Guy Fieri Found His Favorite Montana Fried Chicken Spot On A Family Vacation

Craving a big, greasy piece of fried chicken? There are plenty of spots to get your fix. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, and Raising Cane's are all fast food places specializing in delicious chicken meals in many different forms, whether served on a sandwich, a salad, or on its own. However, there are several factors to determine a perfect piece of fried chicken. First, it must have a well-seasoned, crispy coating. Additionally, the chicken must still be moist after being fried. To do so, the chicken needs to have a specific thickness and not be overcooked. The quality of fried chicken varies by place and location, but if you are ever in Montana, celebrity chef Guy Fieri knows of a special, local spot and even showcased it in a 2018 episode of his "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" show.

Fieri stumbled upon Roost Fried Chicken while on a family vacation in Yellowstone — a national park that spans Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. When he featured the casual eatery on his show, it became the first-ever restaurant in Montana to have the honor. In a clip from the Season 29 episode, the chef used all the right words to describe the restaurant's chicken: "It's juicy, it's tender, it's legit." The family-owned establishment is known for its traditional Southern menu that offers a few twists. The restaurant's signature items range from Southern fried chicken and flaky biscuits to cold beer and locally-made ice cream. The menu also offers chicken and waffles and curry chicken salad.

What makes the fried chicken from Roost Fried Chicken special? According to the restaurant, its menu is "born from generations of family recipes." In the "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" episode, Guy Fieri walks through the making of the signature fried chicken and breaks down the answer. The chef starts by making a flavorful red rub packed with seasonings. The rub contains salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder. Next, they sprinkle it on the chicken and let it marinate for 24 to 48 hours. As for the batter, the restaurant uses buttermilk rather than regular milk. Buttermilk is known to tenderize the meat, as it contains acids that help break down the compounds. After dipping the chicken in a buttermilk and egg mixture, the cook lets it sit before dunking it in a salted dry mixture. Finally, the chicken is put in a deep fryer with a lid for about 13 minutes, which the chef says makes it more tender and juicy. From there, the chicken is topped with pickled okra and a biscuit.

Roost Fried Chicken also serves its chicken with Carolina gold BBQ sauce, Nashville hot sauce, sweet heat sauce, or Alabama white sauce. The restaurant offers classic Southern sides like coleslaw and deviled eggs, as well as the universally popular choice, french fries. And besides Fieri's support for the star quality of the eatery, it also got a social shout-out from the Los Angeles Times.