The first food festival of 2022 is here! Winnipeg Fried Chicken Fest will return for a fifth year in a row! The 2022 festival will run from January 13 – 22. Here are photos from some of the participating restaurants…
The ultimate competition will find the best (and most unique) fried chicken in the city.
1 Rae’s Bistro
The 15 Star General
A 7oz. fresh chicken breast marinated in our secret 15 herbs and spices buttermilk, hand breaded and golden fried, topped with two strips of thick cut maple bacon and smoked white cheddar, all on a toasted pretzel bun with butter lettuce, tomato, red onion and creamy chipotle mayo, served with our signature skinny fries.
2 Four Crowns Restaurant
Ghost Pepper Chicken & Waffles
We bring the heat of the Ghost Pepper and mix it with Maple syrup on a Belgian waffle, wow! Homemade seasoned and battered chicken breast dipped in a homemade hot sauce! Caution: Contents may be HOT!
3 Velvet Glove Restaurant
Portage & Main Chicken & Waffle
Applewood Smoked Buttermilk Fried Chicken Thigh
Butter Basted Sugar Waffle, Bacon Rasher, Honey Hot Drizzle
Frazzled Leek
Pair with:
Side Hustle: Truffle Mac n Cheese Bake or Side Artisan Green Salad with Garden Crudité, Balsamic Dressing; Baby Creamer Potato Salad Bacon & Mustard Remoulade
Sweet Potato Fries or English Cut with Chipotle Aioli
4 St. James Burger & Chip Co.
The Island Boy
This burger is not JUST an island boy! A crispy battered chicken breast is tossed in our made-in-house Caribbean jerk sauce and set atop a tangy bed of Jamaican coleslaw. Next, we add a melted slice of Bothwell Jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese, a strip of thick cut bacon, and a slice grilled pineapple, with a drizzle of cilantro lime yogurt sauce, all on our branded Gunn’s Bakery Brioche bun. Try not to stare at the sun too long with this one.
$1 from every Island Boy Jerk Chicken Burger goes to End Homelessness Winnipeg
5 Brazen Hall Kitchen & Brewery
Jang Jang Wings
Our Korean Wings featuring both jangs poppin’ with chili, ginger, honey, coconut and slammed with cilantro oil and charred cocoa.
In house option only – Throw some buns on it and enjoy the hand held!
2nd place in Fried Chicken Fest 2020
6 Smitty’s Pembina South
Von Slicks Roasted Red Pepper Parmesan Chicken Wings
A dozen of our fresh, never frozen chicken wings, hand breaded and fried to perfection! Tossed in Vons Slicks roasted red pepper butter and topped with Parmesan cheese.
7 Roo’s
The Dill-icious Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Crispy chicken breast with Gouda, cucumber, tomato, red onion, lettuce and dill tzatziki on a brioche bun.
8 Capital Grill Broadway & Capital Grill Roblin
The Henny Sandwich
Crispy buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, honey hot sauce white queso, homemade bread and butter pickles, slaw, and fried red onions.
9 Promenade Cafe And Wine
Maple Benny Chicken Sandwich
Maple-glazed fried Granny’s chicken with bacon jam and Hollandaise on a brioche bun with garlic fries.
10 Charlee’s Restaurant
CRK ( chicken, rice & ketchup) Burger
Panko-breaded rice bun. Deboned chicken thigh. Smothered in our housemade banana BBQ ketchup. Topped with our housemade pickled cucumbers, a fried egg, bacon, and cheese.
11 Roughage Eatery
My Big Fried Chickun Feta Burger!
Our vegan take on a Greek-inspired chicken burger. On a kaiser bun we add garlic sauce, our hand-made Chickun patty that’s panko-crusted then pan-fried. Then we layer on tomato slices, cucumbers, red onions, our almond feta, black olives, lettuce and top it all off with a housemade Tatziki sauce.
12 Local Public Eatery
Classy Clucker
What came first, the chicken or the egg? Who cares! All we know is this sandwich will have you doing the chicken dance all night long. Signature crispy fried chicken, bacon, house aioli, pickled jalapenos, and our housemade queso served with fries on a sesame seed bun.
13 Joey Polo Park & Kenaston
The Smokey Sweet and Spicy
Housemade smoked honey hot sauce, brioche bun, crunchy pickles, with a dill-dressed coleslaw and just enough mayo.
*NEW TO FRIED CHICKEN FEST THIS YEAR*
14 Fionn’s Grant Park
The HiNote of My Day
Mongolian fried chicken, Russian dressing, pickled broccoli stems, red chili oil, green beans, and red peppers on a Gunn’s Bakery Ciabatta bun.
15 Fionn Maccool’s Crossroads
Pepper Corn Ranch Friend Chicken Burger
Double-stacked fried chicken burger with 2 chicken breasts, 4 strips of chili-candied bacon, 2 slices of Sriracha Lime- seasoned Provolone, arugula and spinach blend, and peppercorn ranch.
16 Shark Club
SaméTori
A Shark Club take on a Japanese classic, Chicken Kara-age. Kara-age style battered chicken breast, tossed in Shark Spice, served in a bun with pickled onions, tomato, lettuce, crispy noodles, with Jalapeño Havarti and Bossam Aioli.
17 The Tallest Poppy
The Devil and the Deep Blue Cheese
Gochujang-dipped fried chicken smothered in blue cheese crema, pickled apple slaw, and sesame garlic aioli on a potato bun.
18 Block And Blade
The Ultimate Mother Clucker
Six deep fried chicken balls stuffed three ways: Apple and Brie, Broccoli and Cheddar, and Pesto Parmesan topped with a cream sauce, maple-flavoured aioli and green onions, served in a waffle cone bowl.
19 Nicolino’s Cucina Italiana
The Carluzzo
Buttermilk-brined deep fried chicken breast on our homemade bun with a housemade roasted red pepper jam and a calabrese-spiced mayo. Topped with Provolone cheese, arugula, calabrese sausage, banana peppers and pineapple.
20 The Merchant Kitchen
Frambuesa Picante
Brown butter toasted serrano provolone scone, chipotle dusted fried chicken breast, pickled red cabbage, carrots, fresh dill, and raspberry honey.
21 James Ave. Pumphouse Food & Drink
Orange Chicken French Toast
Buttermilk fried chicken with a spiced orange syrup , condensed milk French toast , and garnished with orange segments, feta, pickled onions, mint and chili flakes.
*NEW TO FRIED CHICKEN FEST THIS YEAR*
22 Tommy’s Pizzeria
Mamma Mia!
Tommy’s signature crust with a gravy base and topped with Galbani mozzarella, cheddar, fried chicken, then dotted with mashed potatoes, corn, spicy honey, and even more gravy!
23 Yard Burger
The Shogun
Katsu chicken, sesame, nori, pork belly, kewpie mayo, togarashi hot sauce, lettuce, tobiko, and avocado, on a toasted potato bun.
24 Cibo Waterfront Cafe
Arrabiata Chicken Sandwich
Garlic Parmesan Fried Chicken with a spicy arrabiata and pesto aioli topped with a smoked Provolone and hot capiccola, pickled fennel, and arugula.
*NEW TO FRIED CHICKEN FEST THIS YEAR *
25 One Great City Brewing Company
Chicken Karaage
Japanese style fried chicken, ponzu dipping sauce, umami aioli, green onion, and nori.
26 Little Goat Food & Drink
Which came first, the chicken or the devil?
Devilled egg with fried chicken, sambal honey, lemon ginger cream, crunchy spicy sprinkles, jalapeno cheddar popcorn.
27 Smitty’s Pembina & Grant
Mexi-Wings
Twelve (12) of our famous fresh, never frozen Chicken Wings, hand-breaded and then fried to golden perfection. Tossed in a homemade taco seasoning, drizzled with sour cream and topped with green onions. Serve with queso for dipping!
28 Sea Level 100
Yoshi
Japanese-style fried chicken with zesty ginger coleslaw, sushi rice, and Chef D’s sweet sauce in a delicious nori taco shell.
29 Crspy Bnch
Crspy ChicFredo
Fried chicken meets an Italian classic! We smashed together two of our favourite things: fried chicken and fettuccine alfredo! We know we sparked your curiosity on this one, so here’s how we did it!
Let’s start with fettuccine pasta in a creamy alfredo sauce, topped with bacon crumbles, grated parmesan cheese and herbs, all stuffed in a savoury panko-fried chicken taco shell with a garlic parmesan swiss stick.
Bring a napkin or two… you’re going to need all hands on deck for this one. Bon appetit!
*2nd place in Fried Chicken Fest 2021*
30 Smitty’s Regent
Kicken Chicken Sandwich
A double-coated and deep-fried crunchy chicken burger tossed in our house-made hot sauce and topped with a chipotle aioli sauce, pickles and red onions, on a Brioche bun.
31 Wienerpeg
The Pickle Rancher
Fried pickle-brined MB chicken thigh, local milk bun, housemade Manitoba Cool Breeze pickles, capers, and housemade dill ranch.
32 Kyu Snack Box
Buttery-Tangy-Spicy Chicken Box
Crispy Breaded Chicken coated in our BTS Hot Sauce. Served with Jasmine Rice, paired with Sweet Soy Roasted Potatoes & Spicy Kimchi Cucumbers.
33 1928 Eatery & Pub
Poblano Escobar Spicy Chicken Burger
Hand-tossed breaded chicken breast with our five-pepper hot sauce blends together poblano, scotch bonnet, jalapeño, Thai & Korean chilis to bring the heat. Creamy garlic aioli spread, sweet beet cabbage & pickles to top it off between a kaiser bun.
34 Kyu Bistro
Fried-Chicken Panko Bites & Japanese Curry
Crunchy, panko-breaded chicken tossed in spicy shichimi spices. Served with velvety Japanese curry and rice.
35 The Wood Tavern
Wood Tavern Crunch
Crispy buttermilk fried chicken, habanero aioli, pickled butternut squash, lettuce, tomato on a grilled brioche bun.
36 Junction 59 Roadhouse
Classic Monte Cristo Sandwich
Their famous fried chicken, tossed in a sassy Sambal syrup, then wedged in between 2 slices of egg-dipped Winnipeg-famous City Bread with smokey bacon , provolone cheese and a creamy white sauce, served with house-cut fries.
37 Cocoabeans Gluten Free: Bakeshop, Cafe & Restaurant
Oishii Fried Chicken
Marinated and breaded boneless chicken thighs on a bed of sticky rice, covered in a house sweet chili sauce. Served with pickled vegetables and garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.
38 Underdogs
Honey Boo Boo
Nashville buttermilk chicken, dipped in buttery roasted garlic hot sauce and dusted with UD house seasoning. Topped with a heaping scoop of honey butter with fresh dill. Served on a soft, toasted brioche bun. You always gotta be on your A game!
39 Juneberry
Thai Fried Chicken Sandwich
Thai-marinated, tempura battered fried chicken thigh tossed in a sweet orange sauce, with green papaya salad, cashews, aioli, jalapeño and Thai basil.
40 Magic Bird Fried Chicken
The Nando Calrissian
A crispy chicken breast tossed in piri piri sauce, topped with tomato chutney, lettuce, red onion, and cucumber on a Portuguese sandwich roll.