Update 8:
We had been hoping to take a long break from Fried Chicken after so many journeys (thanks in part to all the great FTC suggestions!). But a few months back, a ridiculous frenzy spread across the U.S. all due to a Fried Chicken Sandwich, and with that, another journey was born. 
Popeyes
Let me state for the record that there is no dish in the world that is worth killing another human being for. Nor is there any dish that is worth wrecking your car over! Both of these things actually happened due to the mania that infested a certain portion of our population here in the United States of America over Popeyesâ (a fast food chain!) new Fried Chicken Sandwich. Very tragic and sad.
Our 1st visit to try Popeyesâ new Fried Chicken Sandwich was during its actual initial debut (with many local Popeyes locations flooded with a line of people and cars). We had no idea how crazy it had become, having read a random article on how the new Popeyes Sandwich was âso much better than Chick-fil-Aâ (which I havenât tried since college, but thought was mediocre at best years ago).
We walked into one random Popeyes location during this 1st wave craze, and the manager said people were waiting for over 1 hour(!) for this Fast Food Sandwich. Wow.
At this level of stupidity, you might as well wait for Howlinâ Rayâs which is so much better.
But we made it to another location the following day when it opened, and were 2nd in line.
Classic Chicken Sandwich (1st Debut):
Note the size of the Fried Chicken Breast patty, and its color and texture (more on this later). Similar to @PorkyBellyâs experience, during the initial 1st Debut (before it went on hiatus), taking a bite, it was crunchy, the Fried Chicken Breast meat was moist, and while a bit salty, was actually surprisingly well-seasoned, and much better than any other Fast Food Fried Chicken Sandwich we could remember.
The Brioche Bun used while looking a bit sad was actually soft.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich:
The Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich was definitely spicier, and that was mainly due to the Spicy Mayonnaise. The Fried Chicken Breast was still sufficiently crunchy and nicely seasoned within. I could see myself enjoying one of these in a pinch from time-to-time, if there wasnât any silly wait.
Fried Chicken - Breast & Thigh:
Since we were here anyways, we decided to order their standard Fried Chicken Breast and Thigh to see how itâs evolved over the years: Itâs as @TheCookie has worried about - Total Salt bomb. 
Itâs crunchy, has some seasoning mixture that permeates into the Chicken meat itself, but it was so salty, and one of the pieces was lukewarm, totally greasy. (Clearly fried in large batches awhile ago, sitting under a heat lamp.)
Cajun Rice:
Heavily spiced and well-seasoned, the Cajun Rice was good for a bite or two, but then I noticed how the amount of Salt in all of the items here started building up and overwhelming my taste buds. 
Green Beans:
The least salty item we tried on the menu, it had an appealing savoriness from the Turkey Bacon. 
Red Beans & Rice:
Ordered because @JeetKuneBao recommended it: It was also a pretty tasty side dish.
2nd Visit:
So then the âHiatusâ hit: For those that didnât remember, the overwhelming demand for Popeyes Fried Chicken (and the inability of the staff to keep up, and it seems they kept running out of supplies (the manager at the store we went to told us they repeatedly ran out of the Brioche Buns, which is one key reason they were âsold outâ or backed up)), Popeyes removed the Fried Chicken Sandwich from all locations and went on Hiatus for 3 - 4 weeks or so?
This 2nd Visit was after the Hiatus, when Popeyes reintroduced the Fried Chicken Sandwich.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich:
First off, look at how different the Fried Chicken Breast patty looks after the long Hiatus! (Compare it to the pics I posted earlier, above that during its 1st Initial Debut.) Popeyes Corporation clearly changed the Sandwich to make it faster, easier to cook and spit out.
Taking a bite:
Salty, soggy, no crunchiness. And the Brioche Bun now tasted like cardboard. Seriously. Dry, overly firm, they changed the sourcing for the Buns as well. Awful.
Classic Chicken Sandwich:
The Classic (Non-Spicy) Fried Chicken Sandwich was the same way. Totally smashed / squashed, the Fried Chicken Breast patty was a shell of its former self from the debut, very salty, and the Bun in this Sandwich was also dried out cardboard. 
3rd Visit:
We waited a month or so, went to a 3rd random location and tried it one more time after the Hiatus, to see if it mightâve improved:
Spicy Chicken Sandwich:
Look at how squashed and flat that Sandwich is now! (Compare it again to the 1st Debut Pics above.) It tasted even sadder than it looked: Extremely salty, dried out, almost no crunch, and a Bun that still tasted like cardboard.
Awful. Avoid at all costs.
Itâs clear Popeyes stumbled onto something decent in its 1st Debut of the Fried Chicken Sandwich, and then in the chase to streamline and make it so that it could be more easily mass manufactured and spit out to meet demand, they ruined the Sandwich in the process.
To be clear it was never close to being truly a great Fried Chicken Sandwich even in its 1st Debut form, but it was decent and easily the best Fast Food Fried Chicken Sandwich around. After the streamlining and hiatus? Mediocre at best, and something I wouldnât ever want to eat again.
Popeyes Louisana Kitchen
Locations throughout Southern California
Eagle Rock Public House (Revisit)
Since we inadvertently started another Fried Chicken Journey, we were meeting our friends from Pasadena and decided to revisit Eagle Rock Public House since it was in the area.
Amwolf - German Style PIlsner (Eagle Rock Brewery):
Refreshing, crisp, but not as overly hoppy as many IPAs these days. It went great with our Fried Chicken.
Bucket of Fried Chicken (Whole Free Range Chicken, Smoked & Fried):
The one unique thing about the Fried Chicken at Eagle Rock Public House is that they smoke their Chicken first, and then fry it. The end result is a deeply smoky Fried Chicken that has a beautiful flavor permeating to the bone! 
The exterior batter is lightly crunchy, and by itself, is unique for its smokiness, some juiciness but an average batter at best. However, when dressed up with their Housemade Hot Sauces:
And it transforms their Smoked Fried Chicken into something far better! Their Housemade Hot Sauces also change throughout the seasons. On this visit, I liked their Smokey Serrano and the Thai Bird Hot Sauces the most with their Fried Chicken.
Sauteed Broccolini (Apricot Chinese Mustard, Garlic Chips):
Excellent! Their Vegetables are usually good to very good, and their Sauteed Broccolini with a Housemade Apricot Chinese Mustard was a standout.
Eagle Rock Brewery Public House
1627 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Tel: (323) 739-0081
http://eaglerockpublichouse.com/frontpage/
Tender Greens
You know when somethingâs jumped the shark when a Salad Specialist is now serving Fried Chicken Sandwiches & Fries as well! 
The K-Town Fried Chicken Sandwich (Cabbage Slaw with Lime Fish Sauce, Kimchi Cucumbers, Gochujang Glaze, Aioli):
They fried our K-Town Fried Chicken Sandwich to order (not sure if this is a regular thing or not, but at least on our visit, that was the way it was prepared), so it arrived piping hot right out of the fryer.
It was crunchy, the Bun was a touch too big for the Sandwich, but soft, and the Coleslaw with Lime Fish Sauce was actually a nice counterpoint to help balance out the Fried Chicken itself. The only issue I had with it was the Gochujang Glaze was too sweet and overwhelmed parts of the Sandwich. Next time Iâll try it without any Gochujang Glaze which should make it better.
French Fries (Included):
And each Fried Chicken Sandwich comes with an order of French Fries included, a nice touch. These were also right out of the fryer and piping hot. As a result, these were actually decent, thinner style Fries that were lightly salted. Not bad at all.
Even with the too sweet Gochujang Glaze, Tender Greensâ new Fried Chicken Sandwich was leagues ahead of Popeyes overrated Fried Chicken Sandwich.
Tender Greens
Multiple Locations throughout L.A. (See website for locations.)
https://www.tendergreens.com/
Hungry Fox
We had bookmarked this old-school, American diner serving up classic fare straight out of the 1950âs thanks to @JeetKuneBaoâs enthusiastic recommendation.
What makes it interesting is that Hungry Fox is currently run by a Thai family, and youâll see little glimpses of their cultural touch in some of the menu items.
Corned Beef Hash & Eggs:
Yes, we were on a Fried Chicken Journey but getting a chance to try old-school American Diner-style Corned Beef Hash & Eggs was too good to pass up. 
The Corned Beef Hash had that classic taste that I remembered as a little kid eating at various American diners around the country. Itâs meaty, lightly zesty, savory and just delicious! (@Gr8pimpin @wienermobile)
Their Hash Browns were perfectly crispy/crunchy with a nice crust, only lightly salted and a great combination with the Corned Beef Hash and the Sunny-Side Up Eggs.
Thai Sausage:
But the surprise to this classic American Breakfast might very well be their Thai Sausage: As @JeetKuneBao has mentioned as well, wow! This is a powerhouse of interesting Thai flavors: Bright Lemongrass, Basil and other Herbs mixed in with the Marinated Ground Pork. This was so much better than the usual American Breakfast Sausage we usually see.
Fried Chicken & Waffles:
Fried to a beautiful golden-brown, Hungry Foxâs Fried Chicken is by far the crunchiest Fried Chicken weâve had on this journey! It was super crunchy, piping hot and delicious! It didnât have any crispiness, and was a bit heavy-handed / thick crunchy batter, but the Chicken within was moist and juicy, even the Chicken Breast portion.
On the downside, it was a touch salty (but nothing like Popeyes), and the seasoning overall was rather straightforward.
Their Waffles were mediocre at best unfortunately. It was a bit thick, not crisped (even though it looked well toasted), and was serviceable. Howlinâ Rayâs Waffles (made to order) completely outclass this.
Hungry Fox was a surprise and a pleasant American Diner, with some enjoyable classics like their Corned Beef Hash & Eggs with crisped Hash Browns, and that wonderful Thai Sausage for Breakfast makes it even more interesting.
While their Fried Chicken may not be mind-blowing, it was super crunchy, fried to order, and the best Fried Chicken weâve had in the Valley so far.
Hungry Fox
13359 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA 91605
Tel: (818) 765-7111
Hotville Chicken
As with the initial pop-up disaster / debut of Hotville Chicken in Chinatown a few years back, it seems Owner Kim Prince (whose background is in TV, and is the niece of the Prince family that actually runs Nashvilleâs famous Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack), is trying to rely on her last name to get as much publicity as possible, without actually having invented nor actually knowing the recipe of Princeâs famous Nashville Hot Chicken.
One of the things thatâs very frustrating is when you run across underhanded marketing / messaging, and this is the case with Hotville Chicken. As with their pop-up a few years ago, but now even more sly, Kim Prince is pushing the PR angle that sheâs âNashville Fried Chicken Royaltyâ at every chance she can get, but without actually explicitly saying the only thing that matters (that she actually is bringing Princeâs famous Nashville Hot Chicken and its authentic recipe to L.A.). Notice the giant wall mural at their new brick & mortar location:
Itâs subtle at first: You see an old black & white picture of the Prince Family from Nashville, Tennessee. And it states that they are âthe Pioneers of Nashville Hot Chicken since the 1930âs.â
THEN, you see a random (lame) quote from Hotvilleâs Owner, and her name is bolded âKim Princeâ.
Notice that they are trying to infer / slyly try to show that one truth (the OG Prince Family in Nashville were the pioneers of Nashville Hot Chicken since the 1930âs - which is true), is somehow tied to Kim Prince (a niece of the current owner) having her name in bold, as if by association and some pictures on the wall, customers would be stupid enough to think that Hotville Chicken is Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack. 
Then look at their menu, with another subtle underhanded Marketing stunt:
Owner Kim Prince writes a story about how Nashville Hot Chicken was invented (that is well documented by the actual Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville in various videos and stories). It then talks about how the Prince family holds the recipe and itâs at Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack.
All of that is the truth and fine in-and-of itself.
THEN, the next paragraph just jumps to saying a bunch of nothing but hoping customers infer that this Hotville is bringing Princeâs Hot Chicken here, but itâs not. It beats around the bush saying stuff like âToday, Hotville Chicken brings the pride of Nashvilleâs fiery-fried fowl to Los AngelesâŚâ And then she bolds her name yet again âKim Princeâ to stress the fact that yes, her last name is the same last name as the real Prince family that invented Nashville Hot Chicken. But what kind of empty, soulless Marketing rhetoric is there in stating âbrings the pride of NashvilleâŚâ?
Itâs meaningless. But itâs subtle enough that they canât be sued, because they didnât state anything explicit that actually matters.
To make matters worse, the local media is just regurgitating the same meaningless PR / Marketing spiel as if it was noteworthy. The L.A. Times, Eater LA and other articles written about Hotville Chicken all write the same things, how Hotville Chicken is âHot Chicken Royaltyâ or continually spouting that âKim Prince is the niece of Andre Prince Jeffriesâ (the OG family that runs Nashvilleâs famous Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack).
Think about how lazy and meaningless that is. Itâs like saying:
-
âABC is the niece of Chef Michael Cimarusti (Providence)! Sheâs Sustainable Seafood Royalty!â
-
âXYZ is the 2nd cousin of Chef Wolfgang Puck! Heâs California Italian Cuisine Royalty!â
Stop and think about how stupid that sounds.
So what if someone is related to a famous Chef? This isnât the British Monarchy, where just because youâre related by blood, it automatically makes you any more privileged or special, or have the same cooking prowess as the famous Chef in your family.
The local publications should be ashamed. Itâs just lazy journalism that says nothing. 
Notice nowhere on the PR/Marketing of the restaurant or in articles does it say:
- Hotville Chicken is bringing the original Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack recipe to L.A.! (because itâs not.)
OrâŚ
- Hotville Chicken is the first official branch of Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack in L.A.! (because itâs not.)
As noted in the previous FTC thread on Hotville Chicken, haven spoke with the actual owner of Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack (Andre Prince Jeffries), she emphatically distanced herself and Princeâs Hot Chicken from this Hotville venture from her niece. Itâs not Princeâs Hot Chicken, and if you Google images, it doesnât even look the same.
Itâs just disingenuous, underhanded and feels like theyâre trying fool the L.A. folks into thinking this is somehow a piece of Princeâs Hot Chicken, and itâs not. (@J_L @PorkyBelly @TheCookie @CiaoBob @Gr8pimpin @attran99 @JeetKuneBao @paranoidgarliclover and others.)
The decor of the new brick & mortar Hotville is fine; it looks like an actual working restaurant now (compared to the pop-up location).
They offer 4 levels of heat at Hotville, we started with:
Fried Chicken (Half) - Leg Quarter (Level 1 - West Coast Plain) + Breast Quarter (Level 2 - Cali Mild):
First, the Level 2 âCali Mildâ is actually spicy. Secondly, it tastes synthetic / one note, and just âspicyâ for the sake of spicy. Itâs not even close to Howlinâ Rayâs, and it is not hyperbole in saying Popeyesâ Spicy Fried Chicken has more nuance than Hotvilleâs Level 2 Cali Mild Spice.
And lastly, itâs totally overcooked and dry (see pictures above). Terrible.
Just one look at the weak batter and pale color and it had us worried: The initial bite was fine. Itâs not terrible Fried Chicken, but their Level 1 âWest Coast Plainâ is much better than their Spicy Chicken (which is sad, considering their name). The batter is slightly crunchy (barely) and decently seasoned.
Fried Chicken Wings (4) - Level 3 Music City Medium:
This was searing spicy! But not in an interesting way, just really, really pure spicy, and one note, and it had this weird chemical taste that was unpleasant.
And itâs nowhere near as crazy as, say, Howlinâ Rayâs Level 4 Hot (that has Ghost Chili Pepper and other spices), but itâs an immediate searing spiciness.
Potato Salad:
Average Potato Salad. Not bad, but on the sweeter side.
The âShaw (Fried Chicken Sandwich) - Level 2 Cali Mild + Mac & Smokinâ Cheese (Side):
Mac & Smokinâ Cheese:
Cheese-heavy (not as creamy), but a decent Mac & Cheese rendition. We couldnât taste any âSmokinâ Cheeseâ per the name.
Kale Slaw:
I appreciate that theyâre incorporating Kale into their Coleslaw to make it healthier, but this had way too much Sugar. It was very sweet, lightly dressed with Mayo.
As for the Fried Chicken Sandwich itself? As you can see from the pics above, really greasy, the batter was borderline soggy, with a few sections having some crunchiness (barely). And as before, with the Level 2 Cali Mild Spice level, it was noticeably spicy, but tasted synthetic and boring (just pure heat).
This was during their opening week, so we were hoping they might improve themselves. Despite their disingenuous Marketing tactics, we wanted to give them a fair shake.
2nd Visit:
Fried Chicken (Half) - Leg Quarter (Level 1 - West Coast Plain) + Breast Quarter (Level 2 - Cali Mild):
The Fried Chicken Leg Quarter as Level 1 âWest Coast Plainâ was even worse this 2nd visit. The batter was oil-laden, barely crunchy, a bit soggy in parts, and saltier than before (just look at the pic above).
Fried Chicken - Breast Quarter (Level 2 - Cali Mild):
The Fried Chicken Breast portion at Level 2 âCali Mildâ was the same as before: Whatever Hotville spice they are trying to develop is so laughably bad, it tastes like some weird synthetic compound they are throwing on the Fried Chicken to make it immediately spicy, but with zero nuance.
And it was completely overcooked yet again (see pics above). Dry, chalky, and synthetic Fried Chicken.
Fried Fish (Swai):
Hotville uses Swai for their Fried Fish. Some versions of Swai at other restaurants in the past have been OK, but on this visit, the Fried Swai Fish was gross: It was a bit slimy inside (not âmoistâ), it tasted super muddy (worse than any Catfish dish weâve had in recent memory), and while the Cornmeal battered exterior was crunchy and appealing, it was really off-putting with the sliminess and taste of dirt, and it was rather greasy.
Our friends and I all got sick after eating on this visit (and none of us had breakfast). 
3rd Visit:
Against all reasoning, we decided to come back a 3rd time to see if Hotville could improve (and brought even more friends to make sure we werenât crazy).
The 'Shaw (Fried Chicken Sandwich) - Level 1 West Coast Plain + Seasoned Fries:
Their Fried Chicken Sandwich on this 3rd visit was adequate at best: The breading was a bit soggy, not crunchy, and a bit greasy. The weird color variation (see pic above) is indicative that they probably didnât fry this evenly, nor at the right temperature considering how oily it tasted. The Bun was a bit firmer than weâd like, but at least it wasnât cardboard like Popeyesâ current version.
Seasoned Fries:
Mediocre mass-produced Sysco Fries. These were soggy, with barely any crisp, and tasted like the generic mass-manufactured Frozen Fries you find at many nondescript places around town. Avoid.
Fried Chicken (Half) - Breast Quarter (Level 1 - West Coast Plain) + Leg Quarter (Level 2 - Cali Mild):
The Fried Chicken Breast as a Level 1 âWest Coast Plainâ was even worse than before: Uneven battering, slightly soggy, slight crunchiness, and as before on our previous visits, totally overcooked and dried out.
Fried Chicken Leg Quarter (Level 2 - Cali Mild):
From this 3rd visit, their spicy seasoning has not improved: It is still as boring, one-note, and chemically tasting as before. (Not one of our friends on this visit liked Hotvilleâs spicy flavoring.) And as seen in the pics above, it was really greasy and oil-laden and soggy, barely crunchy in parts.
In the end, Hotville Chicken is a mediocre Fried Chicken spot, using underhanded PR/Marketing tactics to try and fool people into thinking that itâs somehow Nashvilleâs Princeâs Hot Chicken Shack in some form, which it isnât. Their plain Fried Chicken is adequate (for the Leg quarter), better than Supermarket Fried Chicken, but avoid any version of their Fried Chicken Breast, as itâs completely overcooked every single time weâve tried. Their spicy seasoning is downright awful: Just a pure type of heat for the sake of being âspicyâ with a weird synthetic, one-note boring taste to it.
For some folks thinking this might give Howlinâ Rayâs a run for its money, itâs nowhere in the same league. This easily falls to the bottom of L.A.'s Spicy Fried Chicken offerings. Weâre in no hurry to return.
Hotville Chicken
4070 Marlton Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90008
Tel: (323) 792-4835
Gusâs Fried Chicken (Revisit)
We did an immediate stop at Gusâs OG L.A. location on Pico, after our mediocre visit to Hotville, for a quick point of reference (and some of our friends hadnât tried Gusâs yet).
Fried Chicken (Half):
Gusâs only serves their Fried Chicken in 1 style: Hot & Spicy. Taking a bite into their Fried Chicken Breast was met with cheers by everyone in our group. It was moist, juicy, and while a touch salty, it had a good light crispiness and a decent heat. Just look at the picture above compared to Hotvilleâs completely overcooked disaster.
Their Fried Chicken Thigh, Drumstick and Wing were all moist and had a thin crispiness (no real big crunch), and while they were all leaning a bit salty and their spiciness was straightforward, compared to the synthetic boring heat at Hotville, this felt like a masterpiece.
It still falls far short of Howlinâ Rayâs, but this was so much better than Hotville in every way. Everyone in our group felt the same way.
Slaw:
Lightly sweet, not too heavy on the Mayo, this tasted like a safe, standard Slaw and was an OK accompaniment to the Fried Chicken.
Collard Greens:
Earthy, a bit salty, but it was nice getting something green on this Fried Chicken Journey, so I was happy to take what I could get.
Gusâs Fried Chicken
1262 Crenshaw Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Tel: (323) 402-0232
Manuela
Manuela is the latest restaurant helmed by Chef Kris Tominaga (formerly of The Hart and the Hunter (Melrose) fame). Whatâs interesting about Manuela is that it occupies a space within the Hauser & Wirth building in the Arts District in Downtown L.A. Here youâll find an art gallery, retail stores, a beautiful open-air courtyard, and a full Herb & Vegetable garden, along with an open air Chicken Coop.
Fried Chicken Sandwich (Jalapeno Bread & Butter Pickles, Celery Aioli):
Chef Kris Tominagaâs take on the Fried Chicken Sandwich is rather unique: The Bread is pillowy soft (great!), the batter for the Fried Chicken Sandwich seems more akin to a Beer Batter for Fish & Chips rather than the craggy batter you see on most of these Sandwiches, but it works: Itâs lightly crispy with some crunch, with moist juicy Chicken meat within. The Jalapeno Chilies provide direct, light spiciness from a natural source (as opposed to all of these elaborate (or bad) recipes of various spices and oils that some restaurants are using).
The seasoning was fine, but lacks that deep crave-worthy depth that Howlinâ Rayâs Sando instills with each bite. Overall, weâd be fine enjoying another one of these Fried Chicken Sandwiches, and it is easily much better than Popeyes over-hyped mess.
Manuela
907 E. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tel: (323) 849-0480
(Sorry, hit the Max Character Limit - To Be Continued in Next PostâŚ)