Behold: one of Lucille's "yardbirds." Not pictured: Eric Clapton. Image: Cleve Tuttle

Maybe it’s because I’m an East Coast lifer who spent his summer days munching on Nathan’s hot dogs and Shake Shack burgers that I wasn’t ready to be smacked in the face (or tarred and feathered?) by fried chicken. I didn’t realize that the golden-crispy game was elevated to pro levels down here, that 100-degree days weren’t complete without the hoisting of a bird bucket.

Then I stopped by Better Luck Tomorrow on Tuesday. As the doors opened at 3:30 p.m., the popular Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel collaboration filled up quickly with eager foodies prepared to gorge on some poultry. BLT was celebrating its first pre-Independence-Day fried chicken service, called “Batter Cluck Tomorrow,” and it promised at least 60 whole chickens from Tejas Heritage Farms would be taken apart, deep fried, and served by the dozen-piece for all who paid a little less than an arm and a leg ($32.99 for the bucket, $39.99 for the bucket plus fixins).

I figured I could bring some folks back to the bar by 6:30 p.m. for a chicken picnic, but alas, BLT had run out of chickens by 6 p.m. Better luck next year? Heh.

But since it’s summer, the fried chicken festivities carry on here in H-Town. Moreover, Friday happens to be National Fried Chicken Day, another one of those food-friendly Hallmark holidays. To honor thy fowl, a few restaurants in the city are featuring some sort of finger-lickin’ special.

Here's a rundown of what’s cooking this National Fried Chicken Day: