Chicken Hut

Came down to NC for the week and stumbled across this place.
Hands down THE BEST!
Best collards and fried chicken anywhere. ANYWHERE.
Tender and juicy chicken, cooked when you order with a crust you can’t get anywhere else.
2 sides, 3 pieces dark, a drink and sweet potato pie ran me maybe $ 10.

My first time visiting the Chicken Hut was amazing! I went there for a late lunch and the service was excellent. I had the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, turnip greens, and peach cobbler for dessert. It was the best I have ever had in my entire life and I was raised in the south.

The Chicken Hut is a really wonderful place with really great and friendly people. You get your food (which is delicious) in a cafeteria line. It was super affordable and even more tasty. Most of my family got the fried chicken (I think we all got white meat), which was very crisp and juicy. The fried okra and hush puppies were very well seasoned. I usually don’t really eat Mac and Cheese but theirs was really creamy and had that nice kind of baked cheese on top. I definitely could not eat all of the food, but I felt really bad that I had waste it. We even got a slice of coconut cream pie that we ate on the road. Overall it has a really really nice atmosphere that also gives you an extremely good quality meal without having to pay too much.

I only have one problem when I come to the chicken hut… and that’s deciding what I want. This is the way I cook and the way I like to eat.

It took me years to finally check this place out but I am glad I did!
I have heard wonderful things about this establishment from reviews/​word of mouth. I drive by this street occasionally and always see it when I bike this area on the American Tobacco Trail. For people who do not live close, this place is difficult to catch They are only open on weekdays for 4 hours a day during lunch. I was able to take a weekday off work to run some errands and this was the first place that popped into my mind when I was deciding on where to for lunch.
Location — The restaurant is not really located in the nicer parts of Durham and the parking is in the back, but somehow this gives the place a more «homier/​authentic» feel. Dont judge this place by the outside… the food is what really matters
Ambience — Like many reviewers have said, it’s cafeteria style. You walk up, grab a tray, go down a line and pick your food.
Service — The staff are all very friendly and helpful. They were so nice and its always great to see the employees talking to other customers like family/​friends. They were all working hard and no one was really slacking/​playing on their cellphone which you sometimes see in other places. Very nice «family» feel. They even asked how my food was :)
Food — You pick from a variety of meat (which apparently changes every day), and 2 sides. Drinks come w/​it. Desserts are optional. I shared 2 trays and was fortunate enough to try their Fried Chicken (Dark AND White meat), mac and chz, collard greens, greenbeans, and yams. I also got their apple cobbler and sweet potato pie for dessert.
Fried Chicken — OMG! The highlight. It came w/​2 pieces and the meat was so juicy and moist. The skin was very crispy, yet very airy and light. The flavor was superb… it was lightly flavored and didnt give you the «ugh/​bloated» feeling afterwards like chain establishments. One of the best!
Mac and Cheese — Cheesy and gooey. Very yummy and didnt taste generic.
Collard Greens — cooked to perfection. Had good flavor to them and was soft. I wanted more!
Greenbeans — cooked well and had potatoes in them. Not salty at all.
Yam — EXTREMELY sweet w/​a delicious glaze. This should’ve been dessert and not a side dish since it was so sweet and yummy.
Lemonade — very sweet. Not my style but I can see others liking it.
Price — Cant beat it… The combo for the meat with 2 sides and drink is a little under $ 7 and the quantity is more than enough for anyone. The desserts are around the $ 2 range. Everything is affordable!
Bathroom– nice and clean. Had soap and paper towel… you gotta wash your hands after the fried chicken :)
This is the kind of restaurant that I love — small, local, mom and pop, hole in the wall type restaurants that serve DELICIOUS HOMEMADE food at a very CHEAP price and w/​GOOD QUANTITY. If I can take another day off work on the weekday, I’d definitely come here again. A+!!
This restaurant is the reason why I love trying new places.

The best food ever. The fried fish was the best I’ve ever had!!! I wish it was open on weekends or at night!

I bought this about 5 minutes ago and am eating it on the floor of my messy apartment. Right now, tears are streaming from my eyes from how delicious this food is. You come in, pick a meat (good luck deciding) and two sides. It comes with bread (looks unassuming but very soft and slightly sweet) and a drink. The sweet potato pie is also to die for. Honestly guys, I’m developing mild depression just thinking about having to move away from here.

I tell you not sure where to begin. My colleague and I travel a lot and today we found ourselves in Durham at lunch. I found this little gem on Unilocal.We walked in the door and we were met by a sweet lady who told us to go into the dining area of the restaurant. Once inside the food is served cafeteria style. There was so much good food I didn’t know where to start. BBQ Chicken, BBQ pork, meatloaf and another chicken dish. They offer fried chicken and fish as well. I had the meat loaf, green beans and Mac and cheese. The food was excellent! The portions are large and well worth the money. The service was superb. You really feel like family when eating here. Super friendly people. I will definitely dine here again when in Durham. Go Pirates! See you on Halloween in G-​Vegas!

The name of this soul food restaurant is misleading. Chicken Hut is no chain restaurant, décor is clearly not a priority, only cash is accepted, & it’s not the fried chicken variety of fast food. Walking into the outer vestibule we were told the place was about to open at 11:30 am and to go thru another door into the dining room to wait. It was sparse with a few bare, round banquet style tables & chairs. Being hot & humid as hell in there (no A/​C) we quickly decided on take-​out. But I knew something good was up when I saw other folks waiting patiently when we entered. There were 2 ladies, 4 men, one of them sitting with 2 little boys. Then I looked over at the cooks quickly bringing out pans of food to the steam table. Suddenly a line formed in a snap with me getting in near enough to take a look at the food. My mouth watered looking at a thick covering of colby cheese topping baked spaghetti, okra cooked just right (not all slimy) and I’m no okra lover, a choice of gravy smothered chicken wings or pork chops, white rice, sautéed yellow squash, green beans with potatoes, & turnip greens with ham hock meat. Food was dished out by the cooks and everything looked freshly cooked from scratch (thumbs down to restaurants that serve canned vegetables). $ 7.99 meal included entrée plus 2 sides & a lemonade beverage. As I would expect to find in such a place, Peach cobbler, apple cobbler & velvet cake topped off dessert selections of the day. It is described as a soul food restaurant in Unilocal and I agree it is a gem in the rough. All that said, Chicken Hut is food for my soul cooked just the way I like it!

Some might call the location «sketchy.» I like to think of it as humble. The Chicken Hut is not in the most fabulous area of Durham nor is the actual restaurant the kind of place you go «for the ambiance.» However, if you let either of these factors turn you off to this place, maybe you have forgotten the meaning of soul food: it may not look like much, but there is nothing quite as satisfying out there.
The fried chicken is remarkable. It is crispy and airy and golden. The chicken is well seasoned and juicy. The sides such as the mac & cheese and the yams are spot on. Also, unlike many «southern» food restaurants, not only do they serve oxtail, but they do it magnificently.
Lastly, the food is extraordinarily affordable and the service (especially at the front register) are very welcoming and nice. Overall, I love the place.

I went here for lunch on Thursday and it was delicious! We ordered the 8piece fried chicken with Mac and cheese, it was honestly the best we’ve had in the area! The staff was fast, friendly and patient when we took our time deciding what to order. I’ll definitely be back!

Friendly staff, good food at a reasonable price. The fried chicken (cooked fresh per order) was the star while the sides left much to be desired. Would go back to try other items on menu because of the amazing service and great price.

The taste of the vegetables were very bland there was no seasoning at all. Our server which was a young girl had the worst attitude that I have ever experienced. Whereas the best thing out of my whole trip here was the chicken and only the chicken!

My friend who has lived in CH his entire life took me here after I told him I drove all the way to Tasty Haven in Durham for soul food and how I disliked Mama Dips. This is the best and most consistent soul food in town plus who can beat a $ 6 meal??? I love the nice older ladies and her son and how they remember your face when you come in all the time. I’ve had everything there. My favorite meat is the oxtails and who can forget about the great fried chicken. I will miss them when I graduate:(

The Chicken Hut is awesome! I was born and raised right here in North Carolina, so I’ve probably eaten literally a couple of tons of fried chicken in my 46 years. Only once or twice have I eaten any as good as Chicken Hut’s, and none that was definitively better. Five stars truly seems inadequate for such fantastic southern food, especially given the incredible price. (Fried chicken, two sides, bread, and iced tea or lemonade for only $ 6.09?!)
I ran out and picked up lunch here for everyone at the shop yesterday, and for half an hour after I got back with the food, the only sounds you could hear were moans of pleasure, punctuated with outbursts of «oh, my god» and «soooo good». Even ‘though I had to drive fifteen minutes back from Chicken Hut, the chicken was still packed with crunchy, crispy, piping hot, moist, flavorful deliciousness. Not overly seasoned, as is often the case around here — just sheer perfection. It’s fried to order, and that freshness comes through in every delectable bite.
The sides were nearly as good as the chicken, and the mac and cheese was so amazing that it really needs to be called something else, so it can never be confused with that stuff that comes in the blue box.
The Chicken Hut is cash only, so run by the ATM on your way to Paradise.
They close at 4PM, and aren’t open on the weekends, which is probably the only reason why folks don’t just pitch a tent behind the building and eat there ²⁴⁄₇.

The best fried chicken I have ever had! The sides were all amazing. I tried the green beans, yams and my favorite — Mac & cheese. Best soul/​southern food in the area. Prices are so cheap for such delicious food. The owner and her family really take pride in what they do and it shows in the flavor of every dish they serve!!!
I wish I could give Chicken Hut more than 5 stars! We were having a lil going away party for one of my coworkers at work today and decided to order some chicken (baked with gravy & fried) and sides (yams, collards, rolls). Ms Peggy and Ruth were so friendly and accommodating when I placed the order with them yesterday. They were flexible with a pick up time and helped us figure out how to get the best deal to feed the amount of people we had.
Just as expected, EVERYONE loved it!
Thank you again!!!

Love this place! The food is southern and fattening and amazingly delicious! The only local place in town to get some down-​home fried chicken– the family pack is like only $ 12 and so much better than Church’s or KFC. I recommend adding a large mac & cheese — it’s the bomb! :)
The owners are very welcoming and friendly. We dig the Chicken Hut!
CASH only.

I’ve never had fried chicken this good, this reasonably priced!
Yams and Mac and cheese are out of this world.
FYI, CASH ONLY.

Everybody loves the Chicken Hut. It’s right next to Trice’s Hats and Wigs so pick up a church hat whilst waiting on your order.
The food is real, and southern. Fried chicken comes fresh and in large portions with just the right amount of crisp. All of the sides are fantastic from what I could tell. Okra, green beans, everything I had was delicious.
Parking is around the back and a bit hard to find. Don’t let the look of the place keep you moving up to to KFC. Stop here for some great fried chicken and sides.

This place is amazing. The outside is sketch, so most people probably don’t go in.
It is served cafeteria style and is «southern cooking.» The mac-​and-​cheese is out of this world.
The menu changes daily, but they always have fried chicken and fried fish with a variety of desserts.
My fellow students and I love this place and consider it a treat to go here. PLUS, it is around 5 bucks for an awesome meal.