I ♥ Atlanta - Fried Chicken Dinner @ Paschal's (ATL Terminal C)

Had a stopover in Atlanta Airport recently and wanted to share my dinner that turned out decent (for airport food anyway). Hartsfield-Jackson now has two Paschal's outlets and sounded like a good plan to check one of them out. According to Chowhounder maestrette, "the original Paschal's restaurant is an Atlanta institution in business since 1947. It was the site of many strategy meetings held by Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders during the 1960s."

I ended up at the casual sit down location in Terminal C. The one in Terminal A is an express counter. Although I took the time to carefully look over the menu on the official online site, the offerings at the airport unfortunately seemed to have been watered down considerably. I'm guessing to cater to the majority indifferent transient crowd (Nachos anyone?). But lucky for me they did manage to save the fried chicken plate that I was set on. The roast chicken and meatloaf with special gravy were also enticing though.



I'm not sure how close this airport rendition of Paschal's famous recipe Southern fried chicken compares to the brick and mortar original's but thought it was pretty decently executed for one that was most probably done in a deep fryer (a cast iron skillet would be my preferred way). The seasoning seemed a bit light and maybe young with the buttermilk brine (if it were done the way), but was a nice large and juicy quarter leg portion with a relatively lighter crust. White meat is optional of course.

The two side choices were Mac and Cheese and candied yams. Switched out the small green salad to instead a third side of steamed cabbage cause I like to keep it real which made it a more classic Meat and Three plate. The candied yams were awesome, very cinnamony and reminded me of Christmas to come. The cabbage was only ok, tasting a little stringent and thought it could've been cooked in a little more lube, either in butter or classic pork fat form. The Mac and Cheese was actually better than I thought it would be with some nice caramelized bits from the edges of the pan. A reminder here that these country kitchen M&C's are not your fancy triple cheese concoction that may have won an online recipe contest or two. This is Mac and Cheese made for those that eat it often. Good, simple, and comforting.

Atlanta International Airport - Terminal C, 6000 N Terminal Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30320