Fried chicken, plain and simple, indulgent comfort food. Lots of places have it on their menu, but head to Hattie’s [45 Phila St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866] for something extraordinary. Hattie’s specializes in Louisiana cuisine, and definitely gives out an awesome NOLA ambiance.
We loved sitting in the open air courtyard gobbling up sweet and savory cornbread and biscuits.
This restaurant has been open since 1938, and it has used the same fried chicken recipe since then. If you’re a food network addict like I am you’ll have even more of an incentive to visit, this recipe beat Bobby Flay in a throw down. The chicken comes with two sides and the quintessential trio is mashed potatoes and collared greens. The meal came out in a flash, shockingly fast! This was a good thing too because boy, were we hungry.
The crust on the chicken was crispy without being oily, lightly seasoned. The meat inside was tender, and fell right off the bone. Nothing pretentious here, just perfectly executed fried chicken. The kind you dream of. The mashed were warm and great, the collards were my first. I was surprised and intrigued by their tangy vinegar taste, and found myself going back for more. As hungry as I could ever be, and as delicious as this was, I don’t believe I could eat this whole portion in one sitting…it’s enough to choke a horse! The leftovers make an excellent meal the next day. Next time I visit it’ll be hard to pull myself away from the chicken, but I’d be curious to try their jambalaya or catfish. If you find yourself craving chicken near the Wilton Plaza [3057 Rt 50 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866], head to Hattie’s Chicken Shack where you’ll find a more relaxed setting.