🍗 The Finest Fried Chicken in Phoenix

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Fri Aug 8 2025

Kara Edgerson | Manager of Digital Operations

Hey readers,

A few weeks ago, a Yelp list named Birdhouse, a tiny restaurant in Page, as the best fried chicken spot in Arizona. But we know the metro Phoenix area has strong opinions when it comes to their favorite spots. So we set out to find your ultimate fried chicken champion in the Finest Fried Chicken poll.

This week, we’re bringing back a newsletter favorite — Republic dining reporter Endia Fontanez, who’s covered our quests for Phoenix’s best pizza, tacos, burritos and bars — to talk all things fried chicken.

Here’s what they had to say:

🍗 Cooking ‘with soul’: This mother-son duo makes the best fried chicken in Phoenix

How the poll was born

How did our search for the best fried chicken in Phoenix get started?

It all began when, a few weeks ago, Yelp’s list of best fried chicken spots came out and named Birdhouse as the best in Arizona. I haven’t personally been to Page, so I can’t speak on Birdhouse – though from the reviews, it does look amazing. But as with all “Yelp’s best” lists, we take it with a grain of salt. It got my editor and I wondering, would our mostly metro Phoenix-based readers agree? And thus, the Finest Fried Chicken poll was born.

And the winner is …

How did CC’s on Central take the top spot — and what inspired Sherelle Johnson to share her family’s Louisiana roots with Phoenix?

It’s never easy to predict who will come out on top in these reader polls. The Republic’s dining team has loved CC’s since it opened in 2023 — it even made our 100 Essential Restaurants list for 2025. But CC’s originally opened with a pretty different menu concept that combined Southern, Creole and Cajun soul food. A few months ago, though, Sharon decided to switch gears and go back to her roots, which were Louisiana soul food like po’boys and the famous fried chicken. It takes a great amount of courage and instinct to make a change like that, but clearly it paid off.

Chicken fans in Phoenix pass the torch

Why did CC’s come out ahead of longtime favorites like Mrs. White’s and Lo-Lo’s?

It was actually a very close race right up until the very end. Institutions become institutions for a reason, and as our previous Burger and Burrito Brackets proved, people love nostalgia. But that doesn’t mean no newcomer will ever have a shot. Every longtime favorite was new once. And based on the responses from readers this time around, it looks like the fried chicken fans of Phoenix are ready to pass the torch to a (vastly underrated) newcomer.

A mom-and-son duo make the best fried chicken in Phoenix

The Arizona Republic launched the Finest Fried Chicken poll to determine who makes the best in Phoenix. This family-owned joint won the most votes.

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🍗 The Finest Fried Chicken in Phoenix

🍗 The Finest Fried Chicken in Phoenix

Your Week with AZCentral

Kara Edgerson | Manager of Digital Operations

How the poll was born

And the winner is …

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Like this:

🍗 The Finest Fried Chicken in Phoenix

🍗 The Finest Fried Chicken in Phoenix

Your Week with AZCentral

Kara Edgerson | Manager of Digital Operations

How the poll was born

And the winner is …

Chicken fans in Phoenix pass the torch

A mom-and-son duo make the best fried chicken in Phoenix

Is ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center coming to AZ?

AZ utilities see record-breaking demand Thursday. Here’s how much was used

You voted: The most beautiful place in Arizona is…

What do you remember from the 1980s? Step back in time

Murray, Cards worth a focused follow in 2025

Sign up for the news you want

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