Kick n’ Chicken
The U.S Department of Agriculture reports that Delaware boasts 2,300 farms spread over 530,000 acres of agricultural land, with poultry responsible for $7.25 billion in annual economic activity, creating more than 29,000 Delaware jobs. More than 4.2 billion pounds of chicken are processed in Delaware each year by nearly 5,000 chicken houses owned by more than 1,300 growers. Delmarva locals realize that many of those fresh chickens are delivered to Kick n’ Chicken, ready to be battered and seasoned, and dropped into massive fryers. The bright yellow roadside restaurant offers fried chicken, wings, and the usual sides, along with a few chicken-inspired wraps. You gotta love a restaurant that knows its place in the restaurant universe and takes its time to prepare the only thing it is known for – Kick n’ Chicken does not have fried chicken waiting under hot lamps; every order is custom fried, so sometimes there is a wait. The family recipe seasoning and batter makes Kick n’ Chicken among “the best damn fried chicken in the state,” as famously pronounced by Aretha Franklin posing as Matt “Guitar” Murphy’s wife running a Chicago soul food joint in the film, ‘Blues Brothers.’ Unlike Aretha, Kick n’ Chicken’s proprietors will not break into a song-and-dance when you order for one or 100 (party platters optional), but you may break into dance after tasting the scrumptious fried chicken, perhaps the best in Delmarva.
