating Willie Mae’s house and business; an effort that eventually led to a reopening in 2007.
    Today, Willie Mae’s Scotch House is one part legend and one part small, neighborhood eatery.  Opening the door into Willie Mae’s feels like stepping into a house – partly because Willie Mae still lives next door in the other side of the corner store building – helping the food truly feel like “home cookin’.”
    These days, the restaurant is run by Willie Mae’s great-granddaughter, Kerry Seaton.  When asked what makes the food at Willie Mae’s so good, she replies instantly: “We take our time.”
    And the care taken with every batch of chicken is evident in every bite: crispy, spicy skin protecting juicy meat that is full of secrets.  Kerry promises never to reveal the fried chicken’s secrets, and will continue to make each batch to order, to her great-grandmother’s specifications, hopefully for a long time to come.

    Coming up with a list of the city’s best spots for fried chicken is an endeavor that leaves no one happy – everyone has their own taste and most are bound to feel that one of their favorites has been excluded.  Well, at the risk of doing just that, here are some of the most widely-regarded, or simply just legendary, establishments for good fried chicken, in no particular order.
 
Fiorella’s
1136 Decatur St.
528-9566

    Fiorella’s Café on Decatur in the Quarter has been serving what many (including the restaurant itself) claim is New Orleans’ best fried chicken, since 1937.  The interior is small and a little divey, but New Orleans locals and tourists alike continue to seek this place out, particularly for the fried chicken.

Dooky Chase
2301 Orleans Ave.
821-0600

    Dooky Chase’s fried chicken lives up to the legendary status of the restaurant, depicted in the Ray Charles song, “Early in the Morning.”  Part of that legend belongs to the incomparable hospitality of the restaurant’s owner, Mrs. Leah Chase, who still greets patrons and has hosted the likes of President George W. Bush, along with many famous musicians from Ray Charles to Sarah Vaughn.  It’s been a long struggle to reopen for the Chases, and although hours are still not regular, Dooky Chases is open for takeout and private events, or dine-in for lunch from 11-2:30, Tuesday through Friday.

Jacques-Imo’s
8324 Oak St.
861-0886

    People are lured to Jacques-Imo’s for the wild rock and roll atmosphere, but they become repeat customers because of the food– among which the fried chicken has developed its own loyal following.  The owner, Jacques Leonardi, originally from New York, learned the secret art of frying in Chef Paul Prudomme’s exclusive kitchen at K-Paul’s.  Jacques-Imo’s further perfected fried chicken during a brief collaboration with celebrated New Orleans chef Austin Leslie, whose recipe is still in use at the restaurant today.

Dunbar’s
501 Pine St.
861-5451

    Dunbar’s is another restaurant that frequently makes it onto any list of ‘best fried chicken in New Orleans.’  The post-Katrina location in the cafeteria at the Loyola Law school is as unassuming as any, but the fried chicken is rave-worthy, fried as you wait by Ms. Tina Dunbar.  The recipe and its origins remain a secret, but the combination of crispy battered skin and juicy, flavorful meat makes for some to-die-for chicken.

McKenzie’s Chicken in a Box
3839 Frenchmen St.
943-8908

    McKenzie’s Chicken in a Box has been serving fried chicken aficionados for 57 years and the restaurant continues to please.  Donald Entringer and his younger brother, Gerald Entringer Sr., opened McKenzie’s Chicken in a Box in 1952, in the back of McKenzie’s Bakery.   Donald Entringer, who is now 92, lost his New Orleans home to Katrina and moved to the Northshore, but Gerald Entringer Jr. now carries on the McKenzie’s legacy in Gentilly at 3839 Frenchmen St.

McHardy’s Chicken & Fixins
1458 N. Broad St.
949-0000

    Even though McHardy’s is considered a fast-food joint (take-out only), they serve up what is arguably the best fried chicken around.  McHardy’s is a family-owned business that always serves up chicken fast that is fresh, delicious, and cheap - so much so that a line forms out the door of the store on N. Broad St. everyday around lunchtime.