Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken

Lee’s is walking distance from work so its natural that I give it a try. I’d like to say I love the place, but so far I’m only mildly amused.
The good:
Chicken was crispy crunchy hot with a nice juicy flavor on the inside.
The mashed potatoes N’ gravy was similar to KFC but with more authentic gravy. Sadly portion size was a bit on the small side.
Green beans were better than expected, but also a small portion size.
The Bad:
Its not very clean, the doors, floors, and general up keep could be better, but its good enough.
The service at the register was a level of apathetic so great that it felt like a bad SNL sketch. As a result I ended up with a strip meal and no drink, not even a cup for water.
It appears you can get the strips with sauce on them, it also appears that they have dipping sauce. I would have opted for this had it been made known to me/​offered. I would also have also ordered a Jalapeño for 25 cents too. I only know they have jalapenos because noticed a jar of them while waiting for my order. Great big delicious jalapenos. I guess I should have studied up.

I love some fried chicken. I’m a Popeyes fan but I tried the local flare since I’m new to Missouri. We sent around 930pm so I won’t complain about the cold to lukewarm food.
I didn’t eat my slaw– not a fan. I ate the potato wedges and crusty parts of chicken. It was average.
I may return during a busy time in order to get hot food and give it another shot. Otherwise I’ll satisfy my cravings elsewhere.

Carolyn S. is the rudest fast food employee I’ve ever come across. I should have just driven away. I don’t care how bad my craving is next time, I won’t be stopping here.

Not my usual Lee’s, but it was the most convenient while I was out running errands for me to pick up our chicken dinner. The staff here was friendly and professional, just as those on Kingshighway. Also, as at any Lee’s, the iced tea is kick ass good. It is equally as good as any you would be served in the deep south.
I favor the crispy chicken here at Lee’s. It always has a good crunch and is juicy on the inside. One thing that Lee’s offers as a chain, that separates itself from local chicken joints, is that they do not uncharge for requesting 3 thighs in the 3 piece dinner. That is quality customer service.
If this Lee’s is in your hood and you’re craving a fried chicken dinner, I would recommend you give them a try.

The irony of Lee’s Famous Recipe is that it serves the most generic-​tasting chicken of all time. Not the worst-​tasting chicken of all time, mind you, but the least distinct. Whereas you really can believe that the delicious Original Recipe at KFC is made with a proprietary blend of 11 secret herbs and spices, the chicken at Lee’s can’t consist of anything other than flour, salt, a little cayenne and maybe a few other things. (I don’t know shit about cooking, despite the amount of time I spend watching Food Network.) For them to call this Lee’s Famous Recipe would be like me starting a restaurant that serves pancakes made from Bisquick and calling it Bol’s Famous Recipe.
Nobody steal that idea.
Still, it could be worse. This particular Lee’s Famous Recipe is quite literally a hop, skip and a jump (try it) from the Church’s at the corner of Delmar and Skinker. Even if it’s not true that Church’s chicken makes black men impotent, there’s a one in three chance you might get stabbed in the parking lot. That Church’s was gully back before the Loop underwent what you might call an unfortunate demographic shift. The same bums who work the parking lot there and in that bus loop behind the Pageant will occasionally wander down to Lee’s and the Taco Bell next door, but not so much when it’s cold out. Because they’re not really hungry. This is probably the best time of the year to patronize these establishments. If you have to go during the summer, I recommend hitting the drive thru and keeping your window rolled up until it’s time to pay. Treat this part of town as if it’s Jurassic Park.
Your guess as to what to order, if you even bother hitting this Lee’s, is as good as mine. As discussed in my review of the Popeye’s at Page and Pennsylvania, the menus at fried chicken places these days have gotten to be so convoluted that it’s ridiculous. Every square inch of the parking lot and the building’s exterior is plastered with deals that aren’t really much of a deal. I realize what’s going on here: Contrary to popular belief, fried chicken is enjoyed by people of various income levels, and these places need to have something advertised both for someone who expects to pay $ 2 for a restaurant meal as well as someone who works for a living. Lee’s seem to be positioning itself slightly upmarket from the Church’s up the street. The cheapest thing they had advertised was probably still like $ 4, but they do have that thing where they sell you an entire suitcase filled with warmed over legs and thighs for $ 7.99
A meal consisting of 12 whole chicken wings for $ 10.99 caught my eye. You could make it a combo with two large sides and four biscuits for $ 16.99, and I did, for the sake of citizen food journalism. Otherwise I would have just gotten the chicken and probably eaten the entire thing in one sitting. I know… horrible.
The chicken was fine for what it was. They give you the choice between Regular (presumably limp) and Crispy. There’s no spicy option like at Popeye’s, but the Crispy I got did have the slightest hint of a kick. Emphasis on slight. I would compare it to the Extra Tasty Crispy at KFC, which is of course inferior to Original Recipe. Mine was «hot out the grease,» as people used to say when I worked at White Castle, and I’m thinking that’s because I ordered a shedload of chicken. If you’re only getting two pieces, you might want to take the risk of going inside to make sure they don’t give you some ol’ bullshit.
Speaking of which, the biscuits were a goddamn tragedy. They were worse than the biscuits you get with a breakfast sandwich at McDonald’s, AND they were kinda burned on top. They definitely weren’t «made from scratch.» Given what goes into making a biscuit compared to what they charge for them, I have to urge you to never, ever cop a biscuit from Lee’s — not even to see how bad they are. I’m almost tempted to take out a PSA.
If the meal you’re getting happens to come with biscuits, see if you can substitute them for green beans. Lee’s green beans are delicious. Like something your mom would make, if your mom knows how to cook. Must be nice. LOL

Since I refuse to go to Delmar for Popeye’s this is my only option. Not a bad option by any means. I enjoy the chicken, it’s quite tasty actually.
What I really, really, really am dying to know is how the heck the leftover chicken can still be crispy the next day, even after I nuke it?!

You got to love the Tea here. If you’ve ever been to Texas and fell in love with the Bill Miller’s Tea then you’ll swear by this one when your in St. Louis. The fried chicken was decent, but I also think we came at a bad time, to late for lunch and to early for dinner. For me if your going chicken my fav is still Popeye’s but I’ll but this right under that.