London's fried chicken scene is the most diverse in the world. Korean double-fried, Taiwanese popcorn chicken, Nashville hot, classic buttermilk - every style, every neighbourhood, every price point. We've rated 800+ chicken spots across the city. These are the 10 that matter.
The Fried Chicken Map
10 spots
Chick 'n' Sours
Big Chill, King's Cross N1 / Crown and Castle, Dalston E8
“The restaurant that started London's Korean fried chicken obsession. Now running residencies at two of the city's best pubs - and still the benchmark.”
The OG. Chick 'n' Sours has been setting the standard since 2015. After closing the Haggerston original, they're now running residencies at the Big Chill in King's Cross and the Crown and Castle in Dalston. Same legendary kitchen. Different postcode.
The gochujang wings are still the signature - crispy, sticky, sweet-heat that nobody has managed to replicate. The soy garlic is the sleeper pick. Book ahead - these residencies fill up fast.
Order this: Gochujang wings, pickled daikon, soju slushie
Best for: The fried chicken experience that everything else gets measured against
Thunderbird Fried Chicken
Brixton, SW9 (flagship) + 5 locations
“Wingfest champions. Six locations. All halal. The chipuffalo wings with blue cheese ranch are the signature move - and they've earned it.”
Award-winning buffalo wings - Wingfest 2019 champions - and solid fried chicken across six London locations. The Brixton original in Market Row is the one, but every branch delivers. Made to order, bold sauces, proper crunch.
The chipuffalo wings (chip-spiced buffalo wings with blue cheese ranch) are the reason people keep coming back. All branches are fully halal - no pork, no alcohol. If you're looking for halal fried chicken in London, Thunderbird is one of the best options going.
Order this: Chipuffalo wings, Korean BBQ wings, habanero wings if you can handle it
Best for: Wings done properly, with mates, on a Friday night
Good Friend Chicken
Chinatown, WC2 + 6 locations
“Giant chicken breasts bigger than your head. Eleven seasoning powders. Taiwanese fried chicken at its best - and every branch is halal.”
Taiwanese fried chicken done right. The signature move is the XXL chicken breast - battered, fried, and roughly the size of a dinner plate. Choose from up to 11 seasoning powders (plum, seaweed, pepper salt, and more) and watch them shake it to order.
Six branches across London: Chinatown, Liverpool Street, Elephant and Castle, Wood Green, Colindale, and New Cross. Every location is fully halal - no pork, no alcohol on the premises. If you want more Taiwanese popcorn chicken, their sister branches operate under the Ji Chicken name on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Order this: XXL chicken breast with plum seasoning, popcorn chicken, chicken thighs
Best for: Taiwanese street food that fills you up for under a tenner
CheeMc
Elephant and Castle, SE17
“Seven different KFC flavours. The honey chilli is the move. The batter shatters, the meat stays juicy. A cult Korean spot since 2014.”
CheeMc has been doing Korean fried chicken since 2014, long before it became every food market's default offering. Seven different flavour options - the Yellow Snowing (cheese), Korean Buffalo, and Mad Garlic are the standouts. The honey chilli is the move if you want sweet and heat in equal measure.
The batter is the thing. Thin, shattering, stays crispy even when drenched in sauce. No-frills setting, outstanding chicken. They also do karaoke at the Soho branch if you're feeling brave. Fully halal across all locations.
Order this: Honey chilli wings, Mad Garlic fried chicken, Korean Buffalo
Best for: Korean fried chicken wings that put most competitors to shame
Coqfighter
Islington, N1 + Liverpool St, Soho
“Nashville hot meets Thai influences. The laksa wings are iconic. Three locations, all halal, and the lunch deal is one of the best in London.”
Not just fried chicken - Coqfighter brings Thai and Nashville influences into every dish. The laksa wings are the signature, and they're unlike anything else in the city. Rich, fragrant, with a kick that builds.
Three locations: Islington (the original), Liverpool Street, and Soho. All fully halal. The lunch deal - a burger, side, and drink - is genuinely one of the best value meals in central London. Come for the Nashville burger, stay for the Thai chicken and rice.
Order this: Laksa wings, Nashville burger, Thai chicken and rice
Best for: A lunch deal that makes you question why you eat anywhere else
Chicken Shop
8 branches across London
“Simple. Consistent. Halal. Eight branches and not a single one misses. No drama, no debate. Just proper fried chicken.”
Chicken Shop does one thing and does it well. Wings, tenders, popcorn chicken, burgers. No gimmicks, no limited-edition sauces, no collabs. Just properly executed fried chicken.
Eight branches across London - Camden, Islington, Baker Street, Canary Wharf, Notting Hill, Soho, Putney, and Hammersmith. Every single one is consistent. The entire operation is halal - no pork, no alcohol on any premises. That kind of reliability is rare.
Order this: Wings, apple slaw, and the cornbread (underrated)
Best for: When you want fried chicken without having to think about it
Taikula Chicken
Brick Lane, E1
“Brick Lane's Taiwanese popcorn chicken spot. Five-spice seasoning, crispy bites, moreish in a way that should probably be illegal.”
Taiwanese-style fried chicken on Brick Lane. The popcorn chicken nuggets are the draw - bite-sized, five-spice seasoned, impossibly crispy. The hot and spicy wings and New Orleans chicken legs round out a menu that punches well above its price point.
Fully halal. The kind of spot you walk past, stop, smell the five-spice, and end up in a queue. Worth it every time.
Order this: Taiwanese popcorn chicken nuggets, hot and spicy wings
Best for: A quick Brick Lane hit that you'll be thinking about on the bus home
FOWL
Haymarket, SW1
“From the team behind Fallow. Karage chicken breast, crispy wings with bonito flakes, and a beak-to-feet philosophy. Fried chicken goes upmarket.”
FOWL is what happens when a fine dining team turns its attention to chicken. From the people behind acclaimed Fallow, this Haymarket restaurant takes a beak-to-feet approach - nothing wasted, everything considered.
The crispy chicken wings come dusted with bonito flakes. The karage chicken breast is juicy and delicate. It's fried chicken, but with the kind of technique and thought that most places reserve for tasting menus. Gluten-free options available too.
Order this: Crispy wings with bonito, karage chicken breast
Best for: A special occasion chicken dinner where fried chicken meets fine dining
Butchies
Shoreditch, EC2 + London Bridge, Clapham
“The chicken sandwich benchmark. Buttermilk-brined, hand-breaded, fried to a shatter. Three locations, all halal.”
Street food turned proper fried chicken empire. Butchies is about the sandwich - buttermilk-brined, hand-breaded, fried until the coating shatters. The OG with house sauce is the one. The Cheesy Rider adds cheese dripping and sriracha if you need extra.
Three branches: Shoreditch (the original on Rivington Street), London Bridge, and Clapham High Street. All fully halal. They came joint second at the UK Fried Chicken Championships - for the full rundown on their halal credentials, check our halal chicken guide.
Order this: The OG sandwich, loaded fries
Best for: The fried chicken sandwich - nothing more, nothing less
Morley's
South London (multiple locations)
“Open since 1985. More branches than you can count. The 2-piece meal is the move. This isn't fine dining. This is London.”
No list of London's best fried chicken is complete without Morley's. This isn't about Michelin stars or Instagram aesthetics. This is about a South London institution that has been feeding the city since 1985.
The 2-piece meal with chips is the move. BBQ wings at 2am are a rite of passage. Morley's recently partnered with Strut Safe to make their Dalston Junction and Stockwell branches official late-night safe spaces - open until 4am, no purchase needed. That's not a marketing play. That's a chicken shop understanding its role in the community.
Multiple locations across London - Peckham, Brixton, Camberwell, Lewisham, Stockwell, and more. Some things don't need reinventing.
Order this: 2-piece meal with chips, BBQ wings
Best for: The late-night chicken run that every Londoner knows
The Verdict
London's fried chicken scene is exploding. Chicken outlets across the UK grew 7% last year. Raising Cane's - America's third-biggest chicken chain - just announced its first European restaurant on Piccadilly Circus. Even the chippies are putting fried chicken on the menu. The takeover is real.
These 10 are the ones setting the pace right now. Seven are fully halal. The styles cover four continents. And we've got 800 more in the database if you're still hungry.
If you're specifically looking for halal options, check our full best halal chicken guide. For chicken after midnight, we've mapped 88 late-night spots across the city. If wings are your thing, our dedicated best chicken wings guide covers every style from Korean to Nashville to bonito. If fried isn't your thing, the Sunday roast chicken guide has you covered. And for the full story on why London is obsessed with chicken - from the Fried Chicken Championships to the Chicken Shop Date phenomenon - we went deep.
All restaurants reviewed are in The Chicken Bible's database of 800+ chicken spots across London. Scores reflect our chicken-focused rating system. Find more on chickenbible.com →
Last updated: February 2026
