Guy Fieri Tried A Chicken Dish At Germain's And Then Had To Eat Another

Pleasure-minded gourmands know that when it comes to truly good food, two times the action is twice as nice. Guy Fieri knows it — and proved so in an episode of his hit Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," when he swung through Gainesville, Florida for a visit to Germain's. The fast-casual Southern fried chicken restaurant focuses on the dark meat of chicken thighs in elevated chicken sandwich concepts showcasing international flavors and imaginative ingredient pairings. At Germain's, Fieri embarks on a pollo double-feature: First, he tries the Good Feather sando, then follows it with the Chicken Birria Eggrolls with consomme dip.

The chefs and co-owners, Haitian-born uncle and nephew Widlyn Germain (aka Rodney Germain) and Shelton Seraphin, walk Fieri through their recipes. For starters, Germain's Good Feather sandwich comprises chicken thighs dredged in seasoned pizza dough flour and carbonated club soda. As chef Germain explains, "Instead of a buttermilk, you're gonna get that high-level crisp on it." From there, the cutlet gets double-fried for an extra crispy exterior and succulent insides. To finish, the whole thing gets slathered in a house-made garlic Parmesan sauce, plus another layer of secret sauce, topped with arugula, tomato, house pickles, and served with a side of fries. Biting into the crispy Good Feather sando, Fieri remarks, "I just wanna take a look at that — juicy, saucy ... The chicken is tender, the batter is crunchy, you need the brininess of that pickle because there are so many big flavors in there ... Love it. Delicious." 

This inventive fried chicken sammy is just the first stop on Fieri's pollo pleasure cruise through the Sunshine State. Next, Fieri chows down on another chicken-centric dish: the Chicken Birria Eggrolls with a consomme dip. This fusion food brilliantly melds influences from Asian cuisine with the egg roll, and Mexican with the birria element. To make it, chef Germain browns dark meat chicken thighs in a hot pan with an aromatic symphony of oil, tomatoes, onions, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, garlic, guajillo and ancho chili peppers, and tomato paste. These elements are combined with reserved chicken stock to form the flavorful consomme. As for the egg rolls themselves, they pack a smorgasbord of cabbage, carrots, green onion, cilantro, white onion, shredded cheese, and (of course) chicken, all fried to a crisp in an egg roll wrapper. Fieri, chowing down (and somewhat taken aback) exclaims, "Great spice in it. Typically, you wouldn't dip an egg roll into a consomme, but you really took your time and built great flavor. It's great."

Like many of the dishes on Germain's menu, the Good Feather sandwich also showcases the restaurant's dimensional secret sauce, an avant-garde formulation of mayo, Korean gochujang, relish, liquid smoke, fish sauce, and dijon mustard. In many ways, this sauce embodies the eatery's dogma as a whole, which is about creative contrast, inventive interplay of flavors and textures, attention to detail, and artistry — all of which foodies can expect from a visit to Germain's.

To Gainesville locals, Germain's is known as an epicurean epicenter of crispy, juicy fried chicken in all kinds of forms. As Fieri himself endorses at the beginning of the Triple D episode, "This place has got the bomb fried chicken sandwich." Other customers and regulars chime in on the show, "These guys changed the chicken market in Gainesville," says one. Another states, "When someone comes to visit, we bring them here to Germain's. It's the spot to be in Gainesville, for sure."

Germain's began as a pop-up at a coffee shop after hours. When lines began routinely stretching out the door, the chicken-focused enterprise moved to a food truck, finally expanding to the building at 220 NW 8th Avenue in 2022. It's equipped with plenty of seating to accomodate its seemingly-constant high traffic, while still maintaining a laid-back atmosphere. Today, the restaurant boasts an Instagram profile with 10K followers and an impressive 4.7 out of 5 stars on Yelp. Customers on the outlet rave, "The best chicken sandwich place in Gainesville! ... Germain's just hits every single time." Reviews specifically praise the Korean fried chicken sandwich and spicy Angry Bird sandwich. Others mention Germain's Sunday Brunch held on the third Sunday of every month, which serves up fare like chicken and waffles on a reimagined mochi waffle. Craving a taste for yourself? Germain's is open from 11 a.m. every day but Sunday.