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.

1Rae’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.




2Four 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!

3Velvet 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

4St. 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




5Brazen 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

6Smitty’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.

7Roo’s

The Dill-icious Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Crispy chicken breast with Gouda, cucumber, tomato, red onion, lettuce and dill tzatziki on a brioche bun.




8Capital 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.

9Promenade 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.

10Charlee’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.

11Roughage 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.




12Local 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.

13Joey 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*

14Fionn’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.




15Fionn 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.

16Shark 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.

17The 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.




18Block 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.

19Nicolino’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.

20The Merchant Kitchen

Frambuesa Picante

Brown butter toasted serrano provolone scone, chipotle dusted fried chicken breast, pickled red cabbage, carrots, fresh dill, and raspberry honey.




21James 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*

22Tommy’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!

23Yard Burger

The Shogun

Katsu chicken, sesame, nori, pork belly, kewpie mayo, togarashi hot sauce, lettuce, tobiko, and avocado, on a toasted potato bun.




24Cibo 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 *

25One Great City Brewing Company

Chicken Karaage

Japanese style fried chicken, ponzu dipping sauce, umami aioli, green onion, and nori.

26Little 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.




27Smitty’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!

28Sea 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.

29Crspy 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*




30Smitty’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.

31Wienerpeg

The Pickle Rancher

Fried pickle-brined MB chicken thigh, local milk bun, housemade Manitoba Cool Breeze pickles, capers, and housemade dill ranch.

32Kyu 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.




331928 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.

34Kyu Bistro

Fried-Chicken Panko Bites & Japanese Curry

Crunchy, panko-breaded chicken tossed in spicy shichimi spices. Served with velvety Japanese curry and rice.

35The Wood Tavern

Wood Tavern Crunch

Crispy buttermilk fried chicken, habanero aioli, pickled butternut squash, lettuce, tomato on a grilled brioche bun.




36Junction 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.

37Cocoabeans 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.

38Underdogs

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!




39Juneberry

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.

40Magic 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.