A lot of things have made bacon as popular as it is today. But some of bacon’s current success is due to a particular dish: chicken fried bacon. Today, I thought I’d give you a peek into where this dish came from, how it grew in popularity and what exactly “chicken fried bacon” is. The crazy and mouthwatering details follow after the jump.

Chicken Fried Bacon: The Basics

Chicken Fried Bacon is exactly what it sounds like. To make it, you dip bacon in chicken-flavoured batter and then deep fry it. It’s usually served with “white” gravy – the creamy country gravy you see served with a lot of southern dishes. Chicken Fried Bacon was invented by Frank Sodolak at his restaurant, Sodolak’s Original Country Inn. Sodolak is no longer sure of when he invented it, but it was apparently created at some point in the late 90s. He was fooling around with the deep fryer one night and putting stuff into it (I have a feeling that this is how most major world-changing discoveries are made). At one point, he threw in some strips of bacon. And voila, chicken-fried bacon!

Chicken Fried Bacon: The How To

The exact method of preparation that Sodolak uses is as follows: he takes some uncooked bacon and then dips it twice in a prepared mixture of flour and milk. Then he puts these slices in his frying apparatus for about three to four minutes. After that, he takes it out and serves it with a bowl of country gravy. Just a note, though: Frank Sodolak serves this dish – several strips of deep-fried bacon – as an appetizer.

Chicken Fried Bacon and the Bacon Revolution

Chicken fried bacon may have been a 90s invention, but its real popularity began in the mid 2000s. In about 2006, it exploded in popularity, due partially to the video below. In it, Frank Sodolak talks about creating chicken fried bacon. You also get a whole bunch of shots of chicken fried bacon and people enjoying the chicken fried bacon. It’s pretty mesmerizing.

Since the spread of this video, chicken fried bacon has become a popular dish. In 2008, it won the Texas State Fair for “Best Tasting” dish. As well, there are many restaurants around the U.S. that have been inspired by the video, and have started serving it. In fact, the infographic from a few days ago suggests that this dish has been one of the main trends that helped spark the renaissance of bacon.

But What Does it Taste Like?

The general consensus is that chicken fried bacon tastes pretty darned good. Sodolak says that some people at his restaurant only eat two servings of it as a meal, rather than as just an appetizer. A reviewer of Sodolak’s restaurant says that, “The taste is rather subtle — a more peppery bacon would probably work out wonderfully — and the strips are surprisingly light on your stomach.” Some folks might have listened to this advice: the chicken fried bacon that won the Texas State Fair was a pepper variety.

What do you think of chicken fried bacon? Do you think you would ever make it at home?

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