I stopped by Lettie's with my mom yesterday for a late lunch before heading up to PA to visit…read moreLongwood Gardens. I'd had Lettie's bookmarked for at least six months, and recently saw that they won Best of DE Editor's Choice for fried chicken. In light of my not-so-secret love of Southern/soul food and fried chicken in particular, I knew that I needed to check Lettie's out, esp. after seeing the tantalizing photos on Yelp.
Per other Yelpers' advice, I called in my order en route 20 min. ahead of time, which worked out perfectly for us. Upon arrival, I gave them my name for the chicken, and we ordered sides of potato salad and mac and cheese, as well as freshly brewed iced tea to drink (note: they only brew unsweet iced tea). After ordering, we took a seat on the wraparound porch, and they brought the food out to us in less than 5 min.
From my first bite into a drumstick, it was clear that this was the best fried chicken I'd ever put in my mouth. The skin was perfectly crisp, with the perfect amount of breading to give it a satisfying crunch, and the meat was tender and oozing with moistness. My mom told me that this chicken was the closest she'd ever had to my great grandmother's fried chicken from Arkansas, and was "real Southern fried chicken." For my part, I can say that it's better than the fried chicken I had at several well-known Southern restaurants in Atlanta, as well as any fried chicken I've had to date in Pittsburgh. As difficult as it is for me to admit, it's even better than my own fried chicken! My only minor criticism is that the breading was a bit salty for my taste--but even so, its texture was so perfect that I can overlook it.
As for the sides, both of them were clearly homemade, and were very good. The mac and cheese was made with a sauce that tasted like sharp white cheddar was used, and was on the creamier side of the spectrum. I don't even really like potato salad (I find it very bland), but I tried some and thought it was decent, which is high praise from me. It had small pieces of dill pickle, celery, and hard boiled egg mixed in, giving it some nice flavor and crunch.
Needless to say, my mom and I were extremely impressed at the quality of the fried chicken from Lettie's. Although the chicken is technically broasted, since it's cooked in a pressure cooker instead of deep fried, it's difficult to tell that it's not fried--the only difference is that it's slightly less greasy on the outside. My only regret is that I forgot to order dessert, since I would have loved to try the key lime pie and my mom would have liked to try the chocolate cake, both of which I'm certain must be excellent based on the quality of everything else that we tried. If you appreciate good fried chicken and home cooking, Lettie's is a must-try--you certainly won't regret discovering this hidden gem in Hockessin!
