What do you get when you order your favorite chicken box?
I’m getting the classic: Four wings fried “hard” (extra crispy) and western fries with salt, pepper, ketchup and hot sauce all over. For most Baltimoreans, that order might as well be said as one word (like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious).
The chicken box in Baltimore dates back at least to the 1930s, when they appeared in local newspaper advertisements, including a $1 box with two whole fried spring chickens and a loaf of bread, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Here are some of the best places in town changing up the chicken box or simply staying traditional.
Connie’s Chicken and Waffles
Connies Chicken and Waffles is a Black family-owned business known for its sweet variety of waffles and savory shrimp.
Connie’s offers two- or three-piece chicken boxes with seasoned fries as well as six-piece bone-in wings in flavors like mango habanero and garlic parmesan.
So, if you aren’t one for tenders, you can still get your fix!
Locations: Lexington Market, Broadway Market
Prices: (2pc) $12; (3pc) $15; (5pc) $23
The Spot
At the back of what looks like a normal corner store on St. Paul, The Spot is a carryout in disguise with a New York-style bodega feel. Their chicken box can be either a four- or six-piece served with fries.
The Spot also has a list of flavors for their bone-in and boneless jumbo party wings, ranging from classics like honey lemon pepper and mumbo to atomic hot and Thai chili.
Locations: 1101 St. Paul St.
Prices: (4pc) $7.99; (6pc) $11.99
BRD
At R. House and in Federal Hill they’re doing the chicken box slightly different, with crispy breast tenders, sandwiches, wings and “old school hospitality.”
BRD could be the new go-to chicken box for chicken tender lovers with their BRD Box tender meal that comes with spicy or mild crispy chicken tenders, seasoned fries, garlic bread and pickles.
They also offer bone-in wings by the pound for any chicken box purist looking to make a BRD Box of their own.
BRD experiments with different sauces like their tangy white barbeque or hot honey Old Bay for dipping (they also have the classic ketchup and hot sauce).
Locations: R. House and 1104 S. Charles St.
Prices: (BRD Box or Bone-in) $14.99
Hip Hop Fish & Chicken
Best known for their “crack” seasoning, Hip Hop has been a go-to chicken box spot for years.
With more than three locations in the city and several in the surrounding counties, Hip Hop’s six wing combo is served classically with three wings, three legs, fries, slaw and a slice of bread.
Hip Hop also offers chicken tenders, catfish, or a combination of chicken and fish, with fries so you can still have the chicken box experience.
Locations: 901 N. Caroline St. and 848 N. Eutaw St.
Prices: (6pc) $11.99; (10pc) $16.36