Fried chicken is a classic dish of the South. It’s a fast-food phenomenon. It’s a hearty, homey meal everyone craves. It’s all those things and more, and dashing around the diverse restaurant scene in Las Vegas, it’s clear there are many different and dynamic ways to enjoy it.
Nellie’s Southern Kitchen (702.640.0156) at MGM Grand is the latest Las Vegas Strip arrival to make fried chicken a cornerstone of its delicious offerings, and it’s a celebrity restaurant to boot—Nellie’s comes from the family of pop stars the Jonas Brothers. It’s named after their great-grandmother, who used to cook for her family in the small town of Belmont, N.C., and poultry was a specialty. Nellie’s serves its bird in a variety of ways, from a traditional fried chicken dinner with mac and cheese and collard greens to a sweet-and-savory combination with a waffle, maple syrup and cinnamon butter. No matter how you like it, you’ll feel you were invited to the family home for a memorable meal after enjoying this unique experience.
Many Vegas regulars consider Yardbird Southern Table & Bar (702.297.6541) at The Venetian to be the standard-bearer when it comes to fried chicken on the Strip, and it’ll only take one bite to find out why. Nominated for a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant when it first arrived on the scene in Miami in 2011, Yardbird has expanded its presence across the country, and the Vegas version is as popular as it gets, with people from all over visiting this warm and welcoming dining room to feast on crunchy, juicy fried chicken with honey hot sauce on the side. Order “the whole bird” and you’ll get enough to share with the table, plus chilled spiced watermelon, Vermont cheddar cheese waffles and bourbon-laced maple syrup.
Thanks to recent fast-food trends and COVID-era crazes, plenty of people hear the term “fried chicken” and immediately hit their favorite drive-thru window for a crispy, indulgent sandwich. Las Vegas has all those well-known franchises to choose from, but it also has local spots that often exceed chicken sandwich expectations, including the friendly neighborhood restaurant known as Honey Salt (702.445.6100). The Biloxi buttermilk fried chicken sandwich is a legendary lunch fave, perfect bird stacked with creamy slaw and house-made Durkee’s dressing on a toasted brioche bun. Or hit Honey Salt for dinner and try out its fried chicken plate with mac and cheese, coleslaw, hot sauce and honey.
One of the most eagerly anticipated new restaurants of the year in Las Vegas is without a doubt chicken-centric. From the team behind the acclaimed Sparrow + Wolf comes Half Bird Chicken & Beer (702.476.4642), recently opened in Chinatown, and while this kitchen focuses on rotisserie bird, there are fried chicken sandwiches and nuggets to pass around the table when you try it for the first time. The Spring Mountain “hot chicken” sandwich is already building buzz, a crispy, spicy fried breast flavored with Szechuan peppers and complemented by pickled cucumbers and green curry ranch on a potato roll. This is a bite you won’t forget.
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