Golden Chicken

Whenever anyone asks me why I live in the hood, invariably I will mention the fact that while they are all ordering pizza and (if they’re lucky) Chinese, I can call a friendly stranger and have half a chicken fried up to perfection and brought to my door.
Golden Chicken is in a scary store front where for take-​out you sit in a three by six foot bare sheetrock «lobby» until they pass your meal through a bullet-​proof glass cubby, and it takes a while for them to get around to making it, but for delivery, wow! There’s just nothing better than fried chicken, so tender and juicy on the inside, with the perfect level of crunchiness to the skin, driven up to you as you sit on your porch playing cards.
I docked a star because of the aforementioned take-​out woes, and because the sides are nothing to write home about. Good, to be sure, but not spectacular. Cole Slaw and Hush Puppies are my personal favorites. Really though, the chicken itself is unbeatable, and the sauces they serve with it are excellent (hot is really great, but try the barbecue — exceptional considering they are not a «barbecue» restaurant). Golden Chicken is an asset to the neighborhood. They are number 12 on my speed dial under the heading «Fried Chx,» and if you need more convincing than that, you’re beyond my capacity to help.