Jim's Fried Chicken

[SSEiYah]

10811 NE 23rd St Oklahoma City, OK 73141

I have to say after eating dinner there this evening, this is hands down the best "cheap" fried chicken joint I've ever been to. The chicken I had was better than Eischen's in my opinion. Eischens (been there a few times) seemed too greasy, Jim's is very crispy and the chicken itself is very juicy. The sides are very good as well, I had red beans and rice (very good) and mashed potatoes and gravy (pretty good). Sides are pretty small, but the chicken portions are very good for the price. Its well worth the 20 minute drive is all I gotta say.

Be sure to request it "made to order" or what not. They do have pieces under the heat lamps, but they will fry it fresh if you ask them to (takes about 15 minutes).

[UncleCyrus]

This place has been there for a while, hasn't it? It seems like I've driven by there for years but still haven't been inside. Thanks for the review. I will probably check it out now.

[Head]

Uncle Cyrus? From the Bomb?

This place has been there for a while, hasn't it? It seems like I've driven by there for years but still haven't been inside. Thanks for the review. I will probably check it out now.

[RadicalModerate]

Back in the '70s I used to eat at Jim's Fried Chicken at least once a week. It was great back then and I'm glad to hear it is still open. Unlike the rest of the chicken places, they still had that piece of chicken called the "keel" which is like the tenderloin of the breast. (That may not still be the case.). Here is how cool these people are: My mother knows someone who needed a big batch of chicken for something involving a church activity (maybe it was a funeral dinner?) and one of the people who worked at Jim's either came in early--or on a day that they were going to be closed--and cooked up the order. How nice is THAT?

[stick47]

This place has been there for a while, hasn't it? It seems like I've driven by there for years but still haven't been inside. Thanks for the review. I will probably check it out now.

40 years or so I think. Used to live out that way and Jims' Chicken uses the same recipe now that they did back then.

[Roger S]

I know they were there when I moved to Choctaw around 1980. That's 33 years so they could have easily been there 40+ years.

I don't know if it's been the same owners all those years but nothing has changed from how I remember it as a teenager with the exception of a few more sides have been added.

[frontallobotomy]

I love fried chicken so I'll have to give this place a try.

[RadicalModerate]

I seem to recall that--way back in the day--the place was owned by a fellow named Jim Moore. I think his dad once had a little drive-in somewhere in MWC (like on Post or Douglas at Reno or 15th). One of the many things that made this place special was the fact that you could get a whole pickled jalapeno on the side if you wanted it (and this was long before jalapenos were well known and popular). They also had some really tasty rolls that I don't think were made on site, but he apparently picked an extra good supplier. You could get a "center breast" (a keel), a roll, a pickled jalapeno and a drink for a VERY reasonable price. Then, as now, they were big on "frying to order" but always had some more than decent chicken ready to go for those in more of a hurry.

The only competition for Jim's was a little place on down the road called Edie's Broasted Chicken. It's long gone but their product was darn good too. The problem was that they almost never seemed to be open. I think the lady running it was in her 70s or 80s and that may have something to do with it. (well . . . there were also The Best Slow/Long Simmered Hot Links down at Strawn's Corner, but this conversation is about chicken and those hot links--good as they were, on a slice of white bread with mustard--may not technically have been "food" . . . =)

[Roger S]

The only competition for Jim's was a little place on down the road called Edie's Broasted Chicken. It's long gone but their product was darn good too. The problem was that they almost never seemed to be open.

I never got to try Edie's. Probably because during my high school years I can probably count on one hand the number of times I ever saw it open.

[RadicalModerate]

I never got to try Edie's. Probably because during my high school years I can probably count on one hand the number of times I ever saw it open.

And that, Sir, is just one more reason to never doubt my recollectional veracity on ANY issue. =)
(yeah . . . right . . . =)

(they used t' serve some fair t' middlin' alternatives t' Tony's "Healing Scab on Crust" Pizza at The Hobby Hut . . .
and not just pickled eggs that had achieved that nearly mystical shade of bluish green
a quality for which pickled eggs are prized and noted by some . . .
yet which caused a vague sense of internal discomfort every time i saw them . . .
lurking, undusted, on the top shelf under the neon light. =)

Yet, Jim's Fried Chicken was always the Go-To place . . .
For a REAL meal deal . . . better chicken than Eishen's, without the drive, plus alternatives to okra as a side. yup. =)

(all of that may have a connection with why i became a Hobby Cook . . .
and why I thought the chicken leg sticking out of the chicken pot pie
at the new place downtown was such a great concept. =)

[ewoodard70]

From what I was told by my parents that live in the area. Jim Moore retired and his kids took over and almost ruined the place. It was bought by some else and he is using Jim's recipe now. He added new sides and is currently expanding into Shawnee.

[RadicalModerate]

Dang. Those wacky kids . . . Yet . . . On the bright side . . . . . . . . . . . . .
didn't Sonic start in Shawnee? . . . (never mind . . . not relevant . . . =)

btw: it's cool that you asked your parents to verify the reality of the situation and didn't argue with them regarding their response. =)

side note: since The Real Jim (of Jim's Fried Chicken) retired: i'm glad he had kids. next to perfect fried chicken for the public he also loved tropical fish. left a relative in charge of them one time and somehow all the fish died due to ineptitude or apathy or whatever, i suppose. I HONESTLY hope that Jim will be able to reap at least a bit of the reward of having worked so hard for so long to provide a nearly perfect product for someone else in this context. (no kidding, no joke)

(btw: the rest of Nicoma Park was all about raising chickens for gambling/gaming purposes that have since been outlawed . . . well, not "the rest" of Nicoma Park . . . =)

wow . . . is it possible that Aubrey Mc . . . (nah. nevermind =)

[Roger S]

(all of that may have a connection with why i became a Hobby Cook . . .
and why I thought the chicken leg sticking out of the chicken pot pie
at the new place downtown was such a great concept. =)

The chicken leg sticking out of pot pie is pure comfort food genius. I nearly drowned on saliva the first time I saw a picture of that.

[RadicalModerate]

I guess the best thing about Jim's Fried Chicken is/was that he NEVER tried to "diversify" the menu.
The idea seemed to be: This is what we do. We do it very well. Don't ask for something else. Something else is not what we do.
(Without being all "Soup Nazi"/"take it or leave it" about it. =)

btw (not a "comfort thought"): the day that Chicken Mac and Cheese appears on the menu at Jim's Fried Chicken is the day the music died. =)
(it involves an entirely different skillset and cooking set to make pasta right . . . stick with fries . . . tofu fries are better than bad pasta)

[BlackmoreRulz]

Isn't the full name of this place "Jim's Fried Chicken to Go"?

We worked on the building of a school out there in Harrah in about 1979 or 1980 and we used to drive back to Jim's almost every single day for lunch, definitely good stuff.

[Corndog1]

It's pretty good, not great. Better than KFC or th drive to eischens for sure. I think Cajun king chicken is better, but Jim's sure is close for me. They did change owners about 2yrs back. He struggled at first but is getting it together now. He opened another place not Jim's in Shawnee mall which kinda took him away to much, but has gotten th help to run them both now. He has decided to open another Jim's in mcloud soon and is taking apps to start training folks in nicoma park to move to th mcloud one when it opens. Food is good and not expensive. Red beans and rice are best items, they still have th peppers in some of th meal deals, use kings Hawaiian roles these days, but sell all kinds of other stuff like tamales that kinda seems weird these days. Worth th eat if u don't have to travel to far, but I wouldn't travel to get it unless I just needed a drive for th day.

[RadicalModerate]

Yo, Corndog: Sorry you done missed the closin' of Maggie's Kitchen out there in Harrah (back in maybe '78)...it was AWESOME p. . . not the closing so much as the "Plate Lunches" prior to that date with destiny/kismet . . . You might have imagined that the little shack that was an actual House with a Kitchen would fall down around your ears or that the entire old house floor would collapse on account o' the weight o' the "Chicken Fries w/gravy" but it was a small price to pay for quality.

Thankfully, Jim's Fried Chicken continues to stand on a firm foundation--in the original building that never included a bar--in the pursuit of excellece regarding poultry.

The only memory of better chicken I can recall was Shipman's in OKC somewhere in that formerly slummy area down around TireTown . . . on Robinson 'r whatever.

[BBatesokc]

With all this recent talk about the place, our lunch bunch had to give it a try yesterday.

Coming from downtown, it seemed like quite the drive to seek Jim's out - though in reality it was probably only about 20 minutes.

We were encouraged upon pulling in to the establishment.... small mom and pop looking free standing structure, old but maintained and a parking lot full of pickup trucks (always a good sign).

Our anticipation grew as we walked in and the place was about 1/2 full of real cowboys and hard working, dirty hand and coverall types (another good sign). The interior is old, mismatched, very clean and exudes "come on in and eat, chat and fill up on really good non-fancy schmancey grub."

Reminded me of how you always remember that special small town diner, cafe, coffee shop when you were a kid and would visit the grandparents or go to the lake for the weekend.

Its an order at the counter kinda place with an informal menu taking up an entire wall next to the register. Saw a couple of ladies and a gentleman in the kitchen - all smiles and 'hello's' and 'welcome's.'

We pretty much all ordered the same thing - 2 pieces with three sides and drinks (about $18 for three of us).

Personally, I'm no fried chicken connoisseur and I consider Church's to be about as good as anyone's and Eischen's to only be better because of the atmosphere, nostalgia and experience. And maybe that sentiment seeped a bit into my experience at Jim's.... but we all agreed it was pretty damn good chicken by any standard. VERY hot, crispy without being 'extra' crispy and every bite had beads of juice that require a quick napkin dab to the chin.

The sides (as with the drinks) are served in nature's archenemy, styrofoam, and would be considered by most to be on the conservative side when it comes to quantity - but not quality. The beans and rice were a perfect complement to the chicken and the mac & cheese was 'mom style.' The corn on the cob was cooked perfectly and very sweet and tender. I personally could have used more butter on mine, but that's an individual taste thing.

Ask for a bottle of hot sauce and give just about everything a shake or two if you want to kick it up a notch.

We were in and out in 35 minutes and all agreed it was really good, but unfortunate it felt so far away.

Would we go back? Absolutely. Regularly? Probably not. Worth experiencing at least once if you don't live in the area? You bet.

Thanks SSEiYah for the initial recommendation.