Restaurant Review: Northern Chicken
NORTHERN CHICKEN 10704 124th Street ~ northchickenyeg.com Instagram: @northchickenyeg ~ Twitter: @northchickenyeg Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew + Ms. Thibault
Fried chicken has been around forever but it has certainly experienced a resurgence in the past decade or so. And when Westmount's Northern Chicken first opened in 2016 it quickly became the hippest and most delicious place in town to get that sweet, sweet fried chicken goodness. Not only is the vibe of the restaurant extraordinarily cool, laidback, and constantly pumping rap music but the food speaks for itself. Northern Chicken has been listed in the Worldwide Faves section of this website since the first time that I tried them. Everyone else agrees! VUE Weekly named Northern Chicken #1 Best Mac ‘n’ Cheese 2018 and #1 Best Fried Chicken 2018. Edmonton Journal voted them Best Chicken Restaurant 2021. And EDify Magazine calls them the Best Fried Chicken 2022. Make no mistake, while fried chicken might be a huge thing right now, Northern Chicken is the place to get it. We all know this. The restaurant is fairly small but it feels warm and welcoming. They've got picnic tables for seating in the front and the "rumpus room" in the back if you're dining with a larger group. It's low-key and casual and kinda feels like your parents' basement. And as previously mentioned, there will be rap music. The whole space is easy and fun, from the kitchy-cool art and knickknacks to the friendly staff members. It's the kind of place that you want to visit and hang out in. When they open the whole front of the restaurant up to the street in the summer it's especially nice. Northern Chicken doesn't take reservations and it's a busy restaurant, so plan your visit accordingly. Once inside, you seat yourself and place your order at the counter. The chalkboard menu is full of amazing-sounding things and I personally want to try them all! After you've ordered you get to hang at your table grooving to the beats while you wait for the food to be delivered. Northern Chicken prides itself on having great beer on tap. Beer and chicken is kind of the cornerstone of their experience. However, as not much of a beer drinker myself, I am always thrilled to order a Housemade Iced Tea ($3.00) because I love REAL iced tea very much (and don't often come across it in Canada).
Served in a plastic reusable solo cup which matches the entire theme of the restaurant perfectly! I love this iced tea very much because it's exactly the kind that I like. It tastes like REAL TEA. It gets brewed from real tea. It's not made from a powder and the taste is completely different from the types that are. I like that there's a bit of sweetness but that it isn't too sweet. Very refreshing and again, I just appreciate that it tastes like real tea. They'll also happily make you an Arnold Palmer with their housemade lemonade which is another solid choice. One of these days I'm going to order a glass of prosecco (which they have) and be extra fancy. I feel like I would love to revel in the juxtaposition of it all. I'm not sure what's more famous at Northern Chicken, the chicken or the sides. I mean, it's probably the chicken but the sides aren't far behind. But let's talk chicken because it's obviously what you come through the door for. It's pretty straight forward (and epic). They make fried chicken. It comes in six different flavours. You can get different quantities of pieces (three, six or ten). This is where Northern Chicken truly shines. They have sandwiches as well and I'm sure that they're great. But get the chicken pieces. I went with the Hot Fried Chicken, 6 Pieces ($25.00).
These pieces of chicken arrived looking like the most incredible chicken that I've ever seen. I could already visualize the satisfaction of the crunch. Northern Chicken does Nashville style chicken, which is somewhat specific. There's a certain kind of spice and heat (very cayenne based) associated with Nashville chicken and it almost always gets served atop a slice of white bread with pickles. Of the chicken flavours available, you can choose from; OG, hot, hot maple, mustard, xtra hot, or WNFA (which stands for "we're not fooling around" and is the hottest one). I really enjoy some heat but not so much that I can't taste the food or enjoy it. I find that the hot flavour really hits the perfect ratio. Although I'm curious to try their straight-up OG because I'm sure that would be classic and wonderful. I am also very interested in the hot maple flavour which I think might be new. It's the absolute perfect, unmatched, addictive crunch at Northern Chicken that gets me every time. The crunchy huge flavour punched me the face and then I sunk my teeth into the incredibly juicy and tender chicken within. It's a near perfect experience. The pieces are very clearly soaked in a buttermilk brine - the overall secret to wonderful fried chicken. I'm a fan of dark meat so I try to go for those pieces for added flavour and juiciness. The spice is just right. Slightly dangerous, a little bit sweet. Pure happiness. I also love their pickles that cut through the heaviness with their delightful acidity. I could go on and on but just know that this fried chicken is amazing and that you should try it. I like the addition of Apple Coleslaw on the side, made with roasted apple dressing, cabbage, celery, and carrots. However, I would unfortunately say that the coleslaw was the weakest part of the meal. I liked having an option for vegetables and freshness but this slaw was mainly cabbage and didn't seem to contain much flavour. I dug around a bit for the actual pieces of apple (there didn't seen to be very many) and those bites were more interesting. I think I wanted more dressing and for there to be more happening in general. I went to town and ordered a bunch of sides. Like I said, the sides themselves are quite legendary so you've gotta try them all! First, I went for a slice of the Honey Thyme Cornbread ($5.00).
Oh wow. This cornbread. Unlike anything that I've ever tried and literally bathing in butter... The cornbread itself was an excellent texture and I loved the caramelization around the crust. But the whole honey thyme butter is what makes this cornbread something unique and special. You get the sweetness from the honey and the herbaceous flavour from the thyme, all wrapped up in a buttery goodness. I kept dipping my pieces into the butter bath and I was not angry about it. The calories were worth it. Next, the heaviest hitter apart from the chicken, the Dorito Mac n' Cheese ($10.00 for medium). It comes in three sizes and you should order the largest size that you think you can handle.
If this is wrong, nobody wants to be right. Ultra creamy cheese sauce (and I mean SO CREAMY) is wrapped around tender macaroni pasta and for the best texture crunch ever... Crushed Doritos! Forget a breadcrumb topping because that's dead to you now. This is one of those things that maybe sounds a little crazy but once you try it, it immediately makes the most sense possible. The velvety creamy mac & cheese is a delight all on its own. I love the sharp cheddar flavour. But the Doritos crunch adds so much! Plus the chips kick up the cheesiness flavour another notch. People say that this is the best mac & cheese in town and they're probably not wrong. Lastly, I was way into the idea of the Garlic Smashed Potatoes ($4.00 for small).
You had me at duckfat. Fun fact: Northern Chicken does NOT serve fries. So if you absolutely require a potato to feel life happiness, these garlic smashed ones are your best bet. They come in three sizes and I chose small for a little taste. These were the biggest surprise of the meal because I didn't expect to LOVE THEM as much as I did! Full of salty fried flavour, the duckfat makes an incredible amount of difference. The potatoes themselves were wonderfully tender and almost fluffy like a mashed potato on the inside. You won't miss fries with these around. As always, I loved my experience at Northern Chicken. The food makes me unbelievably happy and the atmosphere does too. They've got a pretty great Lunch Feature that I intend to take advantage of and I didn't get around to trying a slice of buttermilk pie for dessert. So that needs to be corrected. In addition to all of this, Northern Chicken is an excellent addition to the community and they truly care about the people around them, staff and customers alike. I don't think that you'll find any other restaurant that fights for inclusion and simply being a decent human being the way that they do. It's quite inspiring! Northern Chicken is the epitome of comfort food and they've got the best damn fried chicken in Edmonton. Find out for yourself. All you need is a few of those crispy pieces and a thing of mac & cheese. You won't regret it.
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