Crown Fried Chicken

Another outpost of the recognizable chicken shack chain; this time at the always-​happening intersection of Erie and Broad. I was reading about the company’s interesting history (
) and decided to give it a try.
The menu was a little smaller than many of the other locations. You could get mac & cheese, collards, or french fries with your chicken or shrimp. To drink, they have iced tea and lemonade along with a cooler of standard soda and other sweet drinks. They also carry bean pies and sweet potato pies from Shabazz bakery.
I ordered three pieces of chicken and received a wing, two legs, and a thigh (my kind of math). I’m a big fan of their fried chicken. They claim that the chicken is «not too dry or too soggy.» They achieve this by skipping the breading and instead apply spices directly to the skin. But what really sticks out to me is the juiciness of the meat. These things spray and drip once you bite past the tasty skin. That tells you they’re not using lean meat, but it sure is tasty. I like drizzling the bird with some of their hot sauce. Definitely beats out Church’s across the street in my opinion. Mac & cheese was serviceable.
I also tried my first bean pie at this location. I used to live near Louis Farrakhan in Chicago and saw the pies being sold frequently but never tried one of these Nation of Islam staples until moving to Philly. Very sweet and very tasty – I’m a fan.