I have never left the United States before, but after discovering Chicken on the Way, but boy did we go out of our way, eh! We journeyed all the way from San Diego to slobber on this succulent meat. It did not disappoint. Despite the active construction zone, we pressed on and obtained our winged delights. I will 100% come back to try this juicy, fried, quality, hot, fresh, yummy, ooey gooey goodness once more when possible. I 100% recommend this place! read more

Chicken on the Way - My heaven on earth - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Salty chicken. But very crispy. This place is a staple for calgarians. When I was younger I remember the hype of eating here. The place is still very busy and I finally csme to try this place out. The line moved pretty fast despite over a dozen people in line. The chicken was super hot and fresh. Crispy but really salty. I found the fries to be bit soggy even though they were freshly cut potatoes. They could of used a soak prior or even a double fry. The prices seemed very reasonable and affordable and I think thats why it was so busy. I feel like if you're in calgary you gotta try this local place. It is very good but I just like my chicken to have some sort of sauce on it. read more

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I had a bad experience with these guys before, but wanted to give them a second chance. We ordered 10 pieces of chicken. (Two 'hungry man' dinners.) Ordered through doordash. They gave me six small wings. And this is the second consecutive orders that had the identical issue. Doordash was no help, but not included as part of this review. What a fall from grace. They used to be so good. Been going here for decades. Chicken on the Way can do better. read more

Great tasting chicken awesome fritters friendly staff at Kensington definitely be ordering again

Still the best fried chicken and fritters. Fries could improve but overall great value!

The worst French fries I have ever seen in my life, you can't even give this to an animal. How do you not get fries right??? And how do you think serving a paid customer this atrocity is ok???? I wish I opened this box of abomination before I got home. Looked like they had refried this rubbish over and over again and then served it. This is soooo wrong, I am utterly disgusted by this place and would never visit. I should have seen all the red flags, the kitchen was visible and it was obviously dirty, one of the workers wore a shirt filled with grime, you could tell that shirt hadn't been washed in weeks. This place needs to be inspected for food handling, health and safety !!!!!! read more

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This location has been around calgary for a long time! Quick service and fresh! I find kfc greasy, so I prefer my fried chicken here. Support local! read more

Chicken on the Way - 4 piece special, with 2 rolls and fries - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Closed 10min early on me. As I pulled up the girl in photo ran to door and locked it on me. closing 10min early is BS. pulled up at 7:50pm when doors were locked on me. Time I was done knocking on window, talking to her, Getting back to my vehicle, singing into yelp, writing a review & photo clock was 7:56pm. read more

Fried chicken that's delicious, it's in a small hole in the wall kinda good but they have the goods. If you want a sinfully delicious treat check it out. read more

Chicken on the Way - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Terrible. Chicken drumsticks are a measly 3" long. Those aren't chicken drumsticks...maybe from a Cornish Hen but not a chicken. What a joke. Won't return and encourage all to avoid this location. There are better options available for fried chicken where you get what you pay for. read more

Chicken on the Way - a person holding a measuring tape - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

My heart truly breaks as I write this, a sentence I never wanted to utter... Chicken on the Way has changed - and inevitably, destroyed - their gravy. What was once a delectable, salty, savory boost to the well-loved fritters, now just despairingly resembles the congealed remnants of wiping off your stove top. I must applaud them (or their vendor) for somehow mystically nailing the seemingly-impossible task of making a sauce taste both greasy *AND* dusty, yet here we are. I'll always return for your fritters, COTW, but you've permanently scarred the enjoyment with your dust-grease-dip. read more

Did chicken on the way change their recipe?? I've been coming here for years and this is the first time I've been disappointed, the batter was different it was like they used the fish batter, and the fritters were burn. Not sure I'll be ordering from here agai. read more

Good food when you're in the mood for chicken! They are always really quick and definitely live up to the name.

My friend totally got me hooked on Chicken On The Way. I'm not actually a huge fan of their chicken; I think the flavour is just okay, but nothing special. Other people must really like it though, because there is a huge lineup every time I come here. What keeps me stopping by here every time I visit Calgary is their corn fritters. These are so delicious. They are deep fried and have just a hint of sweetness. They taste great by themselves, but even better dipped in their delicious gravy. They are really cheap too. I think last time we got nine of them, and I know it cost under five bucks. This is not healthy at all, but as a treat, it's more than satisfying. Last time I was here, I noticed a giant chicken statue outside. I think it's rather new, because I am not sure how I could have missed that before. Anyways, the next day it snowed, and when we drove by, the chicken was bright pink!! It changes colour with temperature. How cool is that? read more

Chicken on the Way - Chicken On The Way's colour-changing chicken! - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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The Kensington kings of fried chicken for over 50 years! Driving home hungry, I see the bright yellow sign on the corner of 14th St and Kensington proudly displaying in crooked lettering "5 pce Hungry Man Dinner $10!" Try as I might, I couldn't find a suitable argument to counter the suggestion. Ok Chicken on the Way, you win this round, it's gonna be a stuff my face with fried chicken kind of evening! You open to door and the pleasant smell of chicken and deep-fryer hits your nostrils. Next, you suppress your inner child's desire to make yellow and red box-forts out of the massive walls of to-go boxes surrounding the counter. The person at the till asks you what you would like and if your answer is "Chicken", ooooh boy! You are in luck! The menu consists of chicken, corn fritters and fries. Just pick the quantity of each that'll satisfy and you're in business! After that, all you gotta do is control your excitement until you get to your final destination, take that yellow and red box out of brown paper it's carefully wrapped in and enjoy your delicious meal of deep fried foods spanning a whole rainbow of the brown to beige colour spectrum. Pro tips: The chicken piece sizes vary a huge amount and can be pretty inconsistant. The money piece is the chicken breast! Tonight, this thing was a good quarter chicken, it was fantastic. But another piece was a junky little wing that would have been disappointing even by neighbourhood pub wing night standards. Because of this, you don't really get that much more chicken when you go from a 3-piece to a 4 or 5-piece meal. I've never seen it on any menus, but they have containers of honey for 25 cents. Get one to dip you corn fritters in! Do it! It brings these delectable little dough balls right to life! I never really cared for them before, but I found the honey, and I'm now a fan of the fritter! I saw a sign saying they now have chicken strips for $1.75. I haven't tried them yet. Let me know how they go! read more

I was in the Kensington neighbourhood and came by based on the several raving reviews. I ordered the snack pack which comes with 2 pieces of fried chicken, a side (I chose fries) and a corn critter. This could by far be the worst fried chicken I've ever tasted. Even the fries and corn fritter were bad. Everything was greasy and soggy with strong reused oil taste. Not sure if it's a one off but I'm sure I won't be coming back. read more

Chicken on the Way - a box of food - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Listen to the reviews: Get the corn fritters. Delicious. Fresh and hot and crispy on the outside. And beware of the bland chicken. It's really bland. Even though the crust is good and the chicken is totally fresh and hot. Might want to go home and open up a few bottles of dipping sauces! Service is excellent. Super duper friendly staff, super helpful too. The chicken really isn't my style. I'm more a PopEyes kinda gal. But hey, to each their own. read more

I went in to the Kensington location @3pm on April 26th 2023. I ordered three chicken strips and three corn fritters. The elderly woman who was servicing me openly coughed in my bag of corn fritters right in front of me and then calls me a liar when confronted about it. Management claims to have seen nothing on camera which is an outright lie. Will never step foot in this location ever again and will definitely be spreading the word how disgusting this location is. Employees with COPD should be wearing masks when working with food. read more

Best value for your money in Calgary! I highly recommend this outlet. The chicken is delicious and the pieces are larger than any you will get at any other fast food chicken outlet. I am not a fan of fritters so they accommodate my request for a few additional fries. They are very good at accommodations for customers within reason. It's very popular but worth the wait. They have other items besides chicken and fries. Fish and Chips and Shrimp dinners. Had the former was good. Plenty of parking. Even with lineups their pretty fast. Like the fact they will wrap your boxed order to keep it warm. Try it and make up your own mind. You won't be disappointed. read more

Greasy but quite delicious. You do get a fair amount of chicken for $ paid. Great parking and location on the commute home.

There are actually plenty of good things going on here -- the service was friendly and fast, the price was right, and I enjoyed the fries quite a lot. But none of that made up for the chicken, which I found a bit bland and too crispy. I'm glad that this place is around and that a lot of people love it, but the two star Yelp text of "Meh. I've experienced better" really fits for me. read more

Chicken on the Way - Snack pack (two pieces of chicken, corn fritter, fries) - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Always a favourite. They have been cooking tasty chicken for a very long time & are pretty good at it. Thank you Chicken on the way!

Went to the Mackenzie Town yesterday at 6 pm and bought 26 pieces of chicken and a whack of fritters. It's too bad you can't see the food before they shove it in the box. When I got home the chicken was dark, very dry and some of the pieces were so small they weren't really there. I think I got the chicken that was put in the warmer around lunch time. The corn fritters were small and rubbery. Had we not lived over 20 minutes away I would have returned and dumped the chicken on their counter. I have been supporting the franchise since the 60s but will be very cautious if I ever go back. I would ask for fresh chicken. Wasted $42.00 read more

If grease was a place, chicken on the way would win. Everything is greasy. It's not the best chicken but still edible. I mean for the price you pay, it's not exactly a steal. The reason this has a whopping 2 stars is because of the service. The young adult who worked there had some sass. I mean I'm good with sass, like you do you but the lady at the counter was full on sassy. I ordered and said wait before finalizing my order because I wanted corn fritters but I couldn't see. She rolled her eyes and and gave me a smug look. I also got a drink and she full on said " are you finally done" and rolled her eyes again. I get it I'm annoying but please make it less obvious. The food was GREASY and the fries was soggy and gross. The chicken was pretty good but not as good as other places. I must say that the corn fritter was the highlight. It was yummy and very delicious. I might come back but I think that you should try it and see it yourself because you could have a different experience but expect a greasy visit ( give me a dollar for how much I talked about it being greasy ) read more

I love COTW! Have gone there for yrs. The orig. location in Kensington is a few mins. from my apt. so I drop in frequently. And I've even been known to call (2x) to compliment them on great juicy non-greasy delectable chicken. But today...it was different. I bought the snack pack and when I got home, the chicken was barely luke warm and kinda dry and hard, like maybe it was made a few hrs. earlier. And the corn fritter was so tough and hard, I couldn't eat it. COTW, please, please..take the time to keep your products up to the excellent reputation you've established here in Calgary for so many yrs. I'll be back, but will request my order be prepared fresh. I'm happy to wait. And, sorry to say, as much as I'd love to give COTW 5+ stars, I just can't...not after today's misadventure. read more

It makes me sad when Calgarians don't recognize the gift they have in a classic establishment like Chicken on the Way. Being a "transplant" to this city myself, I remain impressed by Chicken on the Way's classic fried fare. The chicken is juicy and moist, while the skin is pleasantly crispy and flavourful. The fries are decent and the Corn Fritters are absolutely to die for. No joke. If I was thinking about my "last request" meal options, I would strongly consider a side of fritters. As tried and true Calgary institutions go, forget Peter's ... Chicken on the Way is the real deal and they got the track record to prove it. Over 50 years in the running, you can't go wrong. read more

I've lost count of how many times I've been to Chicken on the Way. It's the best fried chicken I think I've ever had. Seriously. I don't know how they do it but it's worth the trip across the city. And their corn fritters are amazing too. It's a tiny little place and when it gets busy, look out. The line will be out the door and the parking lot a hopping. The counter staff is always friendly and you never really have to wait long for your order. They take your order and yell it back to the people doing the cooking. They hand cut all their fries which leaves some of the skins on. Gotta love that. You get a huge helping of fries in your box along with chicken and don't forget to get some extra corn fritters. Yes, it's totally fattening but hey, just don't go eating here every day. Watch out because the chicken will be hot. It's so tender and the coating is crispy and a has nice flavor. When your order is ready, they wrap the box all up in brown paper. It's like a step back in time. It's a total treat all the way around. Chicken on the Way is a Calgary classic. If you haven't tried it, you really should. read more

Chicken on the way is located in the corner of Kensington Road NW, you really can't miss it!! I must admit, I have these weird cravings. I've been craving some crispy greasy chicken alot lately and I've driven past Chicken on the way multiple times but when I first mentioned Chicken on the way to Spence, his response was "Yuck!" So after a while I kept avoiding it and avoiding it, not thinking anything of it. So after 4 years of living in Calgary, I FINALLY gave Chicken on the way a try. I went against Spence's "Yuck" and tried it one night after a yoga class at Beyond yoga. It wasn't far but I did go out OUT OF THE WAY to try Chicken on the way! (haha) It was about 9:45PM and I was the only one in the parking lot. When I walked in, I was winded by the smell of greasy goodness. After reading other reviews, I went with the 2 piece chicken with fries and a corn frit to go. It was ready RIGHT AWAY!! I paid $6.50 and walked right out ... it was pretty fast! I set the bag on my passenger seat, and started driving. As I drove, I really couldn't help myself, so I reached over AT A RED LIGHT (no distracted driver for me :P) and grabbed some fries. MMMM MMMM, nice hot crispy fries with skin on them and just enough salt! When I got home, I dug into the bag, took the small yellow box out and went in for the chicken. MMM AHHH, so delicious!! The skin on the chicken was extra crispy..just the way I like it, the meat was juicy, the fries were still nice and hot, and the corn frit was tasty! The corn frit was a little dry, but still hot with a slight crisp. I took a bite and you can see pieces of corn inside. It was good, but nothing to rave about though. I'm sure the freshest ones are the best. The chicken and fries were the main event! I'd say, it's worth going out of your way to stop at chicken on the way!! :) read more

i love fried chicken, and i love COTW. It's a dirty, late night secret kinda place- like i want to order some chicken and eat it alone in the dark so I don't have to share, or be embarrassed that I ate like, half a chicken just now... It is crispy, and always juicy inside (not greasy, juicy and moist!) The pieces are bigger than other chains- especially the breast which is actually a whole chicken breast. The seasoning, as far as I can tell, is just a lot of salt. I'm ok with that, because seriously the skin is so crispy and delicious... man I want some now... I like that the owner seems to hate his life, but still shows up to dunk endless birds into the grease. I see they have opened up 2 other locations, and that makes me happy too. It's a family run place since it opened, which I also like to support. The only downside is eating way too much and feeling like a salt mummy the next day, but worth it every time! read more

Really disappointed with the food I got here. Airdrie location got me switched in to the flavor, but here the oil was old, so the fried cornbread was awful and I just tossed the chicken and had a few fries before grabbing a burger at a drive through. Pretty bad when food tastes that terrible when you're hungry. read more

This was NOT my meal but I tried this beautiful 3 piece meal, every part of it - fried chicken, fries and coleslaw, not to mention a little fritter that was thrown in. I try to watch what I eat and fried chicken is not my thing but it is M's thing so in we went and he zipped through the line inside this funky take-out chicken place while I waited in the car. Fast service and he said his 3 piece meal cost him $8. Impressive for Calgary standards! This was our first time trying this place out. BETTER than KFC, in our opinion. The chicken was fresh, we got 3 different pieces which is nice. The fries - I noted some people thought they were soggy on some reviews here - wow, we like them that way and they were seasoned perfectly! The fritter was deelish. I could have eaten a lot of those.The coleslaw was good too, and usually I am not a fan. Overall, just a good meal for those who like fried chicken and deserve a treat now and then! I loved how they wrap each box with care, like a gift! I was asked to rate this a 5 star by M, and I would have to agree. I was trying to focus on my own Vietnamese meal but it was difficult. Man, that chicken skin was sinfully good! We shall return! read more

A Calgary classic. There is just something about this place, it seems to come pre-ordained with nostalgic feelings of warm summer days and memories of gatherings with family and friends. And the "cock" related jokes never seem to get old. Take away from chicken on the way is ideal for picnics and back yard gatherings.The eats are good, and you can beat local farm fresh chicken - which makes this place leaps and bounds beyond the rest. People love the corn fritters, they are good but for me it's all about the fried chicken. The staff here have the process down to an art and can seem to handle the longest lines in record time - and the eats are always fresh. Keeping it simple is key at chicken on the way and it's no wonder this place is a Calgary landmark. read more

So.... What's the hype? Over salty and overcooked fried chicken? My chicken was not that good at all.... Where are the spices? Smallest drumstick in the world too, what gives? I did enjoy the gravy and corn fritter but that's kind of sad when I enjoyed those more than the chicken. Fries? Oily and soggy. Unless this was a one off experience I don't see how anyone can enjoy this chicken if you've had truly great fried chicken before. I would head over to olive chicken or even Popeye's any day over this. Oh well. read more

Chicken on the Way - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Yes. Time for the Yardbird suite. Try to go when it's busy. Most defintely fresh times! Great yardbird, top fries -- although it should be noted that a friend of mine notices CoW has been using potatoes with a higher sugar content recently, they black up as a result -- Which I prefer personally. Gravy tastes like chicken gravy. Really good chicken gravy. Well worth the trip. Go with bulk chuck orders w/no sides for you-and-a-few, or try an Our Specialty, or the Hungry Man. Only other fried bird of note in this town is to be found in a few Chinese shops. Chinatown's got some fine fried-up bird. Trust me. Good times will be had if you go to there. read more

I've come to realize that my enjoyment of Chicken-On-The-Way is directly correlated to my level of inebriation - the drunker I am, the more delicious it tastes! That's not a sterling endorsement, I realize, as the person who's judgement improves with intoxication is a rare bird indeed! Chicken-On-The-Way serves up a somewhat greasy, fully cooked bird, fortunately. In the sober, harsh light of the day, I'd have to say it's just "alright". The fries are actually superior to the chicken, in my estimation. As for the corn fritters, well let's just say, if you dig on deep-fried batter balls, you'll positively love them. That being said, this take-out chicken shack is a Calgary tradition, and the food is served up fast and at reasonable prices. The only problem with the place is that they left the last part of their name off - it should be called "Chicken-On-The-Way-Home-After-Getting-Loaded". That kind of truth would certainly bump them up a star! read more

Chicken on the Way - Fast Food Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I f*cking love this place. But warning! This isn't for the healthy eater. Let me tell you why I love COTW alphabetically 1) Corn Fritters - My sweet baby jesus, don't get just one, you'll regret it. 2) French fries - they're brown, they're NOT mushy, they're spectacular 3) Fried chicken - that skin tho 4) GRAVY - it's lighter, it's a chicken gravy, but it GOES ON EVERYTHING. Normally my husband and I will only have COTW when someone dies or we've had like the WORST week, because it's not great for you. But it's so great. How is this possible? Service is fast, and the pricing is actually pretty amazing. They have a deal called the HUNGRYMAN and it's $11 for 5 pieces of chicken, fries and fritters. Their family meal is two sides, 12 pieces of chicken and a MONSTER fries for 30$. So obviously we ordered the latter cause we whales. whether you order from kensington or from McKenzie Towne, each is delicious. I remember COTW in Mac Towne was just outside my gym and I used to leave the gym smelling it and watching to die. So I just stopped going to the gym, problem solved. Anyways, good day or bad day, your day will be better with chicken on the way, so go get sum! read more

Wow! Thats all i can say about chicken-on-the-run Kensington location. They really have got fried chicken down to a science at this place! I come here at least 4 times a week, which isn't that great for my adult onset acne but WHO CARES when the food is this good! To start off i usually get an 8 piece dark meat with 10 corn fritters. This may seem like a lot, but i like to save some leftovers for home, which i stick into the freezer for a few hours and turn into chicken popsicles (my own invention). The kids love to eat my chickensicles on a hot summers day. Now the fried chicken here is absolutely exquisite, i have tried a couple of other chicken on the ways and they just werent quite as good as the kensington location. I spoke to an employee about this and he told me it was because the fryers are never completely cleaned out, only drained and refilled on occasion to keep the wonderful seasoning flavor of many decades of chicken frying. Tremendous! Now the fritters are something else. I know one would think that a side item like fritters should never outdo the bird itself, but these things are incredibly addictive! I used to have quite the sizeable fentanyl addiction, im not proud of it, but i managed to quit after 3 stints in rehab, and i dont mind saying that these fritters are even more addictive than that horrible opiate that stole a few years of my life away. These are to die for. Overall this is one of my favorite places to have a meal at in this city, and if you are a fan of good old fashioned fried chicken then you gotta check this place out. read more

The corn fritters are to die for, and the chicken is great. I love the Hungry Man box. The service is always fast and efficient, and the staff is very friendly. read more

Years and years ago, I once manned a full-blown chicken joint that brought in every manner of person to gobble down the greased chicken pieces. It was really more of a convenience store that sold chicken, but the people went nuts for that shit. It baffled the mind. The slogan I came up with for it was this: "There are hundreds of places to get chicken in this town; this place is one of them". Some of the faithful took exception to that statement one night, but it was true and their arguments had no merit. It WAS one of a hundred places to eat chicken and I'm thinking that motto could be adopted here. The chicken is alright; no more, no less. It's deep-fried chicken the way it was meant to be cooked. But it's not the best in all the land. The corn fritters are literally balls of grease and batter, like the stuff they undoubtedly clean out of the fryers at the end of every night. The gravy is okay, too. I like the limited menu (just chicken, fries and fritters) and their fries are delicious. But understand despite the history, despite that giant bird out front, despite the long line-ups, Chicken On The Way is one of hundreds of places to get chicken in this town. read more

This is a busy place that's always a good sign. The wait to get my food was about 10 mins for fresh batch. The chicken was seemed really dark, like it was over fried crispy and dry. It was way too greasy for my taste. I was little disappointed as I was see so many good reviews. Are they having an off day or is the chicken always fried really crispy? I rate fried chicken that's well fried but golden with great seasoning and juicy on the inside not dry. That's my take on this. I may give it one more try since their are so many good reviews but I hesitate as good Resturant always have consistency. read more