BC’s Chicken Coop

For whatever reason, I tend to head toward the Asian or Latin cuisines when I’m hunting for comfort foods instead of the traditional American versions. My guess is that they all seem exotic to someone who grew up in a white bread suburb unlike dishes like fried chicken that got overexposed through corporate entities like KFC. Unsurprisingly that turned me off the whole concept for a long time and only recently have I made an effort to revisit fried chicken. BC’s Chicken Coop has a strong reputation of being one of the better chicken places around the Rochester area so we made a trip up to see what they were all about.

BC’s is located in Webster just off of 104 on Rt 250 in a small converted pizza place and they have been offering their take on fried chicken to the community for almost three years now. Since this was our first visit, we went for their most popular option which according to the owners is their 6 piece dinner with 2 sides called the Large Clutch and took a seat outside while we waited. Since all of their chicken is delivered fresh and unfrozen from Palmer’s and fried to order, there is a wait for your food but in my opinion completely worth it.

We went with their basic selection of pieces (two breasts, two thighs a drumstick and a wing section), mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and house made chips (our free side with a Yelp check in) as our feed bags (their name for sides). Due to their dry rub and marinade process, the varying cuts of chicken came out tender (white and dark meats) and well flavored not only in the skin but the meat itself as well. The meat has a distinct orange color to it due to one of the seasonings and had plenty of salt throughout for my tastes. The coated skin was all over crisp, not as greasy as would be expected and addictive. Damn good meat overall.

We sampled three of their sauces with our chicken; house BBQ, Coop sauce and Flaming Feathers. The house BBQ was an upgraded version of a classic bottled sauce and the Coop sauce was dark, sweet and tangy. Both were a bit too sweet for my tastes but not unpleasant. The Flaming Feathers was dynamite with some solid vinegar and chili kick. It kind of reminded me of Huy Fong chili garlic sauce and was a good accompaniment to the chicken, chips and some tamales the following day. I’d definitely want to buy this sauce on it’s own!

House made chips were easily the highlight of the sides that we got. Thick cut potatoes fried to a strong crisp and seasoned with their own seasoning mix were top notch in every aspect. Leftovers even stayed crisp overnight which was impressive. The mac and cheese had a smooth, relatively mild sauce and, although it wasn’t a standout, was satisfactory. Mashed potatoes had decent seasoning and texture but came out a bit cold and were the weakest of the three sides. Corn muffins were also included and a good balance between sweet and salty. Right up my alley consistency wise as well.

We spent some time chatting with both of the owners about their business and also a bunch about life in general. When you go visit BC’s don’t be surprised if you find yourself having an energetic conversation along with some of the best fried chicken in the area!

Note: Their menu also has a number of different sauces, breaded wings, gluten free items and ribs.