I knew there were six fried chicken restaurants in Southeast Kansas before I showed up. I’d done the research: I watched the Food Wars episode, a bunch of YouTube videos rating them - I even made a map to plot out our route. The plan was simple: eat at six chicken spots in two days. If it doesn’t sound like an easy task, I’m here to tell you it, in fact, was not.

In a part of Kansas where most towns have fewer than 5,000 people, you might be surprised that they could support six different restaurants that essentially serve the same meal. You might think the competition is cut-throat, but that’s very much not the case. Families in the area have their favorites, sure, but they also eat at every single one. Because while the menus look remarkably similar on paper, each place puts its own spin on the details. Some people swear by a particular chicken recipe. Others are there for the onion rings. Some have strong opinions about German potato salad. Others will tell you the coleslaw is the real reason to visit.

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As you might have guessed, the fried chicken might be the star, but the sides are just as important. The German coleslaw and the German potato salad are staples - each made with a vinegar base instead of mayonnaise. Then there’s the white bread. And the onion rings. (Pro-tip: order the small because it’s a large anywhere outside of Southeast Kansas). Each spot offers its take, and a few add some more: a side of spaghetti, mac and cheese, applesauce, green beans or American coleslaw - for the younger folks, I heard.

I tried it all. And I was really, really full for two days. Maybe three. But I did it all for you. So I could come back here and tell you: IT WAS WORTH IT.

And not just because of the incredible food: these restaurants, the people who own them, the waitstaff and the hostesses, the patrons and the folks about town are some of the nicest, friendliest and most devoted chicken eaters around. They know what they’ve got is amazing, and they want you to experience it. You’ll be amazed how big every restaurant is, how many chicken decorations exist, and how many people - all known by name by the staff - show up, even on a Monday! Because it’s not just about chicken; it’s about history, tradition, and community. So, set aside some time to visit Southeast Kansas - it’s pretty darn magical.

And if you can’t visit all the chicken spots, I made a guide to help you find the one that suits you - because they are ALL good - great even! So let’s get into it:

My Southeast Kansas Fried Chicken Guide

I’ve eaten my way through the legends and the local favorites, and I’m here to share how to do the same.
 

What We Ordered

We ordered essentially the same thing at every stop, so we could compare, and added in a few extras that we heard were good at each place. We ordered a fried chicken dinner at every stop. The dinners usually came with a few white and dark pieces of chicken, white bread, onion rings, and sides, which we list below. Sometimes the onion rings were extra, but we still had to get them, because that’s just what you do. Prices are listed below, too, but check to see if they have changed before you visit. And as always, check the hours too, before you visit, because they aren’t open every day.

Chicken Annie’s Original

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Chicken Annie's Original

Chicken Annie's Original

Open since 1934. Family owned and operated, and helped make Crawford County the Chicken Capital of Kansas. Known for its unique family recipes and sides. Chicken Annie's Original is located northeast of Pittsburg. Today…

The OG. Founded by Ann Pichler in her home in 1934, they were the first to do it. Ann began serving chicken to coal miners after a mining accident disabled her husband. And they have been serving their homemade fried chicken the same way since the beginning.

Chicken Annie’s chicken is exactly what you want from Kansas fried chicken: crispy, juicy, and not too heavily breaded. They figured out what works decades ago and never felt the need to change, and it works.

If this is your first trip to the chicken trail, start here, because: tradition.

  • What We Ordered

    In addition to the chicken, onion rings, and white bread, we got:

    • German potato salad
    • German coleslaw
    • Creamy American coleslaw (the best in the area)
    • Mac and cheese
    • Spaghetti
    • Mashed potatoes (the best we tried)

  • My Ratings

    Chicken Rating: Third best in town.

    Sides Rating: Not my favorite sides, but a close second.

    Hospitality Rating: 5/5

    Pricing: ~$23.00 Family Style serving for two: 5 pieces of chicken, 3 sides, onion rings and bread. ~$3.25 - $4.50 for extra sides.

    Plan your visit: 1143 E. 600th Ave, Pittsburg, Kansas 66762. Check the prices and learn more here.

    Pro-tip: Mix the German potato salad and both coleslaws into a giant mash-up salad. Trust me. Also, grab a t-shirt on your way out!

     

    • Chicken Mary’s

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    Chicken Mary's

    Chicken Mary's

    Established in 1942 by German immigrants, this famous fried chicken restaurant was the winner of 8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine and Travel Channel's Food Wars. Chicken Mary's is located northeast of Pittsburg. Today, it…

    Right next door to Chicken Annie’s and the winner of Food Wars chicken-off - watch it here. Because of that Food Network episode, this is probably the place most people have heard of. Chicken Mary’s also began at home, in 1942, with founders Mary and Joe Zerngast serving folks at their kitchen table.

    This chicken’s got that fried crunch that tastes amazing and perfectly seals all the juicy flavor you crave in fried chicken. If I hadn’t been eating chicken for two days, I would have cleaned my plate.

  • What We Ordered

    In addition to the chicken, onion rings, and white bread, we got:

    • German potato salad
    • German coleslaw
    • Creamy American coleslaw
    • Mac and cheese
    • Mashed potatoes

  • My Ratings

    Chicken Rating: My second-favorite chicken in town. You need to try this place!

    Sides Rating: 3.5/5

    Hospitality Rating: 5/5

    Pricing: ~$25.95 Family Style serving for two: 5 pieces of chicken, 3 sides, onion rings, and bread. ~$2.95 for extra sides.

    Plan your visit: 1133 E 600th Ave, Pittsburg, KS 66762. Check the prices and learn more here.

    Final Notes: Am I saying it’s better than Annie’s? I’m saying you should try both and start a family argument.

     

    • Barto’s Idle Hour

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    Barto's Idle Hour

    Barto's Idle Hour

    Live bands most Friday and Saturday nights, provides a family friendly dining experience in a casual atmosphere. Family-owned and operated since 1951. Known for their fried chicken, Barto’s also serves great burgers at…

    There are two sides to Barto’s Idle Hour: the restaurant side and the lounge side. We ate in the restaurant…which we were told was the wrong choice by like every local who asked us which side we sat on. But we did go peek into the lounge, which was as vibey as it sounds. But I stand by our decision.

    Founded in 1951, Idle Hour started out as a dance hall where a young Ray Barto was on staff. The dance hall was where Ray met Carolyn, who became his partner in life and work, and helped him transform Barto’s Idle Hour into what it is today. Located in the town of Frontenac, population just under 3,500 - Barto’s is small-town Kansas at its best.

    Pro-tip: ask the locals how to pronounce Frontenac before you make a fool of yourself.

  • What We Ordered

    We ordered the chicken, which came with the bread and two sides. We ordered the onion rings à la carte, and we also got:

    • Potato salad*
    • Slaw*
    • Baked potato
    • Applesauce

    *not described as “German” on the menu, but it’s in that style.

  • My Ratings

    Chicken Rating: They use a cracker meal breading on their chicken (just like Gebhardt’s below), which I’d never heard of before, but it gives the chicken a uniquely appetizing crunch. Of the 6 fried chicken spots we tried, this was my least favorite…don’t get me wrong, it’s still better than 90% of the chicken spots in the state!

    Sides Rating: 3/5

    Hospitality Rating: 3/5

    Pricing: ~$11.75 for a 5-piece chicken dinner, served with bread and two sides. ~$7.25 for onion rings. ~$2.00 - $2.50 for the sides.

    Plan your visit: 201 Santa Fe St., Frontenac, KS 66763. Check the prices and learn more here.

    My Notes: Try the lounge side and report back!

     

    • Gebhardt’s Chicken Dinners

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    Gebhardt's Chicken Dinners

    Gebhardt's Chicken Dinners

    Gebhardt's is a family owned & operated chicken restaurant open since 1946. It is located near Mulberry, north of Pittsburg and Frontenac. They are known for their huge helpings of Chicken & Noodles.

    Locals love this place! Whenever somebody from Crawford County asked what we were doing in town, they only asked if we’d been here…Because of course we went to Chicken Mary’s and Chicken Annie’s, but had we tried Gebhardt’s? It doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Annie’s or Mary’s, but the people who love it REALLY love it. Gebhardt’s is truly the hidden gem of the area.

    Located in the town of Mulberry, Kansas, population 400 or so, Gebhardt’s could be considered “off the beaten path.” Opened in 1946, the restaurant is run by the family’s third generation and sits right next to the family home. Which is what you immediately think and feel upon entering: part of the family and right at home.

    This is the place we’d bring somebody who thinks they’ve already seen the entire chicken trail.

  • What We Ordered

    They don’t offer a family-style order here, so we ordered the chicken, which came with white bread - which is homemade and the BEST we tried - and two sides. The onion rings were à la carte, and we also got:

    • Potato salad
    • Coleslaw
    • Green beans with bacon

  • My Ratings

    Chicken Rating: Of the six different fried chickens we tried, this landed just behind Chicken Annie’s. They use a cracker meal breading, which is delicious and I’m pretty sure, like most folks we talked to, that after a few visits, this would become my favorite spot.

    Sides Rating: 4/5. The green beans were the best I’ve ever had in my entire life.

    Hospitality Rating: 3/5

    Pricing: ~$11.50 for 5 pieces of chicken served with 2 sides. ~$8.00 for onion rings.

    Plan your visit: 124 N 260th St, Mulberry, KS 66756. Check the prices and learn more here.

    Pro-tip: You HAVE to try their famous homemade chicken and noodles, but they are only served on Mondays. Prepare to wait in line. I promise it is worth it.

     

    • Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s

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    Pichler's Chicken Annie's

    Pichler's Chicken Annie's

    Opened in 1970 by Chicken Annie's grandson and Chicken Mary's granddaughter. Enjoy our family atmosphere. When you're here, you're family. Family owned and operated chicken restaurant that helped make Crawford County the…

    This is where things get a bit confusing, maybe? Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s, as you might have guessed, is an offshoot of the Chicken Annie’s Original. This location was founded in 1972 by the original Annie’s grandson, Anthony. His dad, Carl (Annie’s son), and his wife Rosemary, who had been running Chicken Annie’s Original with Carl’s sister Louella and her husband, left to help their son start Pichler’s, the next iteration of the family business. Basically, the idea was expansion and both use the same recipe that Annie launched in 1934, but I am not so sure. Each has its own unique taste!

    The restaurant, as they all do, has a loyal following and serves exactly what people drive across Kansas for: huge family-style meals, chicken livers, wishbones, German potato salad, and in an atmosphere that feels like what you imagine a really good home-grown fried chicken restaurant to be. The vibe is friendly, the decor charming (there is chicken wallpaper, folks), and the food incredible. Hands down, this place tops my list.

    Caption: Admiring the chicken wallpaper at Pichler’s

  • What We Ordered

    In addition to the chicken, onion rings, and white bread, our order came with:

    • German potato salad
    • German coleslaw
    • Spaghetti

  • My Ratings

    Chicken Rating: 5/5; this landed in my #1 spot. They use breadcrumbs and flour to coat the chicken, and it was everything.

    Sides Rating: 5/5

    Hospitality Rating: 5/5

    Pricing: ~$25.00 for 6 pieces of chicken comes with bread, German potato salad, German coleslaw, spaghetti, and onion rings.

    Plan your visit: 1271 S 220th St, Pittsburg, KS 66762, Pittsburg, KS. Check the prices and learn more here.

    Pro-tip: These were the best onion rings on our trip! We couldn’t stop eating them. If we had been able to take leftovers home, we envision the best sandwich ever to be: the white bread (toasted) with fried chicken pieces, coleslaw and onion rings. Maybe add some horseradish? Comments welcome:

     

    • Chicken Annie’s Girard

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    Chicken Annie's Girard

    Chicken Annie's Girard

    Open since 1971. SE KS traditional fried chicken with our signature German potato salad and slaw. Family Dining. Carry Out. Catering Available. Like us on Facebook for specials. Located just east of Girard.

    This was our last stop on the trail, and did we save the best for last? Close to it.

    First things first, let me tell you that they have over 1,000 chicken items (they stopped counting at 1,000) on display (see some below!). This, to me, Chicken Annie’s Girard is the quintessential fried chicken stop in Southeast Kansas: chickens everywhere, mouth-watering food, and the friendliest staff in town. Pretty sure we talked to everyone who worked there…

    The current owners of Chicken Annie’s Girard and the owners of Chicken Annie’s OG are cousins. Louella (daughter of the original Annie) that we mentioned above, purchased this location from her mother-in-law, Mary Pistotnik, who had opened it as her own chicken spot: Sunflower Tavern & Chicken Dinners.

    And now it offers the same menu, as far as I could tell, as the Chicken Annie’s Original, about nine miles apart from each other. They’ve got a window where you can see into the kitchen - and even say hello. As I mentioned, this was the last stop on our tour, so we had slowed down in our ordering enthusiasm by this point. But one bite of the chicken made us realize we had room for more, because yes, it was that good. Side note: pretty sure we never would have made it through the tour if all of this food wasn’t great.

    So, did we think the chicken tasted the same as the original? Is it sacrilege to say we preferred the chicken here?

  • What We Ordered

    In addition to the chicken, onion rings, and white bread, our order came with:

    • German potato salad
    • German coleslaw
    • Spaghetti

  • My Ratings

    Chicken Rating: This tied for third place on my list with the Original Annie’s.

    Sides Rating: 4.5/5. This was our favorite German potato salad. Not sure if it’s different from Chicken Annie’s OG, but it hit different for whatever reason…and I don’t even like potato salad.

    Hospitality Rating: 6/5 (They gave us a crocheted chicken as a prize for eating at all the spots in town. That’s some real community spirit, and it made us love this spot even more.)

    Pricing: ~$25.00 for 6 pieces of chicken comes with bread, German potato salad, German coleslaw, spaghetti, and onion rings.

    Plan your visit: 498 KS-47, Girard, KS, 66743. Check the prices and learn more here.

    No notes. Good food, good atmosphere, friendly staff.

     

    • The Southeast Kansas Chicken Breakdown

    If you made it this far, you’re either planning a road trip, or you’re from Crawford County, or preparing an email telling us our ratings are wrong. Whatever the case, we hope to hear from you.

    Here’s the guide cheat sheet:

    • If you’re visiting for the first time: Chicken Annie’s or Chicken Mary’s
    • If you seek out hidden gems: Gebhardt’s
    • If you are all in on chickens: Chicken Annie’s Girard
    • If you’re all about the sides: Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s
    • If you want to eat where locals eat: Barto’s Idle Hour
    • If you want to settle the rivalry for yourself: Annie’s vs. Mary’s
    • If you only have time for one: Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s
    • If you want to eat like a regular: Order the wishbone, gizzard or liver. Fried, of course. The folks at Chicken Annie’s Girard (thank you!) threw in a wishbone for me and yes, my wish came true.
    My Fried Chicken Ratings:
    • Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s
    • Chicken Mary’s
    • Chicken Annie’s Original AND Chicken Annie’s Girard
    • Gebhardt’s Chicken Dinners
    • Barto’s Idle Hour
       
    My Sides Breakdown:
    • Best Onion Rings: Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s
    • Best German Potato Salad: Chicken Annie’s Girard
    • Best Creamy American Coleslaw: Chicken Annie’s Original
    • Best German Coleslaw: Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s
    • Best Chicken Noodles: Gebhardt’s
    • Best Spaghetti: Chicken Annie’s Original
    • Best Bread: Gebhardt’s
    • Best Green Beans: Gebhardt’s
    • Best Chicken Decor: Chicken Annie’s Girard
       

    And if you want the most Kansas meal possible: Head south to Crawford County, Kansas, friends. Most everyone in the area has a “my grandparents used to come here...” story about the fried chicken. Because the chicken is great and so are the people behind it.

    Let us know your favorite, if you’ve been or will be going now, and don’t forget to subscribe. As always, thanks for being here.

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