Midtown Lunch

If you were at FYF Fest this year you likely noticed that the food options were the best they’ve ever been at the L.A. based music festival.  Thanks to Nic Adler and Goldenvoice a handful of well known L.A. restaurants (like Dune, Top Round, Donut Friend and Free Range LA) set up alongside music festival mainstays (like Spicy Pie, arepas, corn dogs and crab fries).  But one fried chicken vendor I stumbled upon that weekend was neither of those things.  They were set up in the shadows of the L.A. Colisseum, at the very very end of a long line of nameless stands selling random stuff like aguas frescas and meat on a stick.  The makeshift booth looked like it could have been dropped in from a church fund raiser, but they had boxes with logos on them that seemed to indicate a real business.  Their name?  Krispy Krunchy Chicken.

To say I was intrigued would be a severe understatement. The whole thing felt like a Los Pollos Hermanos situation.  That thing where you see a fast food brand that looks so real, so good, it has to be an actual thing- but not understanding why you’ve never heard of it before. I found out from the guy in charge of the booth that it was a franchise of a fried chicken company you see all over the south (mostly in gas stations.)  I asked so many questions he accused me of being a narc from the corporate office checking up on them.  That sounds like the best job ever.

Fast forward to last Monday when I found myself in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall checking out the lunch specials at Mexicano (side note: they’re pretty awesome.)  Afterwards I wandered into the food court, as is my way, and stumbled upon…

KRISPY KRUNCHY CHICKEN.

It is real!!!  And not only is it real, it’s my new fried chicken obsession.  In my mind, all fast food fried chicken (and even some non-fast food fried chicken) is held to the standard created by Popeye’s.  Why go anywhere else, when some pretty spectacular fried chicken and biscuits can be had quickly and cheaply at any of their over 2000 locations.

Well, the chicken at Krispy Krunchy Chicken is as good as Popeye’s.  Slightly spicy, with a great crunch, the streaks of spice are injected into the meat itself making for a pretty delicious experience from the first bite to the last.  As far as the chicken goes, we’ll call it a draw.  But here are 5 other reasons my next fried chicken trip will likely be to Krispy Krunchy Chicken.

1. Biscuits.  Popeye’s biscuits have finally met their match at KKC.  Not only do they brush the tops of their regular biscuits with a honey glaze but they also have blueberry biscuits as well.  Let that sink in for a second.  Blue. Berry. Biscuits.  And they are glorious.  The blueberry biscuits alone would have been enough to switch me from Team Popeye’s.  But wait, there’s more.

2. Sides.  Beyond the biscuits I’ve never had much love for the Popeye’s sides, so this small victory wasn’t too difficult.  Krispy Krunchy Chicken’s red beans and rice feels like real food, and their sausage filled Jambalaya is pretty good considering it’s from a fast food chain.  No cole slaw is a bit of a disappointment, but the next side more than makes up for it…

3. Boudin Bites.  Not only do they sell this famous cajun rice sausage specialty in deep fried ball form, but it actually tastes good!  The sausage itself is pretty mild (no strong liver flavor or anything like that) but just the fact that they offer it is a win in my book.

4. Wings.  These guys even do wings right.  Super crunchy, with just a quick toss in the sauce, they offer spicy buffalo wings or a Cajun sweet and spicy wing that was better than what you’ll find at a lot of supposed wing specialists.

5. Packaging. Ok, maybe this one is a stretch but look at those boxes!  Who wouldn’t want to take their fried chicken and blueberry biscuits home in a cardboard barn?

In fairness to Popeye’s, I can’t really speak to every single branch of Krispy Krunchy Chicken. This brand new location is pristine, and it’s pretty clear they’re firing on all cylinders.  KKC doesn’t have po’boys and I haven’t done a fried shrimp head to head either.  In other words, I’m sure at some point I will return to my first fast food fried chicken love.  But for now, all I can think of is those blueberry biscuits and boudin balls.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken, 3650 W Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 323-293-3332