For over 74 years, Brown's Chicken has tempted the taste buds of generations of Chicagoans. From humble beginnings in 1949 when John and Belva Brown opened their first location in a trailer at 80th and Harlem in Bridgeview, the company's pursuit of chicken that truly tastes better continues in a new era. With over 21 stores in the Chicagoland market, Brown's Chicken boasts a style of chicken all their own. The recipe cooked up by John and Belva uses buttermilk batter with cottonseed oil, delivering a delicious golden crunch on the outside with a moist and flavorful inside. But ask any longtime regular what they order first, and you may hear a different answer. The mushrooms. That is the quirky, delicious truth behind the best fried chicken in Chicago.

Our History at Brown's Chicken Illinois

Our History at Brown's Chicken Illinois is mostly a chicken story. It begins with a trailer, a fryer, and two founders who believed buttermilk and cottonseed oil could produce something better than what the competition was selling. Customers parked beside the trailer and carried boxes home. The chicken built the business.

The mushrooms came later, as an experiment. Somebody in the kitchen decided to take whole mushrooms, dip them in the same buttermilk batter used for the chicken, and drop them into the same cottonseed oil. The result was immediate. A shattering golden shell on the outside, a hot and earthy interior on the inside. Customers started ordering them as a side, then as a main, then in quantities that surprised everyone.

The company expanded across the United States in the 1970s and added pasta in the 1980s, which is why the full name reads Brown's Chicken & Pasta. After 2005, operations contracted exclusively to the Chicago metropolitan area, and according to the company website, 22 restaurants now serve the region. Through all of it, the chicken recipe stayed the same. And so did the mushrooms. The company has stated publicly that they would never mess with the mushrooms. That promise matters more than it sounds.

Why Mushrooms Work So Well Fried

Mushrooms and chicken have almost nothing in common as ingredients, which is exactly why the same batter works so well on both.

Chicken is dense and wet. It needs a long fry to cook through, and the batter has to hold up under that duration. Mushrooms are the opposite. They are spongy and full of water, and they cook in a fraction of the time. If you fry them too long, they collapse into mush. If you pull them too early, the coating stays pale and raw tasting.

The buttermilk batter solves the timing problem neatly. It sets quickly in hot cottonseed oil and forms a rigid shell almost immediately, which traps the mushroom's natural moisture inside rather than letting it leak into the oil. The mushroom steams inside its own coating. The exterior crisps. The interior softens without disintegrating. And because cottonseed oil leaves minimal surface grease, the finished mushroom stays dry and brittle rather than shiny and heavy.

The texture is the payoff. A piece of fried chicken gives you crunch followed by fibrous meat. A fried mushroom gives you crunch followed by a soft, almost buttery centre with a deep earthy flavour. They are completely different eating experiences built from the same batter and the same fryer. That is why customers who order both sometimes cannot decide which one they prefer.

Chicken Pieces and Wings: The Famous Originals

The Chicken Pieces remain the foundation of the menu. Breasts, thighs, legs, and wings, all hand-breaded and fried identically. The breast is the honest test, because white meat dries quickly, yet the buttermilk brine keeps it plump. The thigh carries more fat and delivers deeper savoury richness. The leg is built for eating with your hands. And the Wings are whole and meaty, never the thin, shrivelled flats that pass for wings at chain restaurants.

Then there is the Zinger. Zinger wings take the same buttermilk batter and build the spice directly into the coating instead of pouring sauce over the finished product. That decision protects the crunch. Sauce adds moisture, and moisture destroys crispness within minutes. Because the heat lives inside the crust, a Zinger wing stays brittle from first bite to last, and your fingers stay clean.

Tenders, Sandwiches, and Bowls

The Chicken & Jumbo Tenders are cut from whole breast meat and hand-dipped, which is why no two are identical in shape. Those uneven ridges create extra crunchy edges, the best part of any tender. They are also the tidiest item on the menu, which is why a mobile car detailing technician can eat one between appointments without leaving grease on a customer's steering wheel.

The Sandwich keeps things plain: a tender or a whole breast on a soft bun with pickles, and no sauce unless requested. That choice protects the bread. The Bowls go the other direction, layering mashed potatoes, sweet corn, shredded cheese, and crispy chicken under warm gravy. The Family Bowls feed roughly six people for $27.99 to $32.99.

Express Catering: Mushrooms for the Masses

Brown's Catering is the area's largest, serving businesses and home events alike. From 20 to 2,000, Brown's Catering turns every occasion into a special event. The Express Party Pack feeds 8 to 10 with 24 pieces of chicken, two family pasta bowls, two family sides, and 10 biscuits or breadsticks, priced between $149.99 and $159.59. The Chicken Party Pack feeds 10 to 15 with 30 pieces of chicken or tenders, two sides, and 18 slider buns with margarine, plus tableware for 15 and serving utensils, priced between $144.99 and $156.59. For offices, the Have The Boss option says it plainly: order tenders for your office.

A word of advice for anyone planning a catered event: order extra mushrooms. They disappear faster than anything else on the table. Regular customers have learned this the hard way, watching a large tray vanish before the chicken is even touched.

Professional car detailing shops and mobile car detailing crews keep returning to these packs because the food holds up. Cottonseed oil leaves minimal surface grease, so hands stay clean and interiors stay clean. The crust survives the drive.

The Jingle That Told the Truth

"It Tastes Better." Four words that have played on Chicago radios for decades. The line has lasted because it is not a boast. It is a description, and it applies to the mushrooms just as much as the chicken.

Conclusion

Most restaurants are known for one thing. Brown's Chicken is known for two, and the second one was almost an accident. The fried mushrooms, dipped in the same buttermilk batter and fried in the same cottonseed oil as the chicken, have become a Chicago obsession in their own right. From a single trailer in Bridgeview to over 21 stores across the Chicagoland market, the pursuit of food that truly tastes better has never wavered. Whether you order Chicken Pieces, Zinger wings, tenders, a sandwich, a bowl, or a full Express Catering spread, add the mushrooms. That is the best fried chicken in Chicago, with a side that steals the show.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the mushrooms at Brown's Chicken?

They are whole mushrooms dipped in the same buttermilk batter used for the fried chicken, then cooked in cottonseed oil until the coating shatters and the interior turns soft and earthy.

Q: Are the mushrooms always available?

Availability can vary by location and time of day, since they are prepared fresh and sell quickly. Ordering early or adding them to a catering order is the safest approach.

Q: Are the mushrooms vegetarian?

The mushrooms themselves are vegetables, but they are fried in shared cottonseed oil and coated in buttermilk batter, which contains dairy. They are not suitable for anyone avoiding dairy or concerned about cross-contact with chicken.

Q: Why do the mushrooms stay crispy?

Cottonseed oil leaves very little surface grease, so the coating stays dry rather than steaming itself soft. The batter also sets quickly, sealing in the mushroom's moisture before it can leak out.

Q: Can I order mushrooms with a catering pack?

Yes. Mushrooms can be added to catering orders, and they are strongly recommended. They tend to disappear faster than any other item on the table.

Q: Are Zinger wings coated in sauce?

No. The spice is blended into the buttermilk batter before frying. Nothing is poured on afterwards, so the crust stays crunchy and your hands stay clean.