The Beloved Fast Food Fried Chicken You'll Only Find In 2 Southern States

Fried chicken finger restaurants in the South are easy to find. Whether it's a corner store, a local hole-in-the-wall spot, or one of the many fast food chains that specialize in the dish — like Raising Cane's, Zaxby's, and Slim Chickens — some of the best fried chicken in the U.S. lives in the Southern states. Even lesser-known chains have started making a name for themselves and cornering the market in certain areas. Guthrie's is one example, and another is Foosackly's — a fried chicken finger chain with just 17 locations in Alabama and Florida.

The oddly named chain got its start in Mobile, Alabama in April 2000 and took off from there. Owners Will Fusaiotti and Eric Brechtel expanded in Alabama and later opened two locations in Pensacola, Florida. The name Foosackly's comes from Fusaiotti's nickname in high school — a joke about how difficult his last name is to pronounce. Wildly enough, neither owner had ever fried a piece of chicken until the weekend before opening. Apparently, ignorance truly is bliss. The chain prides itself on never using frozen chicken, only fresh; along with offering house-made sauces.

Foosackly's has no doubt garnered plenty of praise for both its chicken fingers and its popular "foo sauce," which includes ingredients like mayonnaise, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. One Facebook reviewer says, "Nothing like a freshly breaded chicken, hand mixed ranch, AND kung foo sauce salad from Foosackly's. Hands down the best chicken place around here." A Redditor noted that "the sauce is amazing. I remember we'd order extra cups to dip all our fries in too." He also loved the side of toast that comes with chicken box meals.

The original location on Yelp has a 4.2 rating with plenty of good reviews. One reviewer commented, "Where do I start?! Foosackly's is absolutely amazing in every way," adding that the crinkle cut fries are crispy brown and the toast is the best out there. Another Yelper added, "What makes the Foosackly formula really work is that they focus on one thing and excel at it. "They don't have a bunch of needless variations on their menu, only chicken tenders, french fries, coleslaw, and a variety of sauces that will please everybody's tastes."

Speaking of that menu, it truly is simple. Customers are basically choosing from different sized chicken finger boxes — served with crinkle fries, Texas toast, and one to three sauces. They can also purchase a chicken finger salad, chicken sandwich, and buffalo chicken sandwich. The prices are quite fair, as well. The most ordered item is the three finger snack box that comes with fries, slaw, toast, and one sauce for just $7.99. You can also purchase a "sack" with 20 chicken fingers and four sauces for $17.76.

Being a popular fast food fried chicken chain doesn't automatically equate to good food (believe us, we've tried the eight most popular chains' chicken). While it might not be the most well-known fried chicken finger chain, Foosackly's seems to hit all the right notes. Fresh fingers, crispy fries, house-made delicious sauces, and tasty sweet tea and lemonade. It definitely looks to be worth a try if you're ever near one of its 17 locations in Alabama and Florida.