MAIN INGREDIENTS
The most popular food of the Southern cuisine, fried chicken is the theme of many arguments where everyone involved seems to have a favorite, be it what their mothers used to make, a cult roadside eatery, or a bygone restaurant. However, it is universally agreed that the meat must be moist, succulent, and tender, coated with a crunchy, golden-brown crust.
It all started during the colonization period, when Scottish immigrants settled in the South, bringing their fried chicken recipes along. The African slaves then introduced new seasonings and spices, and the dish quickly gained popularity. Typical seasonings include salt, pepper, and hot chiles, and the pieces of meat should be edible by hand so that the consumer can bite both the crust and the meat at the same time.
MOST ICONIC Fried Chicken
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Hot chicken is a signature dish of Nashville, Tennessee, traditionally consisting of chicken parts that are fried in cayenne pepper paste until they develop a rusty red color. It is usually served on slices of white bread with sliced pickles or coleslaw on the side.
The dish was invented in the 1930s by a man named Thornton Prince, who was a notorious womanizer. One of Prince's girlfriends was mad at him, so she made him chicken for breakfast and added the spiciest ingredients that she could find, in hopes that Prince will hate the dish, but her plan backfired and Prince loved it so much that he even took it to his brothers, who shared his positive emotions.
MOST ICONIC Hot Chicken
View moreOrange chicken is an American-Chinese dish that was invented as a variation on General Tso's chicken. The dish consists of battered chicken that is fried with sweet and sour orange and chili sauce. In the United States, a chain restaurant called Panda Express credits itself with the invention of the dish, evolving it into a meal that is much sweeter than the dish it was modeled after - the original tangy and spicy version from Hunan, where the subtropical climate with mild winters makes it ideal for growing oranges, tangerines, and lemons that are native to Asia.
Orange chicken is traditionally accompanied by steamed rice on the side.
MOST ICONIC Orange Chicken
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Chicken parmigiana is a poultry dish consisting of breadcrumbs-coated chicken breasts that are topped with tomato sauce and cheese, then baked until the cheese melts and the chicken is properly cooked. Although it has an Italian-sounding name, chicken parmigiana is actually an American dish, derived from an Italian dish called melanzana alla parmigiana, or eggplant parmigiana.
No one knows who invented chicken parmigiana, but it is very popular in American cities with a large number of Italian immigrants such as New York and New Jersey. Regardless of the origin, the dish is usually served on top of rice or pasta, while some prefer it as a part of submarine sandwiches.
MOST ICONIC Chicken Parmigiana
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Fried chicken and waffles is an unlikely, but much loved pairing of sweet and salty flavors and soft and crunchy textures. The dish is thought to have originated with the African Americans in the South who rarely had a chance to eat chicken and waffles, so it was a meal that was eaten at special occasions on African American dining tables.
Some food historians claim that chicken and waffles evolved after the Civil War migration of Southern African Americans to the North. However, the modern version of the dish was first served in Harlem, New York as early as the 1930s, mostly in jazz nightclubs.
MOST ICONIC Chicken and Waffles
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Chicken tenders is a dish of breaded and fried strips of chicken coming from the pectoralis minor, located underneath the chicken breast. The meat is more tender, and when properly prepared, it should be moist and more tender than chicken fingers, which are made from chicken breast.
Once coated in breadcrumbs, the tenders are deep-fried in hot oil. They can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or main course, and common accompaniments include dips such as mayonnaise, ketchup, ranch, honey mustard, and barbecue sauce. Chicken tenders are often served with french fries and coleslaw on the side.
MOST ICONIC Chicken Tenders
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Having nothing in common with the actual buffalo nor the American bison, Buffalo wings are actually named after the place of their origin - Buffalo, New York. There are numerous stories about the origins of these mouth-watering chicken wings, but the one that seems the most authentic says that they were first served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo.
In 1964, Teressa Bellissimo, the bar's owner, received a shipment of chicken wings by accident and didn't know what to do with them so she got an idea to deep-fry the wings and serve them in hot sauce with a blue cheese dressing and some thickly sliced celery sticks.
MOST ICONIC Buffalo Wings
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Sesame chicken is an American-Chinese dish made by deep-frying deboned and battered chicken pieces which are then dressed with a thick, translucent, sweet sauce consisting of chicken broth, sugar, corn starch, and vinegar or sake. The dish is additionally topped with toasted or untoasted sesame seeds, giving sesame chicken its name.
It is usually served with steamed broccoli, rice, or baby corn on the side.
MOST ICONIC Sesame Chicken
View moreGeneral Tso’s chicken is a Chinese-American sweet and spicy dish consisting of chicken dices that are first deep-fried, then stir-fried together with ginger, garlic, scallions, and hot chili peppers in a sauce made from sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and rice wine.
Although named after General Tso Tsungtang, the dish has no real-life connection with him. The dish is most likely a descendant of a simple Hunanese chicken dish, and two immigrant chefs, Chinese and Taiwanese - respectively, claim to be its inventors.
MOST ICONIC General Tso's Chicken
View moreChicken bog is a traditional dish originating from South Carolina. Although there are numerous variations on the dish, its three staples include chicken, sausage, and rice. A traditional recipe from the Loris Chamber of Commerce lists the following ingredients: water, salt, onions, chicken, long-grain white rice, smoked sausage, chicken bouillon, and Italian-style seasonings.
The name of the dish is believed to come from its wetness, but some claim that it might come from the bogginess of the region of its origin. In Loris, chicken bog has been prepared at the Loris Bog-Off Festival since 1979. The dish is ideal for large gatherings with family and friends.
MOST ICONIC Chicken Bog
View more
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 31 American Chicken Dishes” list until February 14, 2025, 4,036 ratings were recorded, of which 3,720 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.