Best Restaurants For Cold Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is better from the fridge than the fryer

The only fried-chicken debate in our minds is between hot and cold.

In August, we're definitely going with the latter, and we're not alone.

Fried chicken has long been the ultimate "next-day" food.

In Fort Defiance in Brooklyn, New York, a brunch staple is a plate of cold fried chicken, raw oysters, and a few bacon strips for good measure. And the nearby eccentric pizzeria Pete Zaaz uses cold fried chicken as a pizza topping.

There are many who put the chilled bird between two slices of bread, from Star Provisions in Atlanta to Michael Voltaggio's Ink.sack in Los Angeles.

But our favorite take on the cold fried-chicken sandwich comes from Philadelphia's Michael Solomonov, owner and chef of Zahav and Federal Donuts, where fried chicken is the house specialty.

After shredding the meat, Solomonov mixes it with garlic, lemon and a bit of tahini, then stuffs the mixture salad into a hot dog bun. The resulting sandwich (see the recipe) is equal parts chicken biscuit and falafel–crunchy, creamy and delicious.

May we suggest a fried chicken pit stop on your way home tonight? You'll thank us tomorrow morning.