2023: Top 10 Fried Chicken Restaurants in Middle Georgia

_{by Visit Middle Georgia}

Why did the chicken cross the road? It’s an age-old question for which we don’t have the answer. However, in this article, we will tell you why we crossed the road, traveled the highways, and trekked many miles, it was all to find the Best Fried Chicken in Middle Georgia. In our search we visited 10 counties, checked out 20 local eateries and consumed countless calories and pieces of fried chicken to bring you this article. Our taste buds are over-joyed, and our spirits and cholesterol high. It was all worth it, to bring to you, Visit Middle Georgia’s:

Top 10 Fried Chicken Restaurants
in Middle Georgia

10. Yoder’s Deistch Haus – Montezuma, Ga

Starting our list of at No. 10, is Yoder’s Deitsch Haus. This Mennonite restaurant sit’s on farm land nestled in the middle of Macon County’s dairy country. American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once famously said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” After a relaxing country drive down Highway 26 to Yoder’s, we found it to be both. The sprawling, lush, green farmland transfixes your mind to another place of peace and beauty. The restaurant itself sits next to a barn-red, country store and is surrounded by a cornfield. It’s the kind of picturesque place you feel like you’ve seen before in a vintage rural painting and it just exudes the thought of “Oh yeah, were about to eat good tonight!” Heading down the cafeteria line, visiting patrons can find all kinds of hearty sides and fixins’ to pair with Yoder’s lightly breaded fried chicken. It’s a good yard bird, however, it could use a little more crunch. Just as important as tasting the crispy fried skin, is hearing it. Oh and if you leave Yoder’s without having had a slice of pie and a cup of coffee, well, you didn’t do it right.

9. Troy’s Snack Shack – Montezuma, Georgia

Coming in at No. 9 is a Montezuma legend, Troy’s Snack Shack. Troy’s may not seem like much to the untrained eye, but beyond that wood-screen door and behind that horse-shoe counter is an open grill that’s been slingin’ out some of Georgia’s best homemade slider burgers for over 50 years. If you’re thinking, “Burgers? I thought this was a fried chicken article.” You’re right, this is a poultry piece. However, sliders are originally why we came to Troy’s. What we learned once we got there, is what helped elevate them into hole-in-the-wall folklore. It was a fall Saturday in 2011, we were there for the Great Beaver Creek Duck Race. It was close to 3 pm and my rubber duck that I had paid $5 for, in hopes that it would swiftly float Beaver Creek, squeak past the finish line in first, and bring me a nice fortune, was likely stuck in a briar patch on the creek bank by now.

Our local guide told us of Troy’s and their famous burgers. We liked our odds there better, so we skipped out on the race’s end for some cheap burgers. While chowing down on a dollar double-slider loaded down with chilly and homemade sauce, I noticed a mad rush of people to the right side of the counter. I asked our Macon County native what the line was for, because the restaurant closed in 10 minutes. She non-chalantly said, “Oh, that’s the fried chicken line.” Legend has it, most Montezuma Saturdays, people rush in to grab some before closing. We tried it and it’s worth the hype.

The somewhat flakey breading has a nice crispy texture, and the flavorful chicken meat is pretty much juicy throughout. It’s just dang good chicken. It comes served in an old-school brown paper lunch bag and has their tangy homemade sauce with it. It’s the kind of no fluff, no frills meal that just stands on it’s own quality. We think very highly of their burgers and apparently so do ex-Macon County residents who travel down during the holidays and buy dozens of burgers to fill a cooler to take back home to freeze. However, when I go to Troy’s for the burger there’s always a cooked bird that makes me think twice. Let’s just say it’s not that stupid yellow duck.

8. Paula’s Fried Chicken – Dublin, Georgia

Macon garners a lot of praise in Middle Georgia for it’s wide selection of privately owned restaurants, gastro pubs, and eateries. The always-growing Warner Robins, gathers tons of restaurant traffic and attention because there are dozens of franchises and quality options to choose from. The city of Dublin, on-the-other-hand, is very underrated for its’ food, and offers top-notch eateries and delicious dining that rivals any other city in the region.

Paula’s Fried Chicken, a tiny drive-thru offering succulent southern comfort food, is one such example of Dublin’s food prowess. Located just on the outskirts of downtown, this little gem might get overlooked by traveling tourists making their way to some the city’s bigger establishments. However, the locals of Laurens County know what lies behind that inconspicuous drive-thru window. They’ll tell you it’s the best fried chicken in Dublin. We concur. It’s got an airy, crispy skin with bold flavor and good juiciness to the meat portion. We got a drumstick and breast piece and while both were very good, we found the leg to be slightly better. Be sure to grab their dinner plate. It’s a steal, ringing in at just under $9 and you get some delicious sides to pair with that yummy fried chicken.

7. H&H Restaurant- Macon, Georgia

A Middle Georgia fried chicken list wouldn’t be complete without Macon’s H&H Restaurant. Mama Louise’s famous soul food establishment has been serving up scrumptious fried chicken to Middle Georgians for nearly 65 years. She famously served it to southern rock legends, The Allman Brother’s Band, before they reached stardom. Unfortunately, Mama Louise Hudson, one of the orignal co-owners of the restaurant, passed back in November 2022. However, her memory still lives on through her iconic recipes and the phenomenal restaurant she helped to found. Now owned and historically preserved by Macon’s Moonhanger Group, H&H serves a super crunchy and subtly spice-seasoned fried chicken. It pairs best with collard greens and cornbread and is the kind of meal to make you say, “Mmm mmm! Now that’s some groceries!” And don’t worry, if you’re down to just “one more silver dollar,” they take debit and credit card too.

6. The Bear’s Den – Macon, Georgia

You don’t have to have a bear’s appetite to crave some of this cafeteria restaurant’s tasty, crispy fried chicken. You don’t have to be registered for college either, albeit your likely to see lots of students there, as this Macon eatery is nestled right next to Mercer University’s campus. Yes, the Bear’s Den sees plenty of students, and nurses, city workers, and patrons of all kinds for that matter. It’s a popular place and their rotating daily menu has lots of great options to choose from. But if you’re looking for their fried chicken, you’re in luck, they serve it everyday Monday through Friday.

5. The Shrimp Boat – Milledgeville, Georgia

Ranking in at No. 5 in our “Top 10 Fried Chicken Restaurants in Middle Georgia” is Milledgeville’s The Shrimp Boat. Don’t be confused, this is no ‘Chicken of the Sea’, it’s just fantastically fried chicken at a seafood restaurant. If you’re wondering, the Shrimp Boat’s seafood is phenomenal, but this is an article about chicken. So, the bird is the word for now and apparently the word is out. The Shrimp Boat has some of the best in the central part of the state. True story, we first received word of the Shrimp Boat’s fried chicken, from a Baldwin County preacher’s wife. In the south, a fried chicken lunch on a Sunday afternoon after church, is kind of a staple. For those who say, The Shrimp Boat’s salty, crispy, tasty, fried chicken is a blessing to Middle Georgia, we say, “Amen.” Oh by way, be sure to get some of their coleslaw (probably the best we’ve ever had) and some of those delectable little biscuits too.

4. Dawson’s Kitchen – Macon, Georgia

Next up, at No. 4 is Dawson’s Kitchen. This place is a big favorite among Maconites. It’s located in the Payne City area of Macon and sits right near the rail road tracks. Customers will be very pleased with Dawson’s moderately breaded and crispy chicken. The meat is very juicy and the skin is lightly seasoned, complimenting the juiciness just right. The meat was the main part of this show, with the crispy skin and it’s soft seasoning being a nicely paired opening act. It’s the best fried chicken in Macon in our opinion. After eating some of Dawson’s yummy soul food, patrons should definitely visit their market for some fresh produce or some scrumptious desserts. This place has a phenomenal comfort food selection.

3. Skipper John’s – Perry, Georgia

Around Christmas time it is often said, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” We wouldn’t argue with that. However, it can also be said, in Perry at Skipper Johns, “Chicken is the reason for the season-ing.” Boy do they pack it on too! It’s their recipe trademark that keeps people coming back. We suspect the seasoning is some mixture consisting mostly of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. The chicken itself is great, the breading and skin are both crispy and crunchy, depending on the bite. In one of our visits to this Perry poultry place, we had a 15 minute wait for our order. In those 15 minutes, they received 7 more in-store customers and the phone rang off-the-hook to the tune of close to 20 carry-out orders. The wait quickly jumped to 1 hour! So if you’re looking to order your chicken for dinner, call early. Also, all orders, whether made on the phone or in person, are carry-out. There is no seating in this fried chicken on-the-g0 establishment.

2. Pittman’s Side Track Cafe – Eastman, Georgia

On Sunday afternoons, Pittman’s Side Track Cafe is a booming place! The hard-working staff are cleaning and turning tables as fast as possible, because it seems like everyone in the county is looking for a seat at the southern-f00d buffet. What makes it such a popular place? One chief reason, would be their absolutely, phenomenal, fried chicken. It is so good, we placed it at No. 2 on our list. Truth be told, it could be 1B. It’s 100 percent juicy; there were no dry bites at all. It’s nicely fried and crisp, everything fried chicken should be. When asked what makes their chicken so good, Side Track owner, Wynon Pittman claimed, “It’s the heart that goes into it. The lady that cooks it, gives it her all. And our staff, they make this place what it is.” Well, whether it be work ethic, recipe, or a combination of both, we certainly think Pittman’s Side Track Cafe and their fried chicken are worth a stop and try.

It took a lot traveling, bites, and calories consumed to get an accurate assessment of the fried chicken in the central part of our state. We enjoyed our visits to each town and restaurant, and we sincerely thank each owner and their respective staff for their great fried chicken and their kind customer service. The quality of that food and service, is a testament to the greatness of the people, culture, and tourism, in our area. However, this is a top ten list and we do have a winner in this article.

So, without any further-ado, here is our No. 1 for the Top 10 Fried Chicken Restaurants in Middle Georgia:

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1. The Steak House Restaurant – Hawkinsville, Georgia

Hawkinsville’s claim to fame is its’ food. The Grill’s Fully Monty Burger was voted best hamburger in the state by the Georgia Beef Board. Now, in 2023. we are claiming The Steak House Restaurant’s fried chicken as, “The Best Fried Chicken in Middle Georgia.” One could definitely argue that it is the best in the whole state; it’s that finger-licking good. The fried skin is perfectly crunchy. The seasoning isn’t too light or too over-done, it’s just right. And as for the chicken meat, somebody in the kitchen must be checking the pH balance, because it is juiced perfectly. The flavor of the whole bird is well-blended and balanced, with not one taste overshadowing another or overpowering the palate. This kind of fried chicken is what Sunday afternoons after church are made for! So therefore, we dub Hawkinsville’s The Steak House Restaurant as the No. 1 Fried Chicken Restaurant in Middle Georgia!