National Fried Chicken Day Date in the current year: July 6, 2024

Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, can be considered a type of fritters. The tradition of deep frying chicken in fat was brought to the Southern United States by Scottish immigrants. African slaves in the American South combined this frying technique with the West African tradition of seasoning and battering chicken before frying them in palm oil. This is how the present-day fried chicken recipe originated.

The term “fried chicken” was first recorded in the 1830s, and the recipe began to appear in American cookbooks around the 1860s. The dish was especially popular among slaves because they were allowed to raise their own chickens. Still, fried chicken was an expensive dish reserved for special occasions. To this day, fried chicken are stereotypically associated with African Americans. Over time, fried chicken became a common staple of the American South.

Nowadays fried chicken are popular across the United States. There are many versions of the dish, including Barberton chicken (unseasoned, battered chicken fried in lard and served with cole slaw and hot sauce), Maryland chicken (pan-fried and served with a cream gravy), popcorn chicken (small, bite-sized pieces of breaded fried chicken), chicken and waffles (a staple of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine), and Nashville hot chicken spiced with cayenne pepper. All these variations have one thing in common: fried chicken always has a crisp coating or crust.

Fried chicken was greatly popularized by Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), a fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken. His original fried chicken recipe is one of the most famous trade secrets. It is based on pressure cooking, which allows to significantly reduce cooking time without affecting the taste, and a secret combination of 11 herbs and spices. A copy of the Original Recipe is stored in a special safe in KFC’s headquarters.

Today, fried chicken is one of the most popular fast foods in the United States. So it is not surprising that the dish has its own holiday, albeit an unofficial one. Although the origin of National Fried Chicken Day is unclear, the celebration is supported by many fast food restaurant chains, such as Church’s Chicken, Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Chicken Delight, Mrs. Winner’s Chicken & Biscuits, and, of course, KFC. They usually offer promotions on the occasion.

In 2018, the event spread outside the United States when KFC Australia offered customers the chance to win a supply of free fried chicken (100$ worth of products weekly) for a year by explaining why they should be the winner in a comment on the KFC Australia official Facebook page. The lucky winner was a teenager who got KFC’s logo tattooed on her foot.

To celebrate National Fried Chicken Day, go out to your favorite fast food restaurant or make fried chicken at home and share them with your family and friends.