The Iconic Southern Food Dolly Parton Always Ate On Sundays

There have been few Southerners quite as beloved as the late, great Dolly Parton. The country singer, actress, mogul, philanthropist, and theme park owner brought joy to millions of people through her work. Much has been done to memorialize Parton after her death on August 25, 2026, from the establishment of September 25 as Dolly Parton Day in many cities and states (a nod to her role in the iconic 1980 film "9 to 5"), to a wave of donations to her Imagination Library nonprofit. For our part, we think that Parton would want to be remembered for the things that she loved, and boy did she love food. This was evident in many aspects of her life and career, from her line of frozen meals and baking mixes, to her collaboration with Jeni's Ice Cream, and the many wonderful foods found at Dollywood, her Tennessee-based theme park. Among all of her favorite foods, however, there was one that she liked to enjoy on a weekly basis: fried chicken.

In a 2022 interview with Today, Parton disclosed that she loved eating fried chicken on Sundays. According to Parton, her mother and aunts would make comfort food-rich meals for their family every week on Sunday, after church. This routine clearly made an impression on the "Jolene" singer. "I just remember things like fried chicken on Sunday was one of the greatest things ever," she told Today. She continued, "My mom was good at that, so I kind of follow her. I just remember when I tasted all that good food, any of that left an impression on me." 

Of course, fried chicken wasn't the only dish that Dolly Parton enjoyed eating during her family's Sunday dinners. Nor was it the only one she continued making even long after her rise to fame. Served alongside her family's Sunday fried chicken were dishes such as potato salad and chicken and dumplings, which she often made for fellow co-stars on film sets. In fact, according to Parton herself, the comforting Southern soup garnered her quite a bit of buzz among her co-stars. If you're wanting a bite of Parton's favorite dumplings, you can check out her recipe for them, which Parton was kind enough to post on her Instagram.

Still hungry for her fried chicken? You can always find some at Dollywood, which is known for serving up large portions of fantastic Southern and Appalachian foods. Now, if you're itching for some Dollywood-style fried chicken but can't make the trip to Tennessee, well you're in luck, because Parton shared the recipe with The Hallmark Channel. Really, the recipe is quite simple, calling for chicken, all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and oil for frying. Simply combine the dry ingredients, coat the chicken, and fry. Her recipe is relatively simple and spare, calling for no pickle juice or buttermilk brining. Then again, simplicity is key for comfort foods. For maximum true-to-Parton accuracy, serve with potato salad and, of course, some chicken and dumplings.