I get this. I mean, totally.
Travin Dural’s entree of choice during his convalescence from hamstring surgery last off-season was, you might say, an off menu item as far as the LSU training table was concerned.
Popeyes fried chicken. He found it side-sticking good.
“Yeah, Popeyes was putting a lot of weight on me,” the fifth-year senior wide receiver from Breaux Bridge said this week, skillfully transferring the blame.
His mother, Tamika Dural, noticed an obvious change.
“I went home one day, and my mom was like, ‘Man, you look stuffed,’” Dural said. “So, that’s when I knew it was time for change. I was almost 230 pounds in the spring and I played at 203 last year.”
Who among us can argue? Let he who is without sin cast the first gnawed chicken carcass. Spicy, of course.
Get The Picture 
A true spicy chicken connoisseur prefers Bojangles. (sneer, sniff)
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Bojangles is trash.
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go to hell!
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Phan, you have committed an offense to my honor.
I demand satisfaction.
A wishbone pull at sunrise.
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Tell that to my wife and you’ll get hell, LOL.
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As much as I love Bojangles (~5 minutes from my house), I occasionally drive 25 minutes as the crow flies to the nearest of the 3 Popeyes in the triangle.
However, there’s no friend chicken like the fried chicken from Parker’s BBQ in Wilson, NC. Good grief, I’m going to have to drive there for lunch.
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What’s your favorite BBQ in that neck of the woods?
My people live around Smithfield and swear by Stephenson’s and Holts Lake. They’ll do Swan Lake in a pinch but grumble about it “not being as good as it was”
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brain fart…White Swan BBQ…not Swan Lake
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I like Stephenson’s & Holt Lake. I’ve never been to White Swan.
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Did you have to develop a palette for this type BBQ?
I was raised on vinegar based BBQ so unaware that it is unique to that area until college.
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One of my close friends from law school has a singular devotion to KFC, preferably extra crispy, as the pregame entrée. Once, we stopped at Popeye’s and got the Cajun spiced chicken. I don’t know if the spices or the variance from the established routine offended him more, but 30 plus years later, he still grouses when we simply drive past a Popeye’s.
Down here in the South, people will fight you over barbecue, fried chicken, or iced tea. It’s nice to know folks recognize what’s important.
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“Down here in the South, people will fight you over barbecue, fried chicken, or iced tea.”
Fast food fried chicken? Lol
“Iced tea”??!!?? You mean sweet tea?
Are you sure you’re from the south?
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Dude, get real. Nobody makes their own fried chicken anymore. Its not worth the effort, time, and mess when at best, its going to be as good as KFC, Popeyes, or Bojangles. And you can’t cook it on the scale the chains can so its all hot at the same time unless your army of fryers is so big it takes up half your garage when not in use.
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Bullshit. I make fried chicken quite regularly. Buy one of these:
It is basically a miniaturized version of a commercial fryer and even filters the oil when you are done.
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I make fried chicken about once a month. Cast iron pan and a simplified version of Sean Brock’s recipe.
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I rarely make fried chicken, but I make fried chicken skins on the reg.
Peel the skin off of chicken thighs. Fry em in a pan. Salt and pepper when you pull them out and serve with powered sugar and hot sauce. Texas Pete or Crystals.
It’s amazing. For breakfast make a FCSLT(fried chicken skin lettuce tomato) biscuit w/hot sauce and dukes.
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Have you had a recent head injury? I don’t know if you’ve actually been to the South, but I hear some folks actually eat fried chicken PREPARED BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN THEMSELVES. There are these newfangled inventions called “restaurants,” including some fast food places, that are all the rage. “Iced tea” is a term that includes unsweet as well as sweet tea.
You should try to get out a little more. Thanks for your input, though.
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Not necessarily in order of favorites, mostly proximity when the cravings start:
Publix, Ingalls, Church’s, Popeyes, Ryan’s, Ryan’s, Bojangle’s, KFC, The little joint right off I-20 in Meridian, Mississippi………
I know I have a problem.
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Weaver D’s, Chonell’s ……..
Is it lunchtime yet?
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There is a walk up joint in Glennville ( I think) if you go the back way to St. Simons.
Can’t remember the name.
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Never ate at that chicken place but the Rusty Pig has some good brisket and brunswick stew. Try it next time you go through.
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Noted!
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Shirley’s in Atlanta and Newnan.
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Hog Heaven in Pawleys Island.
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Southern Soul on SSI. Right on the round-about. And get the collards.
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Publix fried chicken is terribly underrated. Plus you’re already where you’re picking up all the rest of your stuff for the tailgate. Can’t buy beer, ice, and a folding chair at a KFC, can you?
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JCTKitchen. Period. Next is Saw’s in Homewood. Sweet Tea Fried Chicken. Don’t argue if you’ve never had it.
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Mert’s in Uptown Charlotte.
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I hadn’t thought of Mert’s since I left Charlotte. What’s that other place off S. Tryon? Prince’s?
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Price’s chicken coop? Man, this thread is making me hungry. Glad I’m picking up a couple fryers tonight for Saturday. Although those are meant for the grill not the skillet or deep fryer.
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“The little joint right off I-20 in Meridian, Mississippi”
?
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Can’t remember the name
I had gizzards. North side of 20 on the access rd. 2nd meridian exit I think?
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It’s been so long since I’ve been around there. It isn’t A&M is it?
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Back in the day when Hardee’s had fried chicken on the menu, it was damn good. They cutt it off the menu because they felt they were too spread out and not focused on their core business of burgers and fries. Ok, I get that. But then they go and start offering that damn Red Burrito crap on the menu. Chicken is distracting, but faux Taco Bell is ok?!?!?
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Carl’s Jr is a West Coast company – hence the burrito.
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TIL: Most people have terrible taste in fried chicken.
Publix fried chicken? Dont you people have mamas?
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A craving is a craving, Dude. That itch got to be scratched.
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Can’t say that I blame him. Better eat it now while he’s young because that stuff will kill you later on.
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Yeah, both my grandmothers ate fried chicken their whole lives and they were struck down at 93 and 97. Genetics will kill you much faster than any food and I’d hate to get hit by a truck and right before I died think “I sure wish I had eaten more of the stuff I like”.
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It’s very, very, very important that the cook can make chicken gravy from the drippin’s left in the frying pan. And it’s almost essential that the gravy be served very hot on very tender (sticky) white rice. Mashed potatoes are acceptable, but rice is best…And there must be biscuits to slice and pour the gravy over. Serve with greeen beans and iced tea and your “Down Home” .
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And sliced, home grown tomatoes fit right in. Pickin’ some today.
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I gained five pounds just reading that.
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Can I save one biscuit for butter and honey?
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Truer words were never spoken.
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That’s exactly the way it was at my girlfriend/wife’s house back in HS and college. They made enough for suppah and had lots of leftovers for late night snacks after the date. The biscuits were “cat eyes” and if the cook hadn’t passed away years ago, I’d weigh 280 by now. Proper friend chicken that isn’t around anymore. (They had the same chicken at Marlow’s in Madison years ago, but it closed.) Green beans or buttah beans, didn’t matter.
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That’s a rather stupid philosophy. Hell my uncle is approaching 70 and smokes, so maybe I should go buy a pack of lights today.
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It’s not your mama’s, but the fried chicken at the Holiday Inn in Athens is excellent.
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Don’t know if it still is, but the fried chicken (and fried okra) on the Holiday Inn Sunday buffet was great 30 years ago. I still have dreams about it.
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oh hell yeah, still a popular destination for blue-haired ladies on Sunday after church
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“Louisiana Fat”..very cute…I noticed.
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I love both Bo’s and Popeye’s, but 14 years in North Carolina made me prefer Bo’s.
The best fried chicken I ever had was Pap’s Fried Chicken in my hometown of Sylvester. You walked up and took the box with you. My mother never fried another piece of chicken after it opened.
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No surprise, as fast food (and most restaurants for that matter) are unbelievably bad for you and will cause you to pack on weight quick.
In my office of approx 400 employees, the ones who either bring their own lunch or choose healthy lunch options are almost all in solid shape, whereas the ones who come walking back in with their Chick-fil-A, McD’s, or Applebee’s to go cups in their hand are almost all overweight. No coincidence.
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Fried chicken? Bea’s in Chattanooga. Along with a limited menu of other southern staples like chow chow, BBQ, tea. Right across the state line from Rossville. Served on a lazy susan, open table. Had one gentleman tell me we can eat all we want – there’s no preservatives!
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Mrs. Wilkes used to fry a mean bird before she went to sojourn in the garden of good and evil. Good gravy, too.
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No mention of Gus’s fried chicken in Memphis? That was the one bright spot in that miserable Liberty Bowl trip a few years ago. Coincidentally, we had Popeye’s spicy chicken last night. Yummy, even if it did shave a year off my life.
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If we’re going to start getting really regional, we gotta salute Nashville hot chicken too.
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Nashville hot chicken? Tasty …
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Back in the day Callahan’s in Fernadina Beach was a must stop on the way to the Gator bowl to watch the Dawgs whop the Gators. I miss that place.
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Gus’s has a couple of outlets in Atlanta now, which is a godsend. Also, Matthew’s Cafeteria in Tucker is among the best i’ve ever shoveled into my gaping maw.
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+1 on matthews.
sound like dinner plans.
I am guessing that most college football fans will be having fried chicken this weekend after everyone reads this article.
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I never ate any bad fried chicken that was less than two days old. I’ll eat it all.
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Then you’ve never been in the Navy.
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That’s true, but was it less than two days old?
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You know who makes good fried chicken in Utah????? No one, that’s who. I haven’t mastered it nor has my wife. I’m done reading these comments.
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that is funny….sad, but funny.
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what about down south in the part of the state they derisively call “Dixie”?
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Okay, so I read them again. Got me.
Honestly, the part of the state I live in (west of SLC) reminds me a ton of where I was raised. Small town, small crowd. The exception is accents and hospitality. I almost refuse to open doors for people now (almost). My kids are routinely questioned when saying ma’am and sir.
This Dixie that you refer to does not exist in any part of the state no matter the claims.
Almost forgot….home crowds at high school football games are less than visiting crowds back home. And it’s generally not even close.
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interesting…would not have guessed that people don’t hold doors. Funny u mention HS football, I had a conversation today with a guy about HS season kickoff (2 weeks away baby!. My kids don’t go there yet and neither did I, but it’s a community event.
As to “Dixie”, I recently read an article that referenced the school and I was completely unawares.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_State_University
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Dairy Queen’s chicken strip basket with gravy will do in a pinch. Do they have DQ in Utah?
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There are a few, but not many. When I need a good sundae, that’s where I head.
On another subject, SLC has the best burger I’ve ever had. Amazing!!!!
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St. George is a nice area. Still ain’t Dixie though.
My boy is starting HS this year and “hopefully” will be starting B back for the local 9th grade team. May get some time running with JV too. His coach is a pretty big fan of the PJ.
We do like it out here. Different for sure, but we like it.
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Looks to me like there might be a market around here for this: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/world/asia/kfc-chicken-nail-polish.html?_r=0
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All these comments about fried Chicken and no one mentions Buckner’s at exit 201 on I-75, or Ole Times country Buffet, Valdosta and Macon. There is no better fried chicken in the state coming from a restaurant than those 2
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If you’d have told me this post was going to get this much message traffic… LOL. 🙂
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It’s a subject close to our southern hearts, Sir!
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I really miss my mama…
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Here I was prepared to put forth oracles about gibbous players and you bunch of dinosaur-eatin’, chicken-pluckin’, fowl tastin’ Dawgs have set my craving off. Bought a nice rack of lean ribs to go with some Brunswick stew my wife surprised me with last night. I added a wee bit hot sauce and a drop of smoky BBQ sauce to each bowl full. It’s the first time she has attempted to make it after bragging some years ago that she could guess the ingredients. She nailed ‘um right down to the Worcestershire sauce, butter beans, corn and shredded pork. Hope that makes you bunch of food sadists salivate and masticate using two hands.
Right now I’m headed for a snappin’ turtle to add to leftover Brunswick stew to make a nice turtle mull. What? Of course I’m going to put a chicken in it!
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Hell, I had to throw a whole one on the weber, over a true red oak fire.
Finer fowl is not to be had in North GA tonight!
Green beans and tomatoes from the garden, eat your hearts out boys!
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I can’t believe it took that long to have someone mention Gus’s
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