If you love fried chicken and you consider yourself to be someone with a high spice tolerance, you’ve officially met your match. Northern Chicken is comfort food at its finest, and they’ve got some of the best fried chicken in Edmonton, if not in all of Alberta. What began as two great friends who loved hanging out in their rumpus room listening to music and enjoying great food, has grown into an unbeatable Albertan hot spot that stays true to its roots with soul food, soulful music, a great atmosphere, and immaculate vibes. You can expect “down south comfort food,” cold beer, delicious pie, signature ice cream flavours, and–of course–fried chicken and other meat-heavy dishes.
Northern Chicken can be found on104th Street in Downtown Edmonton. While the food and the energy of the hot spot might be enough to draw you in, there’s more. Having just celebrated seven years in business, this place supports mental health in the workplace, supports the LGBTQ2+ community, and prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive environment for its staff and guests alike. We can’t recommend this spot enough, but we’re not going to waste any more time before giving you a glimpse at the hard-hitting menu.
If you swing through for brunch, you’ll be greeted with awesome menu items such as mimosas (obviously), hot fresh biscuits with jam or gravy, the delicious Breakfast poutine, Yogurt Bowl, NC Breakfast Sandwich featuring fried chicken breast, cheddar cheese, sausage gravy, and a fried egg, the Dutch Baby & Chicken Finger, and the Classic Breakfast. You can’t really go wrong with any option on the brunch menu, and you’re sure to be treated to a familiar favourite with a spiced-up twist.
If you’re not brunching, you’ve got nothing but options. On the appetizer menu, you’ll find Brisket Burnt Ends, Hush Puppies, House Made Pickles, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Nachos. On the BBQ meat menu, you can get 1/3lbs of your choice meat and three small sides. The meat choices include NC Spice Rubbed Pork Shoulder, NC Spice Rubbed Brisket, or NC Spice Rubbed ¼ Smoked Chicken.
Now, we’ve got the fried chicken. The famous Sourhtern-style, bone-in chicken comes in three-, six, and ten-piece plates. You can also grab an order of Chicken Fingers with your choice of ranch or sweet tomato chilli dipping sauce. While we’re talkin’ sauce, let’s talk about the hot sauce. Northern Chicken has house-made hot sauces that you can inquire about daily. But, their true claim to fame is the WNFA ("We're Not F'n Around") sauce which is made with seven different peppers. Some love it, some suffer, and some hit that sweet spot right in between. In fact, you can even find YouTube videos of people eating and reacting to this extra-heated sauce. If you love spicy food and fried chicken, you had best put Northern Chicken and the WNFA sauce on your bucket list.
Now, let’s venture further into the menu. There’s a great roster of delicious sandwiches to choose from including the Fried Chicken Sandwich, Mini Friend Chicken Sandwich, Pulled Pork Sandwick, Brisket Sandwich, Vegetarian Falafel Burger, the gluten-free Chicken Sandwich, and more.
The list of side dishes hits just as hard as the rest of the menu with choices like Dorito Mac N’ Cheese, Pulled Pork Mac N’ Cheese, Mustard Slaw, Baked Potato Salad, Beans, Garlic-Fried Smashed Potatoes, and the list goes on.
This food is unbeatable, the atmosphere is next-level, and the spice is unmatched.
Britanny Burr is a freelance writer and a contributor to Great West Media. This story was written for the 2023/24 Cool Winter Guide advertising feature. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff.
