"The Second Best Thing You Ever Ate!" (actual slogan)
Well I'll be the judge of that! On Saturday the kids and I visited "Chicken Box", located in beautiful Highland Park (on the north side of the Shockoe Valley from downtown). They operate out of the quaint, old fashioned building you see here:
Business was brisk when we arrived for lunch at noon. We went to the far wall to make our choices from the greasy menu. Offerings include the "Big Chick Sandwich", "Chicken Chunks", Fries, Chicken Wings, Fried Flounder, Lake Trout, oysters, crabcake, mac n cheese, french fries, macaroni salad, and cole slaw. We each went with the "Big Chick Sandwich" with cheese, an enticing combination of lettuce, "Big Chick" sauce, American cheese, and two large pieces of fried chicken. Extra sides of "Big Chick" sauce are available for just $1.83.
I placed our order through a circle of drill holes in the bulletproof glass. I handed the payment and a coupon through the shallow dish where the counter meets the glass, and we stepped aside. This establishment is waiting-room only, and a little crowded, so we headed outside as soon as our bag was handed to us through the small 45 degree rotating glass door on the counter.
We ended up eating outside in the van, and everyone was very satisfied with the meal. The bread was soft and tasty, and the lettuce was light and crisp. The "Big Chick" sauce is some kind of secret recipe, and it compliments the meal wonderfully. If I had to guess I'd say that it was mayonnaise and hot sauce mixed together. The American cheese was tangy and waxy. The fried chicken was generously portioned and perfectly overcooked.
There was even some drama while we waited for our food. A crazed woman came in yelling though the drill holes to the employees talking about, "which one of y'all called my daughter a "b"?". She said it just like that, because she was trying not to offend the other customers. She was referring to some incident from the day before. The employees claimed that her daughter had overheard them, but that they had been talking about someone else. The angry woman proceeded to read them the riot act. Then she ordered some Chicken chunks with fries.
In conclusion, you can have your nasty-ass Ukrop's fried chicken. In my opinion, Chicken Box is the source for fine fried chicken take-out in the Richmond area. It's the kind of no nonsense, no website, one menu on the wall kind of place that we all love. Was it "The Second Best Thing You Ever Ate!"? Yes! Do you know what the First best thing you ever ate was? The answer comes back again and again: deez nuts!
Where it's at:
3000 3rd Ave
Richmond, VA 23222
(804) 228-2442
Chicken Box on Google Maps (with Street View)
