MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wednesday was National Fried Chicken Day. So ABC24 Visual Storyteller Sheila Whaley headed to a popular and long-standing Memphis staple – Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.
“People love fried chicken so much because it tastes so good. Ah, there’s just something about it,” said Caleb Johnson, Manager at Gus’s. “To me, National Fried Chicken Day seems like a celebration I have one of the best southern foods there is, fried chicken. You can’t beat it.”
“Spreading the awareness of fried chicken. I even get surprised at how many folks come through the door here who haven’t had our chicken. Because, at this point, I figured everybody has had Gus’s,” he said.
“We found it on the Internet. It said it was one of the best places to go. Best chicken ever. Food Network, we had seen it a number of times,” said Dan Eldridge, Gus’s customer from Connecticut. “We had to try it before we left.”
“There’s a few key things about our chicken. One, it’s never frozen. It’s always fresh. Two, it’s a secret family recipe. It’s a secret to this day. We fry our chicken in peanut oil. It’s a little bit lighter. But that’s the key to getting the perfect amount of crispiness on that fried chicken. You want that skin to be perfectly golden and perfectly crispy,” said Johnson.
“Oh, I love it. They have the best (cluck) chicken in the world here. Well, they’ve got it seasoned. It’s seasoned just right. Just like you like it,” said John Anselmy, Gus’s customer. “It will make you smack your grandma, it’s so good.”