Following the Popeyes chicken sandwich craze of 2019, it’s clear the lengths to which people will go for a fried chicken sandwich!

Luckily, we have a lot of local options to cover those cravings here in Durham. Here’s a rundown of eight tasty spots you need to try!

M Kokko

311 Holland Street



If you ask around (and I did), you will hear over and over again about the Korean fried chicken sandwich at M Kokko. This buttermilk fried chicken breast is thick and juicy inside with a crispy outer shell. It’s drizzled with yuzo garlic aioli and topped with sweet pickles, and it’s a great deal, served with a small arugula salad for $9.

Picnic

1647 Cole Mill Road

Picnic may be known for whole hog BBQ, but one of the menu’s MVPs is the fried chicken. On this sandwich, flavorful boneless chicken thigh is topped with old bay aioli and pickled onion. It’s served on a buttered bun with one of Picnic’s Southern sides and goes for $9.75. And during Sunday brunch, you can opt for a yummy fried chicken biscuit sandwich.

DeeLuxe Chicken

1116 Broad Street

DeeLuxe’s specializes in fried chicken, so it’s no surprise their sandwiches are a big part of the appeal. The signature buttermilk fried breast comes a few different ways: “The Deeluxe” features apple-celery root slaw and sambal mayo; The “Purist” just has pickles; “Cali-style” comes with lettuce, tomato, charred jalapeño mayo, pepperjack cheese and guacamole; and the “Way Out East” has cabbage and kimchi slaw with hoisin mayo. Plus, the restaurant features an extensive help-yourself sauce bar, so you can really customize your condiments. And the price is right; these sandwiches range between $6.99-$8.49 and come with one side.

This sandwich is Southern cooking with just the right amount of subtle heat and smokey sweet. There’s a lot to love about It’s a Southern Thing’s jalapeño-brined fried chicken sandwich balanced out with house made pickles, lettuce, and roasted garlic ranch sauce. It comes served with a side of their aromatic fries or potato salad for $11.

Eastcut Sandwich Bar

3211 Old Chapel Hill Road

If spicy sounds good, check out the Buff Chick sandwich at Eastcut: a Southern-fried chicken breast coated with buffalo sauce, leaf lettuce, tomato, house pickles and blue cheese on a potato roll for $6.50. You can also make it “Nashville Hot” with Nashville Hot Sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles and Duke’s mayo. Eastcut also has a classic crispy chicken cutlet sandwich or hero served with house made mozzerella, lettuce, tomato and Duke’s mayo for $7 (or $12 as a hero).

Grub

1200 West Chapel Hill Street

At Grub’s modern-day diner, you can grab a loaded fried chicken biscuit for breakfast for $5.99: A fried chicken breast with maple pepper bacon, Mama’s Bread & Butter pickles and honey-butter drizzle on a buttermilk biscuit.

Ko Kyu Na’Mean

4823 Meadow Drive

For something a little different, go for a Korean fried chicken Bánh mì at Ko Kyu. There’s a hot chicken option with gochujang mayo, romaine, ssamjang, pickles and pickled radish. Also, a “KO.F.C” with gochujang mayo, kimchi slaw and Mae ploy. These are sandwiches are between $11-13.

Lastly, there’s a fried chicken restaurant to keep on your radar as we head into 2020…everybody’s excited for Project Xtra Crispy because it’s the brainchild of famous Raleigh Chef Ashely Christensen. There’s no doubt this spot, which plans to open at the University Hill Shopping Center in Durham, will have fried chicken sandwiches that you’ll want to try immediately.

Honorable Mentions

Readers also recommend checking out the fried chicken sandwiches/biscuits on the menu at Mateo’s, Monuts, The Federal and James Joyce.