People Are Willing To Drive Long Distances For A Taste Of This Fried Chicken Chain

"Good things come to those who wait," the saying goes. "Nothing worth having comes easy" is another famous idiom, and it seems like both apply to Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken. This restaurant chain is nowhere near as big as KFC or Popeyes, but fans of Lee's Chicken are hardcore and dedicated. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who drives an hour to get KFC, but people will do it for Lee's Chicken.

YouTuber BigBelly Bob drove 40 minutes to do a review of Lee's Chicken, and based on his reaction, it was worth the effort. Sure, that was for a video review, so maybe it makes sense that he would go out of his way, but you can also find reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor from people who drove well out of their way to get to Lee's because they like the chicken that much. A Redditor claimed to have worked with someone who drove from Danville to Lake Bluff in Illinois to get Lee's Chicken, which is around 175 miles.

On Facebook, there are users expressing the same sentiment. One said they drove 100 miles round trip from Albion, Michigan, to Kalamazoo to get some chicken. Part of the reason people drive so far to get Lee's is that it's only in 13 states plus one Canadian province. In many of those states, there's only a single location. In total, Lee's has 137 locations, with the bulk of them in Ohio and Kentucky.

Lee's Chicken is named after the founder, Lee Cummings, who was actually the nephew of Colonel Sanders, so you could say chicken is in his blood. His special recipe is different from what his uncle created and is unique in the world of fast-food chicken. Lee's marinates its chicken in a secret seasoning blend, hand breads it, and then pressure fries it. The final step is to dip the finished chicken in a honey glaze for a truly unique and flavorful bite.

Lee had worked with his uncle for several years before branching out on his own, a bold move considering how much Colonel Sanders hated competition. In addition to the chicken, the restaurant offers some unique sides, including Southern-style green beans, corn on the cob, Cajun rice, and baked beans.

At its peak, there were over 300 Lee's locations. However, after ownership changed hands multiple times, the business floundered and disappeared in many areas. Some say it is nowhere near as good as it used to be back when Cummings ran the show, but it is clear that for other people who are willing to drive hundreds of miles out of their way, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken is still delicious.

If you're still not convinced that Lee's makes some really good chicken, consider this story as reported by CBS 6 News out of Richmond, Virginia. Back in 2012, a murder suspect was taken into custody by Richmond police. He told them the only way he would talk was if they gave him some Lee's chicken. They did, and he confessed. That's some powerful chicken.