In preparing to go to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend , I was tipped off to a meal worth trying while in the Queen City.
The Quik Shoppe at a Shell gas station just outside of Uptown is not a secret. In 2016, Thrillist wrote that the convenience store makes the "best fried chicken" in Charlotte. The Charlotte Observer has taste-tested it , as well as several other local publications. It's a favorite amongst locals.
So, during some downtime in Charlotte, I ventured over entering a gas station as a drop-off point for Uber is a weird thing! to try the fried chicken that had become something of a legend.
I wasn't disappointed. Here's the verdict:
via Google Maps
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The skin was crispy and pleasantly salty. It was slightly dry on the inside, but not terribly dry, and the fatty pieces still maintained enough moisture.
I'm from New Jersey; there isn't an abundance of great fried chicken. This tasted like other pieces I had had, but... better! One of Quik Shoppe's cooks told Thrillist in 2016 that one of the keys to their chicken is that it comes in fresh and they don't season it. I buy that line of reasoning.
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I'm a willing spicy-food eater, but not a huge fan. I approached this piece with hesitancy.
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I don't think there was a mix-up behind the counter, either. This piece tasted different. According to Thrillist, Quik Shoppe does season the spicy chicken. This one was equally as salty, but had a black pepper taste and was even a little citrus-y. It was more moist than the regular piece and overall better.
Secondary observation: this was a thick piece of chicken! The employee behind the counter at Quik Shoppe asked twice if two pieces was all that I wanted. I couldn't imagine eating a third.
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It was pretty standard mac-and-cheese creamy, a little salty, but not much flavor. I would guess that most places serving fried chicken or southern fare would have a more impressive mac.
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Again, I can't pretend to be a well-traveled fried chicken connoisseur, but I was left impressed by the Quik Shoppe chicken. True to the genre, it was greasy, salty, messy, mostly juicy, and left me full for a long period of time. If you're in Charlotte and willing to travel for a meal you'll have to take elsewhere, it's worth a try.
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