Rapscallion Dallas “Long Walk To Nashville” Fried Bird. ABC Studios.
I’ve been excited and wanting to create my list of top fried chicken joints for over two years, but like fried chicken itself, you just can’t rush perfection. We’ve been enjoying fried chicken all over North Texas from casual, fast casual and fast-food joints and I’ve finally decided it was time to let the feathers fly and expose what I consider to be the BEST fried chicken in the North Texas area.
We have many places selling various forms of chicken nowadays, so I want to be clear about what I mean when discussing fried chicken. I’m talking about fresh, bone-in chicken fried to GBP – Golden Brown Perfection. Wikipedia defines fried chicken as: “Southern fried chicken,” also known simply as fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior of the chicken while retaining juices in the meat.
Growing up, we served fried chicken at some of our Chapman Family Restaurants and it was very good. Under our restaurant umbrella we also owned a Churches Fried Chicken franchise, and this is where I truly learned the preparation techniques and the time it took to cook and deliver fresh fried chicken. There really are no shortcuts in the process – if you try and eliminate a step, you’re asking for subpar chicken. Preparing fried chicken isn’t very technical, but I strongly believe that simple cooking processes are sometimes the hardest to pull off. The simpler the dish, the less places there are to hide from subpar preparation.
Wow, what a year 2020 was for the restaurant and service industry, and not in a good way. Thank goodness it’s over and we can move on down the road.
If you follow me then you know I’m extremely passionate about food, drink, creative chefs, awesome service folks, and the restaurants and grub pubs that host us. Last July I started pondering on what I could do to help support local restaurants, chefs, and the service industry. Something that was different, exciting and fun! I wanted to create something special that hadn’t been tried before. After tossing a few ideas around, the big light in the oven came on, and there it was, swirling around in my brain like berries in a blender. A fantastic and outrageous idea!
I created an outrageous, Texas-sized over-the-top menu full of unique, creative, colorful, delicious, and some massive dishes. These dishes would have to be Chef-driven, very large, creative, and delicious. A few are just simply unique but also delicious. True foodies and couples will love these dishes. They can be shared, used as food challenges, or just eaten because you love food. Whatever the reason, this menu sparks your foodie senses and will make you want to take a trip straight to Delicious-Ville. #Deliciousville
I got together with ten North Texas chefs to discuss my ideas, and some of those chefs even created new and special dishes just for the new Trey’s Chow Down Menu. I also located dishes that had already been created but would fit with the new menu. We have everything from breakfast to dinner; Burgers, BBQ, Seafood, Steaks, and more!
I made trips all over North Texas and tried every single dish myself. I watched the dishes being created and then I chowed down like a pig at the trough. What I ended up with was some unbelievably amazing dishes that are not only delicious and creative, but they are memorable as well. Dishes you can’t and won’t forget!
When you see these dishes, they are visually R.I.D.I.C.U.L.O.U.S! Every single person will say something like, “OMG, WTH Is That!” Believe me – I know because that’s all I’ve heard for the last eight months while working on this new menu.
Saturday, September 4, is International Bacon Day 2021
Everyone dreams about bacon!
Trey’s Chow Down LIVE on Fox 4 Good Day.
When Trey’s Chow Down saw there was an International Bacon Day and it was a real thing my mouth started salivating and all I could think about was how delicious bacon truly is.
Have you ever eaten a bad piece of bacon? I think not! No matter how it’s cooked, (soft, crispy, medium, or rock hard) bacon is always perfectly delightful.
Ever since 1500 B.C. folks have been eating and enjoying bacon. That’s a long time ago, but it just goes to show you how much everyone loves bacon.
Bacon’s history dates back thousands of years to 1500 B.C. The Chinese were curing pork bellies with salt. Basically, they were creating an early form of what we know today as bacon.
I’m shocked about how long ago bacon was being eaten and was created. I wonder how the first bacon fry went down. Here piggy piggy! Come here piggy piggy! Come over here let’s see if we can fry some of your body parts up? Seems legit to me lol!
Now that I’m thinking about it, I bet they could smell bacon frying a mile away and come strolling by to see what that delicious aroma was. I’m sure smelling that bacon for the first time set their foodie senses into overdrive. Well, of course, they didn’t call it bacon at that time but we will play along as if they did.
The first bacon fry must have not only been a mess, but also an exploration to try and figure out how to eat these creatures we call pigs. You know it smelled delicious and they were like, “YES that smells soooooo good”!
Today we have all kinds of various bacon flavors, thickness, bacon dishes, and bacon farmers who create some of the world’s best bacon right here in the good ol’ U.S.A.
When I spoke with the Fox producers about Bacon Day, it was clear that everyone loved bacon and we need to locate some of the best bacon dishes in the DFW area.
I sought out to locate some of the best bacon dishes for all my fellow food lovers to enjoy and boy… Did I find some great dishes to eat. If you love bacon you will love this article and my choices.
B&B has this amazing bacon dish named after Chef Tommy. Let me tell you, “Chef Tommy’s Bacon Dish” is loaded with flavors. When I read about this dish, I had to visit B&B so I could Chow Down and enjoy it for myself. It’s prepared with fresh blue cheese, truffle infused honey, and thick house bacon. This dish meets all the requirements for an award winning dish. The taste has an amazing flavor profile, tenderness, cooked perfectly, great texture, and fantastic eye appeal. One of the best bacon dishes anywhere, period! You need to try this dish, and it’s only 20 bucks.
Knife Steakhouse
Dallas & Plano, Texas
Chef John Tesar always has his creative side in forward motion. I haven’t had one dish, or food item, from John that’s not totally amazing. He’s crazy about using fresh ingredients, having perfect execution, pallet busting flavor profiles, fantastic restaurant atmospheres, and amazing customer service. The Knife bacon appetizer, simply put, is deliciousness with every single bite. The succulent variety of bacon is so flavorful you will order an extra one. I know it because we did it. The dish is simplistic. A tasting of five varieties of bacon and it’s served on a beautiful wood cutting board. It is truly life-changing and you need this dish in your life.
Oh, I love me some Sugarbacon! You’re probably saying to yourself, what the heck is Sugarbacon? Well, it’s two things really; A fantastic restaurant and a delicious lip-smacking bacon dish. The team over at Sugarbacon in McKinney have come up with a flavor-packed bacon dish that will send your taste buds to the flavor town. It’s truly an opportunity to try something new and exciting. The “Sugarbacon Appetizer” is prepared with house-smoked pork belly, ancho chili bbq sauce, B and B pickles, and served on thick bacon square bites. I’m telling you right now it has a fantastic flavor profile and is downright delicious. Folks, it is absolutely worth a trip to Chow Down and see what Sugarbacon is all about.
I drove by this place at least 25 times before I stopped into Chow Down. I had heard all about their flavor-packed barbecue treats, but I kept waiting to see some photos and reviews before I made the journey because I’ve been extremely busy. That was a mistake! We stopped in and had a variety of delicious BBQ treats but what really caught my eye was the “Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños.” I eat these all the time but Cowtown’s were different. They were wrapped tightly and the bacon was glazed just enough. Damn, they were delicious so flavorful that I ate 5 out of the 6 and we ordered some more for the whole table. They really were amazing. When you get a chance, head over to Cowtown for little bacon throw down. Tell’em Trey sent you!
I have to confess something to each of you. I’ve had dreams about the bacon dish at Del’s. Oh man, there’s nothing like naughty bacon dreams folks. It’s the THICK-CUT NUESKE’S BACON AU POIVR served with a Bourbon Molasses Glaze and a side of deliciousness. Oh, the food gods are shining down on Del Frisco’s for this bacon dish! By all means, this is so good it should be illegal. The succulent bacon flavor just rolls across your tongue and sends your taste buds into full mode overload. Don’t be surprised if you have to wipe your chin after each juicy bite. A true trend sitter and it’s only 16 bucks, ladies and gentlemen.
I know you’re thinking… What did he just say? Logan’s Roadhouse? Am I reading this correct? Yes, you are! This is all about bacon and Logan’s Roadhouse locations has some great bacon. They have a little appetizer that goes by the name “Bacon On A Stick” and it’s in a bucket too. I’ve had this twice and both times the bacon was perfectly cooked, loaded with flavor, and easy to eat right off the stick. This is a great little bacon treat you will love. It’s prepared from 12-hour smoked bacon seasoned and grilled in a brown sugar glaze with a kick of spice. Served with crispy fried onions and your choice of original BBQ or Bourbon BBQ. Just damn delicious if you ask me. Your taste buds with take a trip to the “bacon flavor rodeo” and it’s only 10 bucks. Check it out!
I took a trip over the Shady Oak to try some barbecue. As I sat down and was reviewing the menu when the server said, “Hey, do you want to try some of our bacon burnt ends“? My head snapped up and said, “Do tell? Why yes I will”! Those bacon burnt ends were saucy and mouth-watering delicious. The flavor really pops in your mouth as they roll across your tongue. This is a dish you must try and price right too!
There are a lot more bacon dishes I have tried, but these are truly some of the best you will find in the Fort Worth/Dallas area. All of these truly stand on their own with fantastic flavor profiles that will leave you wanting more. As a chef once told me, “Trey, if I can leave you wanting more then I’ve done my job. I know you will come back and dine with us again”.
Please visit these local restaurants because eating and buying local is extremely important to our chefs and restaurants.
If you LOVE cooking bacon at home then I would try my favorite Tender Belly Bacon. You can locate Tender Belly at https://www.tenderbelly.com
Don’t forget to listen or watch our worldwide podcast Trey’s Chow Down Liveevery Friday on iHeartRadio, iTunes, Dash Radio or tune and watch us LIVE.
Remember, I’m passionate about bringing each of you the very food and drink experiences I can find.
When Trey’s Chow Down saw there was an International Bacon Day and it was a real thing my mouth started salivating and all I could think about was how delicious bacon truly is.
Trey’s Chow Down BEST Burgers 2019 Party on ABC in Dallas with Kara Swell from WFAA Victor Plaza.
Wow. I’m in disbelief that 2019 has already come and gone? Where did it go? It seems like it was just yesterday we completed and introduced our BEST Burgers in North Texas for 2018.
2019 was a BIG burger year in North Texas. We had some old restaurants close and a bunch of new ones open. Almost all of them sell some sort of burger.
The burger business is crazy in the U.S.A.
A national research company states that we sell 6.48 million burgers a day around 75 burgers a second! What? Yes, 75 burgers a second! The burger date roughly breaks down as 4,500 burgers every minute, 270,000 every hour, 6.48 million a day, and 2.36 billion burgers a year. Another research study states we sell 50 billion a year worldwide.
I truly don’t care what the accurate numbers are. I just know that almost everyone loves to bite into a succulent, savory and delicious burger.
Even though another year has come and gone, we spent twelve months locating and chowing down on some of the most amazingly creative burger combinations in North Texas.
In 2018, we visited a hundred and twenty restaurants to locate the best burgers. I’m thrilled to say we topped ourselves again for 2019. We didn’t plan it that way… It just happened!
We were running the roads and adding mileage to our vehicles. We visited over 135 locations and chowed down on 200 different burger combinations.
Every time I ate a burger I would say, “On to the next”!
I bet everyone is tired of turkey and ham at this point right after the holidays.
After we spoke with the producer at ABC DAYBREAK about a new BEST food segment we decided to locate and try some of the most savory and delicious chicken dishes in the North Texas area. I’ve eaten chicken from East Texas Sulphur Springs area all the way west to Weatherford trying to locate the most unique savory dishes that everyone can enjoy.
Although this is Texas, and Texans love beef, these days creative chicken dishes grace almost every menu in Texas.
Beef still rings king in Texas but chicken has to be number two without question.
I love telling food stories and I truly believe food always tastes better with a story and a little food history never hurts either.
Ever since I was a little boy I’ve been passionate about food, but I’ve LOVED me some chicken. I like it fried, roasted, baked, grilled, dry roasted, rotisserie-cooked, and even cooked on a trash can lid. Yes, you read that correctly, cooked on a trash can lid. Let me explain!
Rapscallion Dallas Massive Rotisserie
I was traveling through Jamaica just chowing down on everything I could find (like I’ve done many times before). I was riding in a van and we passed this guy cooking right off the other side of the road. I couldn’t see what he was cooking, but I could smell it. Man… did it smell delicious. Now you have to understand he was cooking roadside in a hut style that was anything but normal looking. It was basically falling down! The food was on top of two trash cans cooking. I could smell and see the smoke. I yelled at the driver, “Hey man what’s that dude cooking and why is he roadside?” The driver yelled back, “Man, that’s authentic Jamaican jerk chicken he’s cooking and he’s selling it”! I told the driver I want to stop when we come back and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. The driver yelled back, “Yea man, gotcha!” We did make our stop and I’ll never forget how incredibly delicious that authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken tasted coming off that trash can lid. I’ve never tasted that flavor profile again. I purchased three more of those farm-fresh trash can chicken dishes for the road, and off we went.
I don’t care what it’s called I love me some cluck cluck. You just can’t go wrong with a savory delicious chicken dish. Especially when it’s prepared fresh by a creative chef even on a trash can lid.
Here is a little chicken history for everyone;
The History of the Chicken is simple. Domestication of the chicken dates back to at least 2000 B.C. and their ancestry can be traced back to four species of wild jungle fowl from Southeast Asia. … The chicken belongs to the genus Gallus of the family Phasianidae. Domestic chickens are simply classified as Gallus Domesticus. I bet you weren’t aware of that. That where all eating Gallus Domesticus! To tell you the truth I didn’t either until I did a little food research.
I truly don’t care what we call it but I know is delicious!
A talented chef can create so many options for a savory chicken dish using any part of the chicken. There truly are no limits to the deliciousness of chicken. Please enjoy our best chicken dishes choices.
When anyone says the word “barbecue” it sends most folks in what I like to call the full tilt barbecue boogie. Their minds simply start overloading on the thought of tender, succulent, and flavor-packed proteins that have been cooked to perfection over a fire, in a pit, or in a smoker. Well, at least mine does! Almost everyone loves a good barbecue. It’s one of the most popular foods in the world. As a passionate restauranteur, food expert, chowhound, and barbecue lover, my mind stays in F.T.B.B all day. I love BBQ and I am passionate about the pitmasters and chefs that create these wonderful dishes for all of us to enjoy.
Trey’s Chow Down spent two hours on Victory Plaza in DALLAS with six pit masters on ABC DAYBREAK displaying some of Texas Best BBQ. We had a great time with the Channel 8 DAYBREAK crew slinging some delicious BBQ and creative sides.
The pit masters who joined where some of North Texas very BEST!
This isn’t about barbecue I found on the internet or on television… I spent twelve months traveling to various restaurants, barbecues, festivals, and events. I visited 119 barbecue joints and tasted some 280 different items. Of course, I visited some fantastic dedicated barbecue and food festivals like Smoked Dallas, Smoked Fort Worth, Red Dirt Barbecue & Music Festival, Chef For Farmers,Austin Food and Wine Festival, and many others seeking out my mission to find the VERY BEST barbecue for our followers to enjoy in 2019
If this is your first time visiting Trey’s Chow Down; HELLO! Welcome, and thank you for stopping by! I highly encourage you to watch one of our television broadcasts, social media episodes and give us a follow on social media.
