Kristen Kish's Favorite Chicken Dish Is A Classic Kids' Menu Staple

"Top Chef" winner and host Kristen Kish has a vast background and numerous accolades when it comes to cooking. She's been able to taste quite a few dishes from all around the globe, evident by perusing her collection of deliciously unique recipes. Because of her sophisticated culinary history, it might come as a surprise that this celebrity chef's favorite chicken dish is just a simple, classic, kids' menu staple: chicken fingers!

"My ultimate dish for myself is, without question, hands down, delivery or takeout chicken fingers, french fries, ranch dressing, and mayonnaise," she told Kirk Bachmann in an episode of "The Ultimate Dish" podcast. "Hits every time. Hits. Every. Time."

Unlike some of her television contemporaries, Kish has the culinary chops to back up her bold stance. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago before moving to Boston, where she worked under acclaimed restaurateur Barbara Lynch as Chef de Cuisine at both Stir and Menton. And while her professional experience surely influenced her contemporary French- and Italian-inspired cuisine, chicken fingers are still Kish's ultimate comfort food (and no, they're not the same as chicken tenders).

Despite her professed love for chicken fingers, you probably won't find them on the menu at Kristen Kish's elegant Arlo Grey restaurant anytime soon. Although she is known for a modern, easy style that earned her the win on "Top Chef," Kish is more inclined to channel the essence of comfort food into more refined dishes. This philosophy is perhaps best personified during her time on "Fast Foodies," where she and other "Top Chef" alumni would recreate their favorite fast food items, and then reinterpret them as elegant cuisine.

Arlo Grey does not have a plate of chicken fingers on the menu. If you're heading to the restaurant in Austin, Texas, don't expect to see deep-fried strips and plain mayonnaise. Instead, you'll find decidedly more adult iterations with grown-up accompaniments. The Happy Hour menu features a crispy chicken sandwich, for example, which is served with gochugaru oil, cabbage and fermented chili aioli, and cucumber. The dinner menu features a chicken schnitzel with fresh corn grits and pickled okra. So while you might not catch Kish's restaurant serving up an order of Arby's-inspired fingers with curly fries (her favorite fast food order), Arlo Grey has something for everyone.