What to try at new Harold’s Chicken Shack
It’s 10:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night. The place has been open for a month, but there’s still a line out the door and a waiting crowd because the kitchen is slammed and it might take an hour to get your food.
Nope, not White Castle.
While 70% of the city seems to be pledging fealty to the gleaming white parapets on the edge of Scottsdale, another quick service chain of yore with an equally dedicated subculture is busy raising a ruckus in south Phoenix.
Harold’s Chicken Shack is a Chicago icon. And right out of the gate, the first Arizona location is living up to its heritage.
What is Harold’s Chicken Shack?
To call Harold’s a popular spot for fried chicken and seafood wouldn’t be incorrect, but it would be inadequate.
Founded by Harold Pierce in the 1950s, Harold’s was both a symbol of successful black-owned business on Chicago’s south side and an important local service in many neighborhoods where national fast food chains refused to open.
Offering quick service versions of soul food classics, the franchise now boasts dozens of locations, including a few that have spilled over into neighboring states. In the neighborhoods where it was born and raised, however, Harold’s is a cultural touchstone for parts of the city that, to this day, remain starkly segregated.
All of that said, Harold’s has endured in no small part because it slings some pretty excellent fried chicken and fish.
Here’s what to expect when you go
There are no piercing spotlights or police officers directing traffic on Baseline Road just east of 16th Street, just a plain storefront with a sign that reads “Harold’s Chicken.” Inside, there’s a counter, three small tables and a portrait of Pierce hanging on distinctly unsubtle red- and greentiled walls.
Though it’s still plenty easy to catch a big line or a sudden rush that can push waits well over an hour, the south Phoenix Harold’s has started to settle into something resembling a routine. It’s unlikely you’ll wait too long to place an order during off hours, though a little patience might be required once you have. Harold’s chicken is dropped in the fryer to order rather than stacked under a heat lamp ready to serve, and the kitchen is still smoothing things out.
In an effort to space out the crowds, wings, shrimp and sides are the only mains offered on Mondays and Wednesdays for the time being. But the full menu during the rest of the week will feel like home to anybody who’s frequented Chicago locations. There’s the signature fried chicken, in all manner of combos. There’s giblets and gizzards for those who dig the variety bits. Catfish, perch and shrimp cover the seafood half of the menu and sides like onion rings, jalapeno poppers and fried okra round out the offerings.
When your order is called, the food arrives packed for carry-out, in bags and buckets bearing the vintage Harold’s Chicken Shack logo — one that varies from place to place, but always features someone chasing a chicken with an axe.
No need for subtlety. We all know why we’re here.
Harold’s Chicken Shack
1635 E. Baseline Road, Phoenix. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays.
Dinners $5.50-$11.50; buckets $14 and up; sides $2.50-$6.25.
602-675-1082.
Why you have to try fried chicken
The simple truth is this chicken is delicious. It isn’t premium local poultry carefully pan-fried by a top-rate chef, but it’s $14 for a whole bird. And with nearly 70 years of history to learn from, they’ve got the process down.
Chicago-style fried chicken, while not as unique as some of the city’s betterknown foodstuffs, still bears a distinctive style. It’s seasoned and dredged with restraint —thick in spots, but more of a rough, nubby finish — set atop french fries and a single slice of white bread, then either dusted with lemon pepper or doused with hot or mild sauce.
The sharp lick of lemon pepper will be familiar to most, and the hot sauce wields a Louisiana-style vinegary punch. But the mild sauce is the calling card and this one’s on point, a tangy, sweet condiment — positioned about halfway between ketchup and barbecue sauce — that soaks into the skin and lends a little contrast between slippery and crisp.
The chicken’s great. It’s far too hot to hold fresh from the fryer, but that probably won’t stop you. The exterior has an excellent crisp texture, and there’s a baseline spice that could go toe-to-toe with the “hot” options at the national chains. Breast meat isn’t overdone, thighs are dripping with juice and wings are so tender you don’t need teeth to suck the meat right off the bone.
How the rest of the menu sizes up
Denizens of the Great Lakes states who perk at the mention of perch might be a little disappointed. Though it was probably too much to hope for, this isn’t the best foot forward for the prized freshwater fish. (In The Shack’s defense, perch availability isn’t what it was in Harold’s day.)
The catfish, on the other hand, is surprisingly good — smallish filets with a tasty cornmeal crust, a perfectly flaky, steaming core and a delicious, almost sweet flavor.
Even better, though, are the fried shrimp. These medium-large fellows are lightly crusted and much more aggressively spiced than the other fried items on the menu. They’ve got a nice chile buzz, not to mention a heady whiff of garlic and pepper that plays well off the mild sauce. Don’t bother fighting with the tails — that bit of crunchy chitin is a bonus. Pop the whole thing and munch away.
Fried chicken gizzards and livers are more heavily dredged than the meat, and both are a little gnarly, but if you ordered them that’s probably why. The gizzards have a hefty chew, and don’t go seeking creamy livers in a light coating here. These are well done, through and through.
The cole slaw is a thick, mayonnaisey variety, but the okra is a treat — deftly fried and nicely seasoned without a hint of slimy texture. Definitely worth a spin.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and I’m not saying there isn’t a little bit of joy to be found in the fast food of anyone’s youth. But of the Midwestern franchises to make an Arizona debut this fall, this might be more worthy of your rapt attention than others.