Fried Chicken At Chick 'n Friends -- The Gateway Drug To Get You Into The New Family Market

Fried chicken from Chick 'n Friends

I'm still percolating thoughts about the new Family Market in Columbia, but there is no question that it's a spectacular addition if you want to cook vegetables, fish, Asian or Latin cuisines.

My first pitch to visit is a straight-up bribe:  If you try the new supermarket in the Long Reach village center, you can get fried chicken before you shop.

The Chick n' Friends takeout is a perfect spot for a good weather snack.  Order fried chicken, maybe some sides, maybe a piece of pie.  Then eat on a bench, tearing off pipping hot meat and crunchy crust as you enjoy.  I ate dinner last week before shopping for groceries, and it's just a delicious treat.  Hot, crisp outside with moist meat cooked perfectly.

I don't fry chicken at home.  I don't slice sushi.  I don't smoke meats.  These are skills and equipment that might seem simple, but they take real talent to turn basic chicken and batter into a dinner gives all the flavor with just enough oil.  That's real fried food, but not greasy.  Definitely worth a summer night or a weekend lunch -- or even a weekday lunch if you work anywhere near Rte 175.

For me, the breast is the best piece for Chick n' Friends.  The bone-in piece stays moist, and there is enough meat that I get some fried crust without being overwhelmed with fried taste in every bite.  This contrasts with Tian Chinese Cuisine where I prefer to order Korean fried chicken as wings.

Chick N' Friends
Long Reach Village Center
8775 Cloudleap Court
Columbia, Maryland 21045

NEAR: This is in the Long Reach Village Center in central Columbia. Chick N' Friends faces the central courtyard, so you can't see it from the parking lot. Easy access off Rte 175 -- just go north on Tamar Drive and look for the village center on the right. Or from Snowden River Parkway -- just go west on Tamar Drive and look for the village center on the left.  Or from Dobbin Road -- turn north (away from Target) onto Old Dobbin Road and then turn left on Tamar after you pass the high school.

Trolling: Victoria's Lobster Grilled Cheese, Fried Chicken And Sides, And The Crab Cake Sushi Roll

Regular commentator Sarah joins the "trolling" series with a list of guilty pleasures.  She is a recent transplant to Columbia and Howard County, but native to Maryland.  Her fiance works in Greenbelt.  She works in Baltimore.  Her guilty pleasures are written short and sweet -- although they tend towards fried and cheesy in real life:

The lobster grilled cheese at Victoria Gastropub in Columbia.  Get it with the duck-fat fries.  Your arteries will curse you, but, man, this is a lovely sandwich.  Fries are vegetables, right?

A four-piece chicken dinner with mac & cheese and candied yams at Chick N' Friends in Columbia.  You don't need all that food.  But it is SO good.  Go ahead and finish off with the sweet potato pie.  You had a rough day.

The crab cake sushi roll at Niko Japanese Restaurant in Ellicott City.  You heard that right.  Yes, it's deep fried.  No, it's no authentic.  Make sure you go during the lunch buffet.

Trolling on Tuesday is my attempt at a series where readers would share three things with other HowChow readers -- favorite restaurant dishes, food to buy, food experiences, etc.  Click here for the explanation and the rules.  Click here for all the Trolling posts.  Anyone is allowed to submit.  

Link: Chick N' Friends in the WPost

Chick N' Friends got a positive write-up in Wednesday's Washington Post.  The Columbia takeout spot does fried chicken and fish, and I wouldn't leave without a sweet potato pie with one of the chicken meals.

Chick N' Friends in Columbia

Fried chicken requires a Goldilocks touch -- too greasy and it's fast food, but doctored too close to healthly and you might as well buy something off a rotisserie.

Chick N' Friends takeout in Columbia serves up delicious chicken -- moist and full of flavor, not just the taste of crust.  To me, the difference is that they cook in batches.  Mrs. HowChow and I waited 10 minutes for our order, and we sat on a bench outside with chicken so hot that we had to pull it apart with forks.

Normally, I'm a skinless chicken guy sauteing with a little Pam.  But it's a guilty pleasure to crunch through fried chicken so I'll drive a little extra to the Long Reach Village Center.  I can't coat my kitchen with oil, and I always wonder about the boxes sitting under the heat in the supermarket deli or KFC.  I'll go back to Chick N' Friends, especially for the white meat.  The breasts were so moist, and the large pieces of meat balanced well with the crispy skin.  (Not that I didn't nibble every piece of meat and skin from the wing as well!)

At its best, Chick N' Friends tastes like home cooking in the best possible way.  The corn bread muffin was moist and tasted like corn.  The collard greens were tender without much seasoning.  And the sweet potato pie was superb.  Lightly sweet with a smooth texture, but the taste of something hand made.  The crust was firm, and, even where it was slightly burnt, that made the pie taste like something that I'd gotten from a friend.  

Chick N' Friends roasts chicken if you want a heart-healthy option.  It also fries several types of fish, and there are waffles available all day.  Next time, I'm going to try the chicken and waffles - or maybe the wings.  Recognize this is a takeout place, but, in good weather, you can sit on the benches around Long Reach's flower-filled courtyard.

Can anyone else recommend fried chicken in Howard County?  Have you had the Korean fried chicken at H Mart?

In some ways, Chick N' Friends reminds me of Maiwand Kabob, although it isn't as large and doesn't have seats.  But it is one of those little places in a village center that you might never know about if you didn't happen to shop there.

Chick N' Friends

Long Reach Village Center

8775 Cloudleap Court
Columbia, Maryland 21045

http://www.chick-n-friends.com/

NEAR: This is in the Long Reach Village Center in central Columbia. Chick N' Friends faces the central courtyard, so you can't see it from the parking lot. Easy access off Rte 175 -- just go north on Tamar Drive and look for the village center on the right. Or from Snowden River Parkway -- just go west on Tamar Drive and look for the village center on the left.