Harold's Chicken Shack: Chicago, IL (Hyde Park)

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I don't have any information about starting a Harold's Chicken.
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Many years ago, a good friend of mine attended the University of Chicago's renowned Graduate School of Animal Husbandry.  Even then, Harold's Chicken was famous in Chicago's south side, particularly for fueling the cogitation of thousands at UChicago.   Harold's has now spread beyond Chicago, but this writer had yet to experience Harold's mystique.  Until now.

Harold's doesn't use a cookie-cutter model for their "shacks," so each one is slightly different.  Above is the neon sign hanging in the window of the 1208 E. 53rd St. location, which is in an unprepossessing smallish strip mall.  The interior is similarly unprepossessing: The tables and seats are mostly typical fast-food design, surfaced with light blue Formica.  There are no accoutrements on the table, but there are a number of soft-drink machines inside; if you don't like the drink selection, you can purchase something from one of the machines. 

The menu above the order station lists chicken (white, dark, and mixed or "regular"), and a couple kinds of fish (perch and catfish).  They also list french fries, chicken gizzards and livers, and a few other items.  When you order your chicken, you'll be asked "Mild or hot?"  My dining companion asked for 1/2 chicken, white and hot; I ordered 1/2 dark and mild.  The drinks one can order are also bottled; I was pleased to see I could get a liter of A&W root beer. 

At this location, the order station is fronted by what looks like about an inch of bulletproof glass or plastic.  A small hole is partially covered by an additional piece of plastic; one talks through this.  Money changes hands via a slide or tray much like one sees at many movie ticket counters.  Food is passed to the diner through a revolving carousel, also made of transparent plastic. 

Our chicken came up in a few minutes -- just enough time for me to duck out and take a picture of the store's neon sign.  This location partially pre-fries their chicken, then finishes it to order, much like how fancy french fries are cooked. (The method of cooking and menus differ between locations.) The meals were wrapped in big paper bags.  My friend asked nervously if we wanted to take this out; I understood, as the lack of amenities and enhanced security did not inspire confidence.  However, in the name of culinary reportage, we decided to stay, and found the one clean table in the restaurant. Incidentally, despite the worries and considerable amount of traffic (we were there at around 7 pm on a Sunday), I was happy. 

Unbagging our meals, we found a large paper carton or boat, each with our four pieces of chicken.  My legs and thighs had been squirted with a thin, reddish fluid; my friend's breasts and wings had a darker, redder sauce.  Atop the chicken was a reasonable portion of french fries, a tiny paper thimble with maybe a half-tablespoon of slaw (perhaps a tasting portion?), and two pieces of white bread.  We each had a packet with a plastic knife and fork, napkin, and salt and pepper.  The cost for this generous pile of food: mine was less than $5, including the liter of A&W -- I think it was something like $4.87.  White meat costs a little more; my friend's meal and beverage cost slightly over $6. 

The bread: it wasn't Wonder Bread, but it was close.  The tasting portion of slaw was finely cut cabbage, flecked with carrot, bound with mayonnaise or salad dressing, and slightly sweet -- the kind of cole slaw one finds throughout the Southern US.  The fries were pretty normal -- not the crispy kind, but they could have been cut from real potatoes.  I had difficulty telling, as I was distracted by the chicken.  The breading looked a little dark for fried chicken, but the first bite confirmed that it wasn't burnt.  In fact, it was excellent: tasty and juicy, but not overflowing with juice or grease.  I intended to plow through all 4 pieces, but with the slaw, fries, bread, and drink, two pieces made a good dinner, leaving me with two pieces to take home.  The sauce is hard to describe: slightly sweet, slightly vinegary, and thin, it had mostly soaked into the chicken.  In my opinion, there was nothing at all wrong with the chicken, save being slightly less salty than I'm accustomed to.  The breading was neither too thick nor too thin, the temperature was fine.  I have no complaints, and lots of praise.  My friend, in defense of his waistline, said he was glad he hadn't found Harold's when he moved to Chicago.  :)  He finished his, and despite the spicier sauce and the four pieces fried, had no gastrointestinal complaints.  He thought the white meat was just slightly dry -- common to white meat -- and said he'd get the dark next time.   

It's hard to capture why this chicken was so good.  Perhaps it was the low expectations, helped along by the somewhat downscale environs. Perhaps it was the very low price.  Perhaps it was the friendly faces seen through the protective partition.  Or perhaps it's the frying medium, reported (in yesterday's Chicago Tribune) to be a mixture of half beef tallow and half vegetable oil.  Maybe it's the sauce: the mild version might be described (and please don't take this in a negative light) as somewhat like what one would get with a sweet-and-sour dish in a Chinese restaurant (unfortunately, I forgot to taste the hot kind).  Or maybe it's just the inherent pleasure of fried chicken. 

Of all the seemingly everyday foods, I think fried chicken is one of the hardest for me to do well at home.  I confess to often buying fried chicken at Bojangle's or Church's.  I can't buy Harold's in Durham -- yet -- but apparently there about 62 locations across the US.  Most are in Chicago, but some are in Detroit and Atlanta, and a new one is to open in St. Louis.  So there's hope.  If you can find a Harold's near you, give it a shot.  Again, there's variability in the restaurants, so your local version might be better or worse than another.  A friend, who first experienced the Hyde Park Harold's, says the one in Atlanta is inferior.  YMMV. 

Links: 

• Google Maps for 1208 E. 53rd Street in Chicago
• Harold's Chicken Shack Wikipedia entry
• "Fried chicken worth clucking over", Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2006 (registration required)
• The Unofficial Harold's Chicken Weblog
• Two Chicago Reader articles on Harold's (PDF)

Edit: Check out "Harold's 6 Piece" on YouTube. 

Comments

[Jack]

For the sake of completeness, I'll comment on the hot sauce since Joe definitely hit all of the high points on this one.

I always worry about hot sauces at any restaurant. I'm not a wimp when it comes to hot, but I am also not one of those "it's never hot enough"-ego freaks. (As an aside, I told Joe a story about dining with a bunch of my friends at a Tibetan restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana -- one of the few Tibetan restaurants in the country, from what I've heard -- and how the party I was with said that they wanted everything SUPER hot and that they wanted it done "chef's challenge"-style. I said that "normal" would be fine for me. Nobody at the meal -- including me -- could finish the dinner because everything had a thick THICK coat of chili pepper powder coating everything. Anyhoo....) The hot sauce was very mild -- little or no burn -- and had a vinegar base to it. It was delicious. However, be warned if you ARE one of those "it's never hot enough"-ego freaks: the hot sauce at Harold's will taste like nothing to you. Then again, as Joe pointed out, results may vary depending on the restaurant...

[Eric J]

The best Fried Chicken I've had recently is Pollo Campero. It's a Central/South American chain that's been expanding in the US recently, in cities with a significant Hispanic population. (Folks from El Salvador visiting home were known to bring back buckets before it was available in the states.)

There are two in Northern Virginia, though none in NC yet. They make some outreach to bring in gringos, but not a lot. Mostly they don't need to.
http://www.pollocampero.com/index_eng_flash.php

If not for the fact that my wife an I have made a promise to talk each other out of ever opening a restaurant, I'd consider looking into franchise options for the Triangle territory.

[Kira]

I generally don't fry chicken either and instead buy it when I crave it. I know what my problem is: I seldom wait until the oil is the right temp, so it's a rare day that my fried chicken is done just right. I'd rather leave it to others. I would have wanted more cole slaw than a thimbleful, though...otherwise, sounds great!

[Joe]

Never heard of Pollo Campero, but I'll look out for it. I've been wanting to try a Pollo Loco, but the one we had in Durham was a faux Pollo Loco, and it sucked (I heard), and it died.

[Joe]

You know, I just realized how one could characterize the sauce on Harold's chicken: a gastrique.

[Monica]

"...Perhaps it was the friendly faces seen through the protective partition."
At Harold's? Really? Friendly? Hm. The Harold's in Hyde Park is among the worst, so if you liked it, swell. But if you want a real Harold's experience, you have to venture into Chicago's sketchier areas.

[Joe]

Monica: Yes, really. :) It was almost jarring: the bulletproof plastic (or whatever) really didn't seem to go with how nice the folks seemed behind it. I didn't get a chance to go to another Harold's: we were on foot for the most part, so we just went to the one that was closest. I could really use a Harold's in Durham though: going to Chicago for chicken is kind of a haul. ;)

[Sabrina Fields]

I am interested in franchising info. Will someone please contact me asap. Thanks

[Joe]

Sabrina, there's no one here who can help you. This is just a private person's blog, with comments from other random people. Sorry.

[PHILIP DANZY]

I WOULD LIKE TO FRANCHISE A HAROLDS CHICKEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE CALL ME AT 773-842-2265

[Joe]

Philip: please read the earlier comments, especially the one where I say I have no association with Harold's. It's the one right above the comment you left.

[Jack]

Yeah, but Joe, *I* want a Harold's Chicken franchise, too! C'mon, Joe, quit holding out. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ;)

[Joe]

Jack, I think that's a great idea. You could be the fucking Romanian Chicken King! Might as well do some Eastern N.C. style barbecue and banana pudding while you're at it. And sweet tea -- do not forget the sweet tea. :)

[Harold Moore]

Harold is my name.
I`m formally of Chicago, as kid in the fifties I lived by the Greenwood store and use to say it was mine.

[Joe]

That's a great story. I wish I'd had a local "Joe's Chicken Shack" when I was growing up.

[Joe B]

I'm disappointed you didn't mention the lottery ticket vendor/movie rental store that exists inside of the Hyde Park Harold's. For me, part of the Harold's ritual includes buying some scratch-offs while I wait, and perhaps some beer at the liquor store next door.

An idea if you ever go back to Harold's: Try asking for hot AND mild. They'll put both sauces on your chicken at no extra charge as long as you don't ask for it on the side, and the sum is definitely greater than the parts. Also, if you like your chicken a little on the burnt side, ask them to fry it hard, like many of the local regulars do. An order of just 3-6 wings is another pleasant option, as is making the "club sandwich" out of the bread, some slaw, a few fries, and a chunk or two of chicken.

Always mop the sauce up with what you've got left over.

[Joe]

I don't think the other store existed at that point -- or was it right at the entrance? There was something odd about the entrance and another business, but I don't think the other place was open. It's been about a year, so I don't remember too well. I do remember the sign outside the place: it was one of the most ridiculous regulatory signs I've ever seem. The "club sandwich" sounds great, but I probably won't be making it back to Harold's anytime soon, unless they put one in Durham. :(

[krystal]

Does anyone have the information regarding franchising a Harolds Chicken? If so please email me at [email protected] with the information.

[Stew]

These franchise inquiries are hilarious. Don't people understand?

[Joe]

Yeah, you'd think people would bother to read the comments. Maybe I'll edit the post. At one point I actually looked around on the www for info, because I was going to post a link, but no dice.

[Joe]

There -- maybe that'll help.

[Pierre Porter]

After reading the previous comments, the only thing that I find hilarious is how so many consumers (mostly black) have inquired about franchising an African American restaurant, and yet those (mostly black people) with the "know how" pretend to not "know how". Something is wrong with this picture. Now, I will be the first to say that knowledge is power. And the gatekeepers to that knowledge will lose their leverage if they shared all that they know. So, ponder on this, Black Gatekeepers (oh, I am black myself). If the Colonel possessed this philosophy, how might we preceive the growth of those (white people) he shared his knowledge with. You see; people aren't trying to take from you gatekeepers. They're trying to grow and prosper with you. And, if those around me prosper, then I have prospered even more than I could have imagined. Think about that when you decide on whether you would like to share your knowledge with me.

Sincerely,

Pierre Porter
630-278-0202

[Joe]

Ya know, IIRC, I even looked around on the Web myself to see if I could find something easy to give people besides (maybe) a phone number. I couldn't. If I had I would have linked to it, and taken down my snarky addition at the top of the page. Oh well. I wish someone would open a Harold's in Durham, with its large black community, and (at least at one time a couple years ago) black mayor, black city manager, black chief of police, and a part-black city council [even if some of them were Republicans and Other Types of Odd Person :) ]. But if all I can garner is something anyone else with a web browser or a phone book can get, then there ain't much point.

Thank god at least one of the KFCs here went out of business. ;) But we do have several Church's and Bojangles', so that will have to do for the moment.

We have only KFC and Harold's in Champaign, IL and I would love to have a Popeye's. Love that Chicken from Popeye's.

You cant be serious!!! If you want to franchise a Harold's-Call the damn store nearest you and ask for the owner and get the fucking corporate number for franchising. Duh!!!! On second thought-if you couldn't figure that shit out on your own-you should hold off on franchising and go get a degree of some sort-I would recommend business!!! Come-on, how do you propose to start a business and you can't even get readily available information! Get a little aggressive and do your homework