Fried Chicken Day

Fried chicken. Pixabay.com / 2015 / CC0 1.0

The 6th of July is Fried Chicken Day, celebrating one of everyone’s favourite comfort foods, fried chicken.

It’s a day when you can really indulge and not feel guilty, a day on which you can eat with, and lick, your fingers, and no apologies needed for what some might otherwise say is bad manners!

It also comes in the nick of time for Americans, in case they didn’t get enough greasy food two days ago on the 4th of July.

If you rarely have fried chicken because you’re aware of all the calories it can pack, maybe this is one of those times when you get to treat yourself. Today you even get to have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

How do you like your fried chicken better, on the bone, as a fillet in a sandwich, or as nuggets? Warm or cold?

People can be very loyal to their favourite fried chicken places, but maybe today’s the day to be adventurous and try a new spot, or a new style of fried chicken.

The batter now comes in flavours such as buttermilk, chipotle, honey jalapeno, lemon pepper, Thai spiced, Nashville style hot… the list is endless.

For some people, the sides are just as important as the main dish, sides such as biscuits, corn, cornbread, fries, gravy, greens, mashed potato, ranch dressing, salads, waffles, and watermelon.

Vegans and vegetarians should be able to easily find some plant-based alternatives and enjoy some pieces of breaded, fried unChicken.

KFC calls today “International Fried Chicken Day”. ^[1]KFC Celebrates International Fried Chicken Day. KFC. Accessed June 2021 at https://global.kfc.com/international-fried-chicken-day/

In Australia, KFC observes this day on the 7th of July, because when it’s the 6th in North America, it’s the 7th in Australia, so that makes it the same day (sort of).

6th July is also International Kissing Day, so just remember to wipe some of the grease off your lips first from the fried chicken before switching modes…

#FriedChickenDay #NationalFriedChickenDay

See also: Chicken, French Fries Day, French Fried Shrimp Day, Greasy Foods Day, Onion Ring Day, Nugget Day, Fast Food Day

Activities for today

• Order in, take out, or make your own;
• you can try air frying your fried chicken for a healthier alternative (choose skinless breast meat to work with);
• have a cold fried chicken picnic;
• there will be promotions and deals at many places;
• some places may offer free or reduced delivery offers;
• check apps for deals;
• some places may stay open for extra long hours. Popeyes in New York and Los Angeles stayed opened for 24 hours for Fried Chicken Day in 2018. ^[2]Price, Emily. All the National Fried Chicken Day Deals You Need to Know About. Fortune Magazine. 6 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at http://fortune.com/2018/07/06/national-fried-chicken-day-deals/ ;
• some fried chicken restaurants will offer live music and fried chicken trivia contests with prizes.

Fried chicken. Robert Owen-Wahl / Pixabay.com / 2006 / CC0 1.0

History

Various organizations held “Fried Chicken Days” at various times of the year throughout the 1900s, as part of fundraisers or promotions, etc.

The first print mention that CooksInfo is aware of for a Fried Chicken Day on the 6th of July occurred in 1999, in a Bank of America advertisement which appeared in several North Carolina newspapers on the same day.

“July 6th? It’s not exactly the most celebrated day of the year. Sure, it happens to be National Fried Chicken Day. It’s also the first day of the National Pickle Festival….” — Bank of America advertisement in: Charlotte, North Carolina: The Charlotte Observer. Sunday, 4th July 1999. Page 13A.

Sources

Beyda, Emily. Celebrate National Fried Chicken Day With Five Styles. Austin, Texas: The Austin Chronicle. 6 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/food/2018-07-06/celebrate-national-fried-chicken-day-with-five-styles/

Flack, Derek. How to mark National Fried Chicken Day in Toronto. Toronto, Canada: BlogTo. 5 July 2017. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2015/07/how_to_mark_national_fried_chicken_day_in_toronto/

Gladysz, Kayla. Where to celebrate National Fried Chicken Day in Toronto on July 6. Toronto, Canada: The Daily Hive. 5 July 2019. Accessed June 2021 at https://dailyhive.com/toronto/must-try-fried-chicken-day-toronto-summer-2019

It’s National Fried Chicken Day! Here’s where to celebrate — and eat. Tucson, Arizona: ABC Kgun9. 6 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.kgun9.com/lifestyle/its-national-fried-chicken-day-heres-where-to-celebrate-2018

It’s National Fried Chicken Day: FN’s Top 5 Recipes. The Food Network. July 2011. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/holidays/2011/07/national-fried-chicken-day

Kang, Anna. 5 operators cooking up National Fried Chicken Day promos. Nation’s Restaurant News. 5 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.nrn.com/marketing/5-operators-cooking-national-fried-chicken-day-promos

Luebbers, Julien A. National Fried Chicken Day is July 6. Spokane, Washington: The Spokesman-Review. 30 June 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jun/30/national-fried-chicken-day/

Meny, Josh. National Day Calendar: Today we celebrate Fried Chicken Day. Kxnet News. 6 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-day-calendar-today-we-celebrate-fried-chicken-day/

Nelson, Dustin. Everywhere You Can Get Free & Cheap Food Today for National Fried Chicken Day. Thrillist. 6 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/national-fried-chicken-day-deals-2020

Owens, Heath. The Best Fast-Food Fried Chicken, Ranked. New York, NY: Redbook Magazine. 1 March 2021. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.redbookmag.com/food-recipes/g28270748/best-fast-food-fried-chicken/

Tyko, Kelly. Get National Fried Chicken Day deals and free food at KFC and more through Sunday. 5 July 2019. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2019/07/05/national-fried-chicken-day-2019-chicken-deals-free-delivery-and-more/1653451001/

Waterfield, Sophia. National Fried Chicken Day Deals: Popeyes, KFC, Chick-fil-A, White Castle and More. Newsweek Magazine. 6 July 2019. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.newsweek.com/national-fried-chicken-day-deals-popeyes-kfc-chick-fil-white-castle-1447734

Zusel, Yvonne. Celebrate National Fried Chicken Day in Atlanta with free chicken and recipes. Atlanta, Georgia: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 6 July 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.ajc.com/blog/atlanta-restaurants/celebrate-national-fried-chicken-day-atlanta-with-free-chicken-and-recipes/E8OQL3cmdvTk1nitOekxYN/