Babe’s Chicken House

When you are on the road there is always one type of familiar food that you can’t wait to eat once you return home.  This week my husband was working Jamaica.  Normally, I would be green with envy and little bit pouty, but he was actually in a fairly bad part of the country and safety considerations made it so that he needed to stay pretty close to the hotel.  Not so very fun for him and also extremely limiting for his culinary experiences.  Once he was back at home, he was hankerin’ for some good Southern comfort food.  So, we hit the road for Babe’s Chicken House.

Babe’s is somewhat of a local phenomenon and it certainly the place to go if you are visiting and want to savor the regional fare.   The dark, wood paneled walls are covered with clever Texisms and enough stuffed chickens to start your own coop.  You might get the feeling you were eating in a barn if it weren’t for the juke box in the corner and the yummy smells coming from the kitchen.  It is a bit dark underneath the low ceiling and can get a little noisy during the dinner hour.  In my book, these two things make for a great family restaurant. Low light and noise covers a multitude of kid related sins and allow a relaxed atmosphere for mom and dad.

When Babe’s first opened in 1993, they had two things on the menu: fried chicken or chicken fried steak.   As they have added restaurants to other cities in North Texas, they have expanded their menu some, but it is still limited enough that the wait staff just rattles off the available meats.   Along with fried chicken and chicken fried steak you can also choose from smoked chicken, roast beef, and fried catfish.  Vegetarians, this is not the place for you.

Babe’s hangs their hat on their meat and they do not disappoint.  The fried chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  The chicken fried steak is so tender you can cut it with a fork.  The smoked chicken is by far my favorite, with flavor all the way to the bone.  Just when you are drooling over the meat, they bring out the sides.  Green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, and cream gravy are served family style in bottomless bowls.  Let me warn you folks, this is not the healthy part of the meal that makes up for the large amount of cholesterol in the meat.  These beans have a Paula Deen amount of butter and bacon grease.  The corn is so sweet it’s almost a dessert.  The made from scratch biscuits are so flaky that you will let three melt in your mouth before you know it.

This is about as close to the ‘way mom makes it southern Sunday dinner’ as you can get anywhere.  There is one noted missing element: sweet tea.  Babe’s does not serve the kind of over the top sweet tea that is the perfect complement to a great Southern meal.  Of course, considering the amount of diet destroying we did with the meal, maybe that’s a good thing.

~Know Before You Go~

There are ten Babe’s Chicken House locations across North Texas.  Most are located in a quaint downtown area where you can walk off your meal while looking at some great antique shops.

Menu is prix fixe at 11.99 for adults and 3.99 for kids.

This post is a part of Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick