After some thorough research on the intranets for the best fried chicken in charlotte, I came across the shell gas station on the corner of east and south. The quik shoppe is literally located in between the candy rack and the windshield washer fluid. My Uber driver told me it was a place only locals know about and at midnight or so, the line is wrapped around pump #5 with drunkards getting it in. Yes. My kind of place nothing fancy. Cheap food. And a mean ole lady who didn't help me at all. Well not mean, just uncaring. But who cares about the lunch lady, let's see what the hype is all about. I ended up with a modest 12 piece, wedges, and mac and cheese.
Perhaps I had made some mistakes. I don't know. I went there at noon and not midnight. But the chicken was piping hot. Maybe i was sober. Maybe I had my hopes up too high.
The chicken. There was good In it. For one, the meat had a texture and consistency which I've never had in chicken. It was soft and velvety. Almost like a chocolate mousse. The crust was perfectly crunchy with plenty of black pepper and spices. But beyond the crust and cloud like texture, the meat wasn't seasoned. I've been taught how to make chicken by the best. Rule 1 is always add a shot load of seasoning before you coat in flour. Rule 2 is never season the flour much. It tends to burn off in the oil. But I gotta say though, this was some pretty legit chicken. Better than bojangles to say the least. Not better than Popeyes. Damn. Imagine Popeyes flavor with this places texture. Damn.
The wedges. Holy crap. Some damn good wedges. And they weren't skimpy with it. Lovely lunch lady gave me an entire containers worth. At least 25 spears worth. Lightly coated and fried. Heavily flavored.
The mac and cheese. Skip it. Trust me
Overall this place is all right. Definitely local. Local is good. It's definitely fresh never frozen. That is also good.
Tips. don't do sober.