While most Arizonans are familiar with Chicago-style deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs, few probably are aware of Chicago-style fried chicken.
Chicago’s Chicken Shack is hoping to change that. The storefront eatery has opened in a well-worn strip mall on the north side of University about a quarter-mile east of McClintock in Tempe.
I’m no expert on Chicago-style chicken, but even I have heard of Harold’s Chicken Shack, an iconic restaurant-turned-chain out of Chicago’s south side.
At Harold’s, the chicken is fried to order in a combination of vegetable oil and beef tallow, and my local friends from the Windy City tell me Chicago’s Chicken Shack is nearly as good.
You can get your fried chicken plain, but the traditional way is drizzled with a barbecue sauce that soaks into the chicken’s skin.
Two warnings: First, the only dine-in option is a small wall counter with four stools, so plan on getting your chicken to go. Second, be prepared for a wait, especially during peak hours, as the eatery works out the kinks.
Chicago’s Chicken Shack has listed hours of 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-close Friday-Sunday.
