The Secret Behind Bojangles' Chicken Is This Lengthy Process

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For those not residing in the Southern or Southeastern regions of the United States, Bojangles' fried chicken might be a foreign concept. Last summer, as part of the company's Western expansion, my home state, Colorado, was blessed with its first Bojangles' location; conveniently located just a stone's throw away from my place. Needless to say, I've been there a couple of times (sarcastically speaking).

Ironically, my go-to indulgence at Bojangles is its phenomenal 49-step biscuits and Bo-Berry cookies. My partner, on the other hand, is a die-hard fan of the fried chicken and I don't blame him by the looks and sounds of it. Each piece of Bojangles' fried chicken is enrobed in a thick, imperfectly ridged breading — the kind that has sections of crispy clusters which you can hear someone sinking their teeth into from across the restaurant. The color of Bojangles' fried chicken is golden brown on the outside with a generous amount of its signature Cajun seasoning incorporated into the breading mixture. The chicken itself, as my partner describes, is at the level of the breading, as every bite is hearty, tender, and incredibly juicy. The flavor is slight salty, slightly sweet with warming notes from the Cajun seasoning in the breading making their way through.

For Bojangles to accomplish this perfect harmony of contrasting textures with just the right amount of flavor throughout its fried chicken it takes more than half a day. Bone-in and boneless cuts of chicken are tumbled (tenderized in a rotating machine) and marinated, which is a 12-hour process. The chicken then goes through its dredging procedure and then fried.

If you're not near a Bojangles and want to recreate its fried chicken at home, mastering the exact tender, juicy texture of their chicken might be the most challenging part. Bojangles' secret weapon, especially for bone-in chicken pieces which are exclusive to its older locations, is its commercial tumbler. This piece of equipment goes beyond at-home physical tenderizing methods, as the chicken undergoes an automatic continuous tumbling action (not too harsh, not too soft); effectively breaking down connective tissues. This allows the marinade to penetrate deeper, infusing more flavor throughout the meat while making it juicy and soft. This could also explain how the flavor of the Cajun seasoning in the breading is able to penetrate its way through to the meat.

To achieve close to the same tenderized chicken as Bojangles without using a mechanical tumbler, the good ole rolling pin or meat mallet method will achieve similar results on deboned chicken pieces such as chicken breasts, tenderloins, or thighs. Place your raw, boneless chicken on a cutting board and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap, then take your chosen tenderizing tool and beat the poultry while evening it out, aiming to achieve about ¾ inch thickness. It's recommended not to tenderize bone-in chicken pieces like legs as this can cause the bones to shatter. Instead, certain cooking methods can be used to tenderize them, such as soaking in a brine (coffee brine works wonders) for 2 to 4 hours.  And the process continues.

While the exact ingredients Bojangles uses for its marinade has never been specified by the company, there are numerous copycat recipes online for Bojangles fried chicken, with some recipe creators having insider tips. Most of the base ingredients for the marinade are similar across all copycat recipes: buttermilk, hot sauce, and salt. However, there's one ingredient that showed up in a creators' recipe who's native to North Carolina, where Bojangles originated — sweet tea. This Southern staple is said to be what gives Bojangles' chicken it's slightly sweet flavor. The copycat recipes call for the chicken pieces to soak in the marinade refrigerated for 4 hours, but to develop the same tenderness and flavor as Bojangles' fried chicken, marinate for 12 hours instead. 

Next comes the dredging. The chicken is removed from the marinade and thoroughly coated in a mixture of self-rising flour and a blend of Cajun seasoning consisting of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. However, you can also buy Bojangles' Cajun seasoning, Bo's Famous Seasoning, online. Thoroughly dunk the chicken in a wet mixture of eggs and milk and then repeat for a double dredge. 

The chicken is now ready to be deep fried either in a large skillet, pot, or deep fryer (as Bojangles uses). The majority of recipes say to fry in peanut oil heated to 360 degrees Fahrenheit, frying the chicken for 3 minutes on each side to reach an internal safe temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from the oil and allow to dry on a wire rack or on paper towels. It's a lengthy process, but well-worth the wait.