The Insider Trick To Score Freshly Fried Chicken At Publix Every Time You Visit

The Publix deli offers a number of "Grab and Go" options, including salad, sandwiches, and fries. It is one of the best grocery stores for prepared meals, after all. However, depending on the day and time you arrive, the quantity and quality can fluctuate — particularly when it comes to the fried chicken. While customers of the beloved grocery store, Publix, have raved about the ready-to-go boxes of what can be turned into a sandwich, a meal with sides, or a filling for soup, others have complained that it comes out soggy and flavorless. 

To the average customer, that may make it seem like the product is a gamble. But according to insiders, there's a way to ensure you get the freshest, crispiest fried chicken: call your local store ahead of time.

"My best advice is to call and ask for a box at a certain time," one alleged Publix employee wrote on Reddit. "If I'm in the kitchen and how I've trained everyone is if it's a call in order, it's made fresh and placed in the warmers for pick up." Another Reddit user, who described themselves as a "deli manager and former kitchen person," said to call and ask for the manager, who will likely make sure a pick-up order for fried chicken is up to standard. Even if you don't want to make a pick-up order, you can always call Publix directly and ask when the chicken will be at its most newly cooked.

In another Reddit thread, after a user questioned Publix's deli associates about the best times to pick up its trademark chicken, several apparent employees claimed that 10 a.m. was the ideal time, as the hot case is supposed to be set up by then. For shoppers coming in at a later point in the day, they recommended 6 p.m. Others noted that fresh batches are made every hour between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Likewise, other users on a Reddit thread add that shoppers could simply arrive at the store and request a fresh batch upfront. Of course, that will ultimately depend on how busy the location is at that moment, though it can't hurt to ask — as long as the staff isn't too busy assisting other customers. Either way, if it's your first time visiting Publix, be sure to pick up these 14 items, which include a number of chicken-centric items like Buffalo chicken dip and its famous chicken tenders sub.