Original recipe: fried chicken is a local tradition

Golden brown, crispy on the outside and moist and tender within—is there anything more delectable than a piece of perfectly fried chicken?

Southerners have known this for eons, but it’s hard these days to find fried chicken not associated with a national chain.

In Baton Rouge, we’ve got a true gem: locally made fried chicken at homegrown Delpit’s Chicken Shack. Rooted in Old South Baton Rouge and founded by entrepreneur Thomas Delpit, the spot has been satisfying the palates of fried chicken lovers for 81 years. Three locations remain and are still run by the Delpit family, including elder statesman Joe Delpit, Baton Rouge’s first African-American Metro Council member.

What makes the Chicken Shack’s chicken a standout among its competitors is its thick, wet batter, a recipe Thomas Delpit developed that’s been likened to the consistency of cake batter. To get the point across about its enduring juiciness, the Chicken Shack’s tag line is the confident “knuckle-suckin’ good.”

Talking about fried chicken in Baton Rouge also brings to mind another famed vendor. Founded 20 years ago in the Capital City and the brainchild of local entrepreneur Todd Graves, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers now has 290 restaurants in national and international locations, with others opening all the time. The concept has transformed the way consumers nosh on fried chicken, with many eschewing bone-in traditional fried chicken for the tidier experience of chicken fingers. With its first location still operating on Highland Road and State Street, Raising Cane’s has become a fundamental part of the LSU tailgate party. Thousands upon thousands of chicken fingers are consumed every gameday weekend, and an entire generation in Baton Rouge has grown up under the influence of Cane’s simple menu and signature dipping sauce.

Bone-in or boneless? You decide. We’ve got both.

Thanks for Calling

Want to brighten up your day a little? Call Chicken Shack’s Acadian Thruway location at 383-0940 to hear a recorded message of that day’s specials. Each recording ends with a comforting message. On the day after the presidential election, we heard:

“What an awesome day it is to be alive and well … I don’t care what you’re going through or what you’re facing. I don’t care who is in the White House or in the outhouse—God is still sitting on the throne, and whatever goes on, God is going to make it good!”

This article was originally published in the December 2016 issue of 225 Magazine.