PHOTOS: Winnipeg Fried Chicken Fest 2024 Participants

Mr. Croque

Presented by Chef Mark Merano

Our spin off of the croque monsieur! Marinated buttermilk fried chicken in between two slices of cheesy garlic challah, chipotle honey mustard, bacon and a creamy mornay sauce. Finished off with parmesan cheese and that honey drizzle!

Tikka Chance On Me

Presented by Chef Quin Cook

Tikka-spiced fried half chicken with a butternut squash curry. Served with a fresh tomato, red onion and iceberg salad.

Dak and Bap

Presented by Chef Mike Chezick

Fried chicken bites covered in a tantalizing miso-gochujang glaze served with ribbons of pickled vegetables and crispy tortilla pieces on golden fried rice.

Put The Lime In The Coconut, You Fry The Chicken All Up

Presented by Chef Leonard Church

Crispy-fried, 15-herbed buttermilk-marinated chicken breast, two strips of thick cut maple bacon, aged white cheddar, toasted coconut, mango lime coconut cream and tangy Maui Maui sauce all on a toasted pretzel bun accompanied by their signature crispy skinny fries.

Papa Peño Poulet

Presented by Chef Quin Ferguson

Buttermilk-fried chicken with a tangy citrus slaw, topped with house-made pickles and a jalapeno aioli in an exquisite milk bun.

180 Fried Chicken Burger

Presented by Chef Ray Miller

Pressure-fried marinated chicken thigh on a grilled potato bun with jalapeño honey mayo, sliced pickles and coleslaw.

Vezinacluyk

Presented by Chef Vellan Vadivelu

Our future Wall of Fame inductee! House-made biscuit, hand-breaded buttermilk fried chicken breast, whipped hot honey butter, spicy tomato jam, chipotle aioli, bread and butter pickles, candied bacon and sharp cheddar.

Dragon Bites

Presented by Chef Waylon Chartrand

Hand-breaded chicken bites, drizzled with teriyaki, sriracha and mayo. Sprinkled with sesame seeds and green onions.

The Ragin’ Rooster

Presented by Chef Gerald Baker

The Return of The Rooster! Start with a soft brioche bun, lather it with fresh garlic aioli, then a jumbo juicy whole boneless chicken thigh fried crispy with habanero and Mexican-seasoned breading, drizzle on copious amounts of their homemade Not Yo Cheese sauce, melt on some grated 3-cheese, add freshly sliced onions & tomatoes, two strips of maple bacon, crispy fried jalapenos and lots of crispy lettuce. Comes with Straight or Checker Fries. Spice level: 4 bolts

Double Stacked Sweet Southern Heat Sandwich

Presented by Joshua Lemay

Two breaded and marinated chicken thighs coated in a sweet and spicy chili pepper oil, stacked high on top of a bed of southern-style coleslaw, topped with dill pickle coins and served on a toasted bun. Served with your choice of side.

Charlee’s Chicken SpaghettEE

Presented by Chef Charlie Villapando

Drawing inspiration from a globally-celebrated Filipino fast-food brand featuring a cheerful bee and infused with the essence of an iconic Italian classic, we are proud to present our interpretation of the beloved combination of chicken and pasta.

A harmonious blend of tangy sweet spaghetti bolognese sauce enriched with cured pork longganisa sausage, topped with a delectably crispy fried chicken cutlet, generously smothered in additional sauce, melted cheese, and more crispy longganisa bits.

Move over “BEE”, make way for Charlee’s “Chicken SpaghettEE”

CHAMPS’ POPPIN’ POPCORN CHICKEN with 3 Special Sauces

Presented by Chef Charlie Villapando

Revive your taste buds with a Champs’ classic, reinvented in an interactive popcorn chicken style, complemented by our three signature chicken wing sauces!

Dip ‘em or douse ‘em as you please in a sweet and tangy banana BBQ sauce, the rich adobo sauce, or the umami packed Bicol Express sauce. This is the perfect option to share with family and friends!

there is such thing as a stupid question

Presented by Chef Wayne Martin

Buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with bacon and cheddar white gravy, pickled red onions, jalapenos, more cheddar, iceberg lettuce, spiced beer mustard, garlic aioli all on a perfectly soft bun.

5 Spice Sesame Fried Chicken

Presented by Dalton Gillespie

Five spice, sesame marinated chicken drums served with a tangy dill coleslaw and thick Texas garlic toast.

Ice Cream, Chicken & Waffles

Presented by Chef Beau Friesen

A crisp Belgian waffle topped with fried chicken strips, chopped bacon, chipotle syrup, and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Electric Honey Chicken Burger

Presented by Chef Les Bartle

A juicy fried chicken thigh tossed in electric honey (honey garlic/lemon pepper) and dressed up with fresh lettuce, juicy tomato, a thick strip of bacon and a creamy slice of Bothwell mozzarella! Served alongside our glorious chips (choose: regular, cajun, or cinnamon salt).

Ghost Pepper Chicken & Waffles

Presented by Chef Chris Brunette

Don’t be afraid — it’s not overly hot, but very flavourful! A touch of ghost pepper, add some maple syrup drizzled on top of crackling toasted waffles with jalapenos and our famous home-breaded chicken tenders!

The Maple Circle

Presented by Chef Nitin Sharma

Inspired by our close proximity to downtown’s infamous “Circus”, The Lounge at Fairmont presents “The Maple Circle” that includes 8552 Pilsner beer-battered chicken thigh, jalapeño cheddar waffle, maple bacon aioli, topped with pickled onions, maple syrup and fresh dill.

The Cluckow

This is the legend’s new big sister… the burger week winner Krakow is giving inspiration to our new Fried Chicken Fest entry, built on our locally baked bun, bacon peach ketchup, potato vodka aioli, cheese sauce, pickled red cabbage, fresh Manitoba chicken breast, crispy potato sticks, and the perfect amount of our house-made Nashville hot sauce.

Cluck cluck cluck

Cheesy Pilsner Pretzel Sandwich

Presented by Chef Peter Haverstock

A deep-fried beer-battered chicken breast on a toasted pretzel bun, sauced with Dijon aioli, cheese sauce & honey mustard. Topped with cheddar cheese, greens, tomato and crispy onions and fries.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Presented by Chef Jon Burge

Crispy panko-breaded chicken thighs covered in rich marinara sauce with melted mozzarella cheese placed on a house made bun smeared with a roasted garlic and basil aioli and topped with hot pickled peppers and fresh arugula.

The Pollo Croccante Panini

Presented by Chef Dave Dahlin

A 6oz tender chicken breast in our light and crunchy house seasoned breading on our home made bun with crispy mortadella, provolone, house made spicy cherry pepper aioli, roasted red peppers and arugula.

Served with house cut fries.
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*substitute fries for your choice of salad for $5
tossed/caesar/feta/cheese or sorrento

Nashville Flavour Dunk

Hold on to your boots, cowpokes 🤠 This one’s gonna knock your socks off!!!

We start with a sweet heat brine for our chick drums, toss it in our signature spice recipe crunch batter then dive right into our kickin’ Nashville flavour pool, and to finish it off — a secret blend of spicy sweet cinnamon rush powder. All of the goodness is soaked up with a hefty slice of Texas toast and finished off with tangy pickle 🥒 and red citrus slaw, and to tone things down — paired with a creamy mac salad.

Curry Cheese Fried Chicken Burger

Presented by Chef Uem Chun

Tender, juicy and fresh deep-fried chicken topped with curry sauce with ground beef, cheese and onion, and sliced tomato and lettuce with mayo sandwiched between soft buns.

Bao Down

Presented by Chef Ken Nguyen

Start your new year off strong with our fried chicken fest entry. Our in-house seasoned double fried chicken thigh is smothered in between ALL the goodness! Smoked buffalo aioli, peppered bacon, jalapeño white cheddar mac, pickled red onions, crisp arugula and sweet corn spread on a deep fried bao and topped with a pickle. Add our Cajun onion rings to hit the spot!

Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

Presented by Chef Kevin Sawatsky

Back by popular demand, immortalized by Fried Chicken Week 2022, we’ve brought back the crowd favourite with a few delicious tweaks. Still our signature LOCAL Fried Chicken tossed in Nashville hot chili oil, stacked high on a brioche bun with mayonnaise, crinkle cut pickles and fresh lettuce. Simple, but why fix something that isn’t broken?

Big Dill Energy

Presented by Chef Aidan Cole

Roo’s introduces Big Dill Energy – a delicious crispy fried chicken sandwich with bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, lettuce, pickles, and our garlic dill sauce. This chicken sandwich isn’t just a meal; it’s a bold statement of flavour. The combination of dill, bacon, and garlic packs a punch leaving your taste buds extremely satisfied.

Spicy PBJ BLITZ

Trix Aren’t Just For Kids!!!

Juicy hand-breaded chicken breast, spicy peanut butter mousse, kickin’ Cajun strawberry jam, smoky thick-cut bacon, and your favourite childhood cereal, TRIX. All on a warm toasted glazed birthday donut 🍩

FRIED CHICKEN SANDO

Ultra crispy golden-fried chicken wedged between soft fluffy slices of bread, creamy egg-salad, smoky-salty tobiko fish roe, and finished with green onions and sesame seeds.

KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN HERO

Juicy crunchy fried chicken nestled in a sweet bun drizzled with Korean-sesame garlic sauce and spicy mayo, topped with house-made kimchi, cucumber slices, and finished with a sprinkle of green onions and sesame seeds.

Numb Numb Chicken

Presented by Chef Minkyu Ru

Crispy, breaded Korean and Chinese-inspired fried chicken bites coated in a Szechuan mala sauce to bring you that sweet heat and numbing taste. Fresh cabbage, bean sprouts, red onions, pickled jalapenos, pickled onions, basil and grana padano all nestled inside a warm, toasted pita.

Bring The Beet On- Block’s Chicken & Waffles

Presented by Chefs Noel Soriano & Zuriel De Guzman

Crispy chicken on two Belgian waffles, topped with beet compote, mascarpone, pickled onions, pickled cucumbers, dill weed, and pea shoots.

MK Katsu

Presented by Chef Jesse Friesen

Featuring a brined and fried breast and thigh, miso mayo brulee, maple chile sauce, nori, tobiko, and ginger pickles.

Fried Chicken Tacos

Presented by Chef Grant Danyluk

Crispy buttermilk-marinated fried chicken breast, toasted corn tortillas, melted cheese, chimichurri mayo, shredded letuce, pico de gallo, and house made hot sauce.

Nashville-style Hot Chicken Sandwich

Presented by Chef Matt Withoos

Buttermilk-fried chicken breast, secret spice blend, Nashville hot honey, pickled zucchini on a brioche bun combo includes Cajun potato wedges with habanero aioli.

The Boozey Rooster

Presented by Sean Smith

Featuring a crispy chicken cutlet topped with Nduja vodka sauce, fior di latte, and drizzled with Calabrian chili honey and a rich smoked Parmesan aioli with crisp arugula all in a luscious Ciabatta bun.