Honey Butter Fried Chicken is a living legend among a particular group of friends that I have.
For three year, my favorite couple( Rich and Jen) have been sharing the gospel of HBFC. And for three years, I thought their description of the said place was overkill. I mean, it’s chicken. Fried Chicken. In my old neighborhoods, I could visit four different chicken joints less than a block apart. Never, did I imagine that I would venture to the far northwest side of the city for fried chicken. But then again, that’s what I said about hotdogs. Remember Hot Doug’s?
After heading to the Made in Chicago Market this past Sunday, I suggested to Jen that we head over to Honey Butter so I could finally dine at this place that she and her boyfriend have been bragging about for years!
The location is a train and bus ride away from the Belmont blue line. Lucky for us, Jen’s beau wanted in on the Honey Butter experience, so he gave us a ride to make the commute much shorter.
On previous visits, my favorite couple reiterated that the line for Honey Butter is usually wrapped around the building. We arrived a little after 5 p.m. to the restaurant.
There was no wait time. What plucking luck!
The menu contains a wide selection of chicken offerings, from sandwiches to individual pieces, as well as monthly specials. After ordering, we headed out to the back patio to enjoy our feast in the perfect summer weather.
The food was brought out pretty promptly. The steam still rising from our array of chicken platters. I enjoyed a two-piece( shout out to the chef who threw in the 3rd piece of bird) with two corn muffins and a side of pimento mac n’ cheese. The Honey Butter veterans shared that the best way to enjoy the chicken was to spread the richly whipped butter on to the chicken.
Amazing. Although, I could’ve easily slopped up the butter with the sweet corn muffins.
The mac and cheese side dish was pretty creative. Corkscrew noodles were used instead of the traditional elbow, and of course, the pimento gave the mac an extra spice that you will not typically find in your grandmother’s “recipe.”
I’ll admit, I was not thrilled with the price of my bill. I am used to Popeye combos, so this was much steeper than what I was used to for pieces of fried chicken. However, when I grabbed a napkin from a dispenser on the table, and read the philosophy of this local eatery, my dismay over the bill quickly ceased.
Honey Butter Fried Chicken is a company that supports their community, their customers, and the staff that helps the business run every day. The group openly shares their vendor partnerships and the transparency that their employees are paid well. Tipping is unnecessary, as the company shares that the employees are paid and supported well, the expectation of a great experience is to be expected because the staff enjoys providing stellar service.
The experience is Rated Haute on many levels. I admire the transparency and openness that this company creates. I had been hearing about this place for three years, and I am thrilled that I finally had the chance to experience it. I will be back for another taste of Honey Butter Fried Chicken.
Rated Haute
Oh, and shout out to the R&B diva that is Mariah Carey for the title to this post. If you are not familiar with her song “Honey,” you should be ashamed of yourself.
