Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken

Lee’s chicken and biscuits are so far above KFC they’re not even in the same food group.
This review is actually about the folks doing the work though. Last week I picked up an order for 100 pieces of chicken, 15 pounds of green beans, 15 pounds of mac and cheese and 50 biscuits. First, the food was piping hot. Second, the employees carried it to the truck for me. Third, I arrived at the church where we were delivering the food and the 41 gentlemen immediately could smell that wonderful aroma and I overheard one say «OH! That’s LEE’S CHICKEN!!» Fourth, the food stayed warm but was never soggy (soggy fried chicken is gross) and everyone, from the gentlemen we were feeding to the helpers serving, got enough to eat and were raving about how wonderful it was. I commend the staff for always ALWAYS serving up fantastic food with a smile and a kind word. And thank you for making me look good for choosing Lee’s!

This was my first time here. The chicken was really good. Nice crunch skin! I love that. The chicken was moist and I got 2 breasts for a 2 piece. I tried a regular and a spicy. While both were good, I like the flavor of the original better.
I ordered the green bean and potato wedges to come with it. I loved the green beans. I did not care for the wedges, but it may have been me. I am not a fan of most wedges.
The biscuit was soft and fluffy. Very good. I have a problem with swallowing some breads, no problem with this one. Only complaint. No butter, they only had honey.
I was skeptical at first sight. It looked like any other fast food joint. I was really surprised by the food though. The atmosphere could use some updating. The people that work there are very nice and helpful. I will definitely go back.

Have not eaten here for the past ten years, the family decided to eat here. The chicken is usually great here so we stopped.
This is the chicken your mother makes for Sunday dinner. The chicken was season excellent condition and I had enjoyed every bite .
I was very disappointed in the red beans and rice. What I got was something not even close no flavor it was bad three bites and I was done. My second side was corn not on a cob. Average at best nothing special. The potato wedges were above average.
Another low light was two customers very loudly talking about his sex life in every detail. Hey brother their are children around this is not a bar and you are not a big thing as you say you are but this is a subject you can either keep to yourself or talk to your therapist about. Its your personal information keep it that way.
I will return in another 10 years but for the chicken only.

Oooh, yeah. This is good stuff. I was in a red beans and rice discussion with a cousin. I was lamenting that Popeye’s has the best red beans and rice in all the land. This is true, I’ve had plenty, and yes, in NOLA. So anyway, he told me about Lee’s. So I went. Great chicken. I got 3 pc original with two sides. Red beans and rice and mashed potatoes. Well, the red beans and rice were fine, but brah, not even in the same sport as Popeye’s. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, hey, I don’t believe there’s any lard in these at Lee’s. Anyway, I’ll be back to try the spicy chicken. Don’t know why I didn’t this time. Very friendly staff too. Great place!

Lees never disappoints and if your looking for a rib sticking meal this is the place. I mostly get the strips but all of the recipes are good. Sides are excellent. If you don’t eat pork pass on the green beans. The wedges and biscuits are great and they have fried chicken livers. Ice tea has a 5lb bag of sugar in it. Great chicken and sweetest tea in Richmond… good combo. Packed for lunch all during the week.

I think there are enough testimonials to cover it adequately so I’ll just agree! Lee’s chicken is truly outstanding and the spice level is just perfect without being too much. The sides are tasty but with that chicken you’ll be too bust devouring to notice the sides! ;)
If you’re in the mood for good chicken stop debating and just eat here!

It’s world famous for a reason. KFC get in this level. Chicken was moist and sides were rockin.

great food! Have Pepsi products so that’s always nice. Prices are pretty good as well. Definitely a must try for if you visit Richmond & a local favorite when I lived there.

Oh man. Lee’s is the kinda place that will make you leave your mom’s table in the middle of dinner just to get another piece of that succulent, crispy chicken. Everyone in Richmond should eat here once in their lifetime, yet I doubt after eating it once you’d never come back. IT’S THAT GOOD.
It’s really nothing fancy. Three styles of chicken: original crispy, spicy crispy and grilled. But damn if that’s not the best fried chicken I’ve ever put in my mouth. This place tops ‘em all; better than Bojangles, Popeyes, Zaxbys, whatever. You start doubting KFC is even chicken after you’ve had this Southern fried slice of heaven. And I haven’t even started on the sides.
The sides are all made to order, and served by the pint. I usually stick to green beans and mashed potatoes, but they are all so good I’m hard pressed to pick a favorite. The biscuits are what can make or break chicken joints, and these do not disappoint. So fluffy and buttery, they seem to just fall apart and slide down your gullet filling your tummy with something so good even God can’t touch it.
They say you can tell the quality of an establishment by the people who work there. These are beautiful folks who serve quality fried chicken and generous sides. They have Pepsi products and the cleanest dining area I’ve ever seen at a chicken joint. If God does indeed exist, she’s a chicken chef at Lee’s. Bless y’all. A+

Richmond is a place that knows their chicken. Whether it’s fried or rotisserie, it knows it’s chicken. Lee’s is probably hands down the best place to get down home cooking!
I love the size of lee’s, it’s small and kinda homey inside. Your options for chicken is original recipe, spicy or grilled. I have had their original and their spicy. Both are both equally amazing. Flakey, hot, juicy tender chicken pieces. The spicy isn’t that spicy, just a nice little kick. What’s also great is that they have a wide variety or different sauces that you can choose from if you wanna dip or cover your fried chicken. What’s also amazing about lee’s is their biscuits. They are so fluffy and not dry at all. Honestly you don’t even need butter or jam it’s that amazing. All their sides are delicious too. My personal favorites are potato salad, cole slaw and mash potatoes and gravy. Even the staff the work there are very tentative and really make sure their eating area is clean and neat. They get your food super quick too. Overall this place is great. It’s a Richmond staple and everyone who comes has to at least try this!

From the moment I moved here 3 years ago I was told this was a must try fried chicken experience and being Dutch-​Canadian I thought it was time to embrace the greatness of fried… well anything.
The chicken is great, there is really little more to say than that. It is super crispy crunchy on the outside, and juicy run down your hands meat on the inside. There is a a nice touch of sweetness which comes from the honey dipped chicken, a notable cornerstone of their recipe. I’ll be honest and say I wish the spicy chicken was spicier, as I don’t really note much heat and I crave spicy food. The hot sauce they provide is also pretty generic and not really super spicy. That being said the chicken is great, absolutely great. I am also a pretty big fan of their biscuits which taste like pure butter, and trust me that’s a good thing. I can’t ever order chicken here without getting like 6 – 12 biscuits to take home and use for breakfast sandwiches or anything else my heart desires.
It’s not the best fried chicken EVER and the spice is a little lacking, hence the 4 stars, but it certainly hits the spot for clucking good fried chicken!!! Oh and do yourself a favor and get some biscuits as well.

Growing up in Richmond, I never visited Lee’s (which now I totally regret). When I was back in town for Easter, the family visited on a Saturday for lunch. Lee’s was hopping but the ladies at the counter were patient as we perused the menu and offered suggestions for us first-​timers.
We ended up getting the family box of chicken tenders which came with 12 tenders, 3 sides, and 6 biscuits. For the four of us, that was a TON of food. We had leftovers and we aren’t light eaters. We got red beans and rice, potato wedges, and cole slaw as our sides. The cole slaw was a touch sweet for my taste but that’s totally fine because everything else was fantastic. I really liked the Bonsai sauce.
I also got a chicken leg because I wanted to try the spicy chicken. I loved that too.
Next time I’m at Lee’s (and there WILL be a next time) it will be hard to decide what to get because it was all sooo good.

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love fried chicken? Lee’s is pretty similar to Popeyes, which I love btw, but even better because they have the «Krispy» flavor (there’s also original and spicy). I usually get the 2 Piece Darkmeat combo, which comes with your choice of 2 sides and a biscuit for $ 5.99. The Krispy flavor really so soo crispy on the outside yet there’s the soft and juicy meat inside. The mac n cheese side was meh to me, but the chicken is where the money’s at. Plus they have a drive-​thru for the lazy people like me!

So I’ve been meaning to return to Lee’s since I came back to Richmond about two years ago. I tried it once in college and wasn’t very impressed. Tasted like a more homemade homemade KFC to me. I can’t say that today wowed much more.
I just wanted to get a small sampling, so I got the chicken thigh Krispy style and the potato wedges. Both were served piping hot which is definitely a plus. The chicken was crispy, juicy and had good spice but reminded me a lot of Bojangles. Nothing really unique. The potato wedges are hand cut and breaded and they’re cooked all the way through (unlike many potato wedges). But they lacked texture and seasoning.
All in all nothing I think worthy of the adjective «famous». I guess I am in the minority here.
It was inexpensive. My whole meal came up to $ 3.76. However I can’t say that this will be a place that I frequent.

Fried Chicken is without a doubt one of the most perfect foods on the planet. You get texture from the crispy skin, moistness from the meat, and tons of flavor from the seasonings all in one satisfying and comforting bite = what else could you want from food?!
I am pretty much jonesin’ for fried chicken ²⁴⁄₇ but in an effort to stay somewhat healthy and not destroy my arteries, fried chicken is usually reserved for rare occasions. Luckily, I caught my fiancé on a good day when we were indecisive on what to eat and agreed that it was finally time to try the infamous chicken at Lee’s after driving past it countless times.
I always order a 3-​piece meal from any fried chicken joint; Lee’s spicy version did not disappoint and could even be split between 2 people with less ravenous appetites (but that totally was not the case for me, killed it!). And don’t you worry, I still ate my «veggies» of coleslaw and mashed potatoes (classic sides) and a flaky biscuit was the cherry on top.
My fiancé was sadly disappointed with the meager meat on the chicken wings, would not recommend the wings. He shoulda got the 3-​piece like me, what a rookie mistake! :)
Solid spot in the R-​V-​A for some finger lickin’ good chicken!

Lee’s, I love you, but I had to bump a ½ a star down, because the macaroni and cheese was lackluster when I finally came back 2 weeks ago :(
Where was the cheesy, flavorful and thick goodness I remember?! The mac was bland this time around, and I was so sad. The potato wedges were soggy. I hope the sides go back to the way they were when we meet again, Lee’s!
edit: /​/​
I have to update it back to 5-​stars, because the owner messaged me and that really shows great customer service and that they really care about our feedback! I still recommend it to all my friends, and no doubt I will be back for their awesome fried chicken for life.

The chicken here is real yummy and not salty like other places I’ve been too! It’s definitely not the best but it gives you a new appreciation for quick-​southern style fried chicken. The sides are pretty average.

Yum Nation
Five stars for the baked chicken! Super Awesome Yum! And that is why the review get’s 5 stars… it’s solely based on the baked chicken flavor.
(I didn’t try the fried chicken). The cole slaw gets 2 stars (it’s super sweet). The rice and beans get 3 stars. The potato wedges get 1 star. They are dusted in some sort of weird dusty concoction. The service was friendly and fast (It’s set up like a fast food restaurant) and once you get your order there are like 50,000 sauces you can use to dip your chicken in.

It’s been more than two years since my last review of this place!
This place holds a special place in my heart and in my stomach. First off, it’s fried chicken; who doesn’t love fried chicken?! It’s also me and my gf’s favorite spot in RVA to get some good eats. I think in the last few years the popularity has grown exponentially so you see more VCU kids and families eat here, especially on the weekends.
Came here last Saturday for lunch with a friend after kickball and this place was surprisingly not busy. Service was very quick and friendly. I got two piece thigh, spicy, with mashed potatoes/​cole slaw. The only thing I don’t like about this place is that the drink isn’t included and you can sub a side for drink. My fried chicken was good, but not as good as i’ve had in the past. It was nice and crispy, moist in the middle but the flavor impact wasn’t there and I was expecting that. Mashed potatoes/​gravy tasty and the coleslaw was good, but slightly too tangy for my taste.
The sweet tea is still #1 in all of RVA though for sure. My friend got the chicken strips and said they were on point. Prices are a bit high as it came out to about 9 bucks for my meal but it’s worth it every single time.

This review is a bit shorter than my others because I got to try Lee’s in a different fashion than the other places I’ve been reviewing. My manager at work decided to be awesome today and treated us to a large takeout order, and because of this, I won’t have a cost /​atmosphere /​service section.
–Food: We had chicken tenders (original), chicken wing/​thighs, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, seasoned potato wedges, and biscuits. My favorites were the chicken tenders, potato wedges, and biscuits.
— Tenders: As everyone else on Unilocal states, super tender, crispy, greasy, a touch salty, and all sorts of things that your intestines will hate you yet tongue will love you for. We had Original seasoning, but spicy sounds like it’d be good too.
— Potato wedges: Seasoned with a similar spice to that of the chicken batter, these potato wedges aren’t too thick and have a very nice flavor. I will say that they could be a bit more crispy, but the flavor is there, and I found myself eating then throughout the evening.
— Biscuits: Biscuits are usually a second thought to me (except for Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits), but these biscuits are slightly buttery, slightly salty, and more than slightly tasty. I even had a couple more throughout the day. (Hooray for left overs!)
— Remaining sides of Macaroni and Cheese, Beans, and Cole Slaw: I didn’t try the cole slaw because I just don’t like the stuff in general, but the mac and cheese and beans weren’t bad. They were however exceedingly mediocre, almost disappointingly so given that I really enjoyed the items mentioned above.
–Overall: I really enjoyed our lunch surprise, and completely honestly not because it was free. The chicken was among the best I’ve had in Richmond, but I haven’t had much fried chicken so I can’t make any «Best in Richmond!» claims to fame yet. The reason I’m giving Lee’s a 4 is simply because of how astoundingly average the sides as a whole were. I would definitely eat here again though, so check it out for sure if you’re into fried chicken.