Add Honey’s Kettle to Your Honey-Do List for Great Fried Chicken

 Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken

9537 Culver Blvd. 

Culver City, CA 90232

Fresh from our visit to The Getty, we needed some nourishment after checking out their incredible collection. I'm no art buff, but I was impressed with everything I saw this afternoon in early January. There were paintings, sculptures, furniture, photographs, and gardens to take in. The views from this museum perched above Brentwood were almost as breathtaking as those inside the galleries. 

After walking around for nearly four hours, we needed some nourishment before we tackled the roughly two-hour drive back to OC. I had pre-planned for this by looking at numerous dining options near The Getty. With much deliberation, I decided to cross another restaurant off my restaurant wishlist, one that has been on there forever and was only twenty minutes away, Honey's Kettle in Culver City. 

Starting twenty-four years ago in Compton, Vincent Williams, aka Chef Vinny, brought Honey's Kettle to life. After a six-year run in Compton, he moved the business to downtown Culver City, where he has gained plenty of love for his fried chicken. Almost any list of the best-fried chicken in LA mentions this place. His kids and other family members are now working alongside him, and there's been talk of expansion, but nothing has yet to be announced. 

We arrived here at half past three, in the sweet spot, to avoid the lunch and dinner rush. I've read they can get busy during meal times, but we walked in and ordered at the register without waiting at this odd dining hour. They do not have a large dining area, but there's a nice patio out front in case no tables are available. 

The Honey's Kettle menu is divided into four sections: classic meals, original concepts, what's cooking, and baked goods. Despite all the advanced research I had done before coming here, their menu was a lot to take in. We both made our selections, ordering way too much food, but figured we'd take the rest home for us. After a wait of 15 minutes, our number was called, and we were set to dig in. 

Katie does not like eating anything off the bone, including ribs and fried chicken, so she opted for the 3-Piece Breast Strip Meal ($16.25). These were some delicious chicken strips. They tasted fresh and juicy, and the batter coating them was light and not greasy. They came out scaldingly hot. Katie selected their house sauce for dipping, and it resembled Cane's sauce but was less peppery, but oh so good. The fries were nice and crisp and might not have been frozen fries. I was not expecting much from the biscuit, but it was terrific. They provided some packets of honey and butter; this was the best biscuit I've had in years. I'll get extra next time. Katie finished her meal with a side of Macaroni Salad ($4.85). Too much Mayo-based dressing covered the macaroni, which was too sweet for my taste. Katie liked it more than I did. 

I selected the Blackboard Special ($17.25), and after my initial bite of the fried chicken, I immediately regretted not getting a meal with more pieces. This meal comes with two pieces of chicken, rice or mashed potatoes, a biscuit, and sweet pickles. This is the best fried chicken I have had. The breading was extremely crunchy, and the chicken underneath was moist and juicy, even the chicken breast, which is not always the case at other chicken restaurants. My mouth still waters thinking of this chicken. The mashed potatoes had plenty of gravy, and the biscuit was fantastic. I'm usually a fan of pickles, but these sweet pickles were addictive. A really great meal that I did not want to end. 

At the last minute, Katie added these Crispy Peppers, Veggies, and Fries ($8.95) while we were ordering. This big side could easily feed four people for less than nine dollars. It reminded me of fair food. Deep-fried and crispy, the peppers, green beans, sweet potatoes, fries, and whatever else they put in here were made even better with their house sauce. Get these instead of the fries; you won't need them after this. 

Honey's Kettle was worthy of all the hype. Their fried chicken was, as the kids say, fire. Of course, I have yet to try all the fried chicken out there, so if you think one is better, I'd love to hear about it. Right now, this is the leader in the clubhouse. My sides were a level below the chicken but worth getting, especially the biscuits, mashed potatoes, and veggie fries. I'd like to try the coleslaw and hotcakes the next time I visit. It took a little time for our food to come out, but we had everything in the bag we could have needed when it did. Plenty of honey, hot sauce, napkins, and sauces was included. We were a little drowsy after all the fried food, but Katie did a great job getting us back home. 

Out of five ruby red slippers (because The Wizard of Oz was filmed in Culver City and one of the most iconic items from that movie was Dorthy's shoes), five being best to zero being worst, Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken gets 4 ruby red slippers. 

For more information about Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken, head to their website by clicking here: https://honeyskettle.com/