Harold’s Chicken Shack

This place, holy… I can’t even.
I love fried chicken, and since I was visiting Chicago a few months ago I did some Unilocal-​research on the best place to go to satisfy my craving. All of the Harold’s locations got good reviews, so I convinced my dad to drive me by the one in Bolingbrook on our way to the city one day. I am so glad I did.
This is seriously some of the moistest, most flavorful fried chicken I have ever had in my life. They cook it to order so it is perfectly crispy, not soggy, and I swear I can taste the richness of the frying oil (half veg, half beef tallow from what I’ve heard). The lady working there gave us each a chicken wing to snack on while we waited for our order to cook. It definitely got my mouth watering for my own meal. I like that it was actually served over a slice of white bread as well.
We were both so impressed with this place — my dad even said it was the best fried chicken he’d eaten since his grandmother made it way back in the day.

is this harold’s closed??? i was last there in sep ’11 and next time i went around christmas-​time all the signs were gone and the building looked like a ghost-​town! my first harold’s was from 2 different locations in hyde park so i’m kinda used to the way they did up the «everything» sauce/​seasoning. this location made the chicken to order, which is not the way all harold’s do it. anyway, after seeing all the signs missing in dec ’11, i google mapped for the closest harold’s which is in a quiet strip mall in aurora without tables, and they semi pre-​cook the chicken. anyway, to all harold’s virgies, the way to eat harold’s is to get everything slathered on it (mild, hot sauce, salt and pepper, ketchup) for a fantastic, delicious mess. my stomach is grumbling.

I simply love Harolds Chicken and I would give it four stars because they almost always have FRESH chicken, but they will receive three because the downfall is that everytime I go, they never have what I order. For instance, I tried to call in an order just for the lady to tell me they we’re out of wings and it was before the lunch rush! Really? How are you out of wings??? Then I’ll order gizzards, they out… ill order a wing/​catfish combo, no fish. I mean c’ mon… have what I want when I order it please! a little word of advice, if it’s I’m your menu, please make sure you have it in stock!
I’m pretty bummed that they dont take cards anymore! Now I need to carry cash on me!

Somebody recommended this place to me knowing that I’m a chicken-​lover. It’s a little out of my way, but one night my friends and I thought we would try the drive-​thru. Because there were 4 of us, I guess we had a pretty big order, but the girls at the window were very impatient and rude, and definitely made us feel like we were ordering too much with that «are you gone yet» attitude. When we finally got the food and took it home with us, it was just mediocre – Nothing to rave about or go out of the way for. Very disappointed.

Harold’s Chicken is a pretty famous place around Chicagoland, with pretty good fried chicken. There are a ton of locations all over.
The only reason why I would buy Popeye’s (down the street) over Harold’s is the wait time and the drive thru that isn’t always open. Popeye’s is also cheaper, since they always have coupons.
If you got some time to order in advance or wait in the restaurant, it is definitely worth a try. Ask for the hot sauce on the side and get some side dishes and you have a good meal.

It must be a geographic taste. I heard a lot of good things about Harold’s but I have had better, crisper, faster chicken without feeling like I was about to be carjacked. I would risk being jacked if the food was good, but it was soggy and tasteless. If the stuff needs this much (tabaso-​like) hot sauce what’s the point?
If you want fast fresh chicken, take a ride to White Fence Farm. Even Brown’s is better than this place (and I think they still serve gizzards and hearts).
If a trip down memory lane to the rough, south side of Chicago is your thing, this place is for you. (I wonder how long it will be before the install the bullet proof glass).

I’ll be honest. I was pleased once Harold’s decided to come to Bolingbrook. I can recall years back eating at other locations (in Chicago’s North side & northern burbs). I have to say, this chick is rock solid. The value is rock solid for what you pay for. The emphasis is on fresh and I do mean fresh. They also keep it very simple– chicken (wings & pieces), fried fish (which due to my allergies is off limits for me) and chicken livers/​gizzards (not my cup of tea at all). Since I mentioned fish, there are 2 things I need to make clear. First, the ventilation in the places is as good as one can ask– the smell of seafood can’t be noticed (if it were, trust me– I’d be the first to know). Second, no problems with cross contamination (if that were a problem, I’d never go back).
I can’t really put my finger on what they fry their chicken in but whatever it is, it works. I don’t believe it’s veggie oil alone but I could be wrong. Bad news is that it takes about 15 – 20 minutes so you have another series of choices– wait, call ahead, or come when you have more time. The trade-​off or payoff– FRESH chicken. I normally get the wings but if I’m hungry, I’ll grab a dinner (I’ll go with a ½ chicken dinner) with the standard sides of fries and cole slaw (I often don’t eat the fries but they are good). I’m a big fan of the mac & cheese as well. A worthy stop & very much worth the wait in my opinion.

Absolutely!
I wanted it all! I ordered too much! I tried to take it all down! I made myself very happy all along the Harold’s path!
I went for a concocted dinner combo not on the menu, a mixture of dark meat and chicken livers all floating atop french fries and white bread… I also ordered sweet potatoes and peach cobbler, and an A and W rootbeer…
Off the Chain!
Off the Hook!
Off the Map!
The people were great, the freshly fried chicken was juicy, flavorful, salted and peppered just right!
The Sweet potatoes were melt in the mouth scrump-​dilly-​umptious!
The peach cobbler was on point!
Next time I must grip up on some of that crazy cake they are dishin up!
Harold’s you got my attention!

So here’s what you need to know about Harold’s:
Their chicken is unique for three core reasons:
1. They cook it to order. Translation: Every order is fresh out of the fryer the moment you pick it up. Keep in mind this means you have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for your chicken to cook.
2. They cook their chicken in a mix of vegetable oil (common) and beef tallow (uncommon). Translation: Extra flavor.
3. They serve the chicken (*optionally*) dipped in hot or mild pepper sauce. Think buffalo-​wings. You can get the chicken with the sauce on the side, or with no sauce, if you prefer.
We ended up ordering 24 pieces for my son’s 4^th birthday party and the extended family loved it.
The fries are nothing special… they do the job. The bread is literally white-​bread a la Wonder bread. It, too, does the job.
The prices are hard to argue with. I’m down with Harold’s.

Harold’s chicken is pretty consistent no matter which local joint that you decide to frequent.
The staff here was great — really friendly and a lot of fun on top of it. the place is kind of a pit, but I really was not expecting anything more.
I went away from my usual ¼ chicken meal and ordered the catfish dinner and fried okra. It was really tasty. My wife ordered chicken and I had a taste of hers. She had never had Harolds before. Unfortunately, the chicken taste like it had been fried in kind of old grease which was kind of a downer.
Luckily my sister and brother in law live very close here and they enjoy Harold’s. So whenever we get the crave for Harold’s and some good company, we are heading out to Bolingbrook.

Great fresh food. I love it. $ 5 dollar lunch specials are great.

The craving for Harold’s chicken hits me, maybe, about once or twice per year. But at least I know there is one near at hand, just in case.
The hot sauce, not the meat, is what makes their wings stand out, at least in my honest opinion. How can I resist the temptation of a greasy cardboard box, filled with french fries (usually a bit to soggy), white bread, chicken wings, all doused and drowning in spicy, kick-​your-​ass, hot sauce.
This location is pretty new, and relatively clean in comparison to other Harold’s I have visited. My only complaint is that last time I got food from here, I tried to call the order in ahead of time. The woman said over the phone that my order would be ready in 20 minutes. We get there at the correct time, and still had to wait another 15. But it was worth the wait !

I am not a big fan of Harold’s, but I’d go here if I wanted some chicken close to my house. The last time I went here, the wings were tough and the fries weren’t even that good. I’ll have J&J Fish any day.

The girls wanted Harold’s bad. So who am I to say no. I let them order what they wanted and wow. They got the lunch special wings with extra BBQ sauce. Just fantastic, wings smothered in sauce on top of bread and fries. The BBQ is really good. I like this much better than the hot. Service was quick considering it was fairly crowded. Good stuff! Only sad part this was a good bye lunch as I had to layoff one of the girls.

Harold’s FINALLY comes to the the western ‘burbs. This chicken is GREAT. I actually went the very first day they opened in June of last year and I go back at least once a month :-). I consider myself a connoisseur of Harold’s Chicken and I would have to say this one is, by far, one of the best locations out there. It does take about 15 – 20 minutes since they make all orders fresh so definitely call ahead if you don’t want to wait.

The Fried Chicken King of Chicago is right! Chicken wings were crispy and stays hot for the drive home. This place gets an A+ on packaging my food right. I like how their wings sit on a bed of fries held together by 2 slices of bread, the juice soaks in the fries from the wings and taste DELICIOUS!!! I would suggest call ahead your order because it can take 10 – 15 minutes to prepare. That way you don’t have to stare at the wall while you wait.
I enjoyed the hot sauce with my gizzards, although a bit spicy… it made it all the better! Food portions are large so you better be ready to chow down or leftovers will haunt you for the next day.
Will I go back? Oh yes… holla at yo’ boy Harold!

Good chicken, sides, and close by!

Yayyyy chicken in the Burbs!!!
Okay so I never knew this place was here until yesterday– when for some odd reason I can’t remember now-​while we were in the area. Okay so it wasn’t packed but I heard from the ladies behind the counter it does get crazy there.
I feel confident in saying this is one of the best Harold’s around, we already know it can be hit or miss at different ones around the city this was BOOOMMMBBBBB.
Order as usual took between 15 – 20 minutes to prepare that nice HAWT chicken and I got some peach cobbler… now I must admit it was not THEE BEST because I do favor a crusty topping and this one was kind of liquidy… the cobbler was sweet and cinnamonee (shut up!) Very good and convenient which is hard to find in the burbs… well deserved 5 stars indeed