The Chicken Barn

So glad we stopped!!! We were hungry and needed to stop, but didn’t want to hit up the usual… McDonald’s. .Burger King, etc.
After reading such excellent reviews, we decided to give this joint a try.
It was appropriately busy because the food was OUTSTANDING! The chicken was a little too greasy, but oh SO delicious!!! I got a chicken breast and a biscuit. Both extremely flavorful… buttery…mmmm…gooooood.

If you’re in the mood for fried chicken, you don’t want to miss The Chicken Barn! I stick to their chicken tenders, but more adventurous diners might try their livers and gizzards. Their new location is great, and they now have a drive-​thru.

Another trip, another visit to our favorite chicken restaurant. And another reminder of how good chicken can be. They cook it fresh when you order. It is so tender that they must use local grain fed chicken. The supermarket chicken texture is so dense by comparison. And the zesty breading is fantastic. Oh, the pecan pie is great too.
Always worth the mile detour. And the gas station next door is 4 cents less than at 95 exit.

So here’s my review a day after stuffing my face on their delicious chicken. The chicken is on point, not greasy, juicy, perfectly seasoned. Unfortunately the side dishes I order were mediocre except for the gravy. The mash potatoes tasted like powder potatoes. The Mac and cheese like the one you make at home out of a box. The green beans were ok. The service was great and prices were good.

This place has the best chicken I’ve had in a long time! I usually hit the drive thru and the staff is always so friendly. Service is quick considering the quality of the food. The wingettes are my favorite. It took me a while to try this place but once I did I’m hooked and I won’t go anyplace else for chicken. (except for Mom’s!)

The chicken was wonderful & moist, not at all dry. The skin had a great flavor, not too greasy. Mashed potatoes were so-​so. I’ll try a different side next time.

This is the kind of fried chicken restaurant that the late, lamented Colonel and his minions feared as they sipped their burbon and branch water on the veranda. There are no 11 herbs and spices here, only flour, salt, and pepper, good quality fowl, a nice biscuit, and fine sides.
The entire approach to ordering here was easier before they up and moved (a block or so away). You could send the espousa in to get the very tasty chicken, sides, and biscuits, while you walked across the street to Millie’s for several dogs, and maybe a surprise. Now this is a little more challenging, with some chance of personal injury and loss of food, given the longer distance that must be traveled on foot. But what the hey, its all a crap shoot, any hoo.
Seriously, this is excellent chicken. Moma would be proud.

THEY’VE MOVED!!! This place is now at the corner of 7^th and Market, just a block or so away. We found it, but sadly it was closed on Sunday morning. The look of the place and the size of the parking lot told us that the reviews were probably still accurate (although it’s strange no one has reviewed it lately). I put the four stars on faith, having not actually gotten to set foot in the place.
The spanking new Marathon Gas Station, to which the Chicken Barn is still attached in its new location, gave us a good tip on another place nearby, Smithfield Chicken and BBQ. See separate review of that.

Yee-​haw! Let’s all head on down to the Chicken Barn! Seriously, the food here is sooo good! We came upon it when taking a ride to the outlet mall in Smithfield. We didn’t want the usual chain food and saw this on the way to the mall after passing through downtown. Actually saw a billboard for it first and even though it’s in a gas station (Marathon) decided to take a look.
The restaurant is in a seperate section from the quickie mart of the gas station, is Very clean, and the employees couldn’t be nicer. From the moment we walked in would could smell chicken frying — and did it smell good!
We each got the dark chicken which came with one side and a biscuit. I have to tell you, the mashed potatoes were fantastic and totally homemade, as is everything there. We’ve been doing a fried chicken taste test around the Triangle recently and this beat everything we’ve tried elsewhere.
So, don’t be scared off by it being sorta kinda in a gas station. It’s nothin’ fancy, but tastes like granny made it, and ya gotta love the name!

I’ve passed this place several times on the way The Biscuit Stop and Wednesday night when the BS was closed I got a chance to try it and it was not bad! Celebrating it’s 30^th Anniversary with specials on chicken livers and gizzards which townfolk were lining up for. The chicken was better than any fast food service.
The potato wedges were umm umm good and dipped in their whipped potatoes and gravy they were over the top good soul food!