Jay's Chicken Shack — Restaurant in Hillsborough

Since talking about food is very subjective, I'm going to use the baseline comparison of the giant "three letter" fried chicken chain as a base of reference.

Let's start with the main attraction, the chicken! The chicken pieces were generous in size. A thigh and a breast (along with sides) were easily enough for me.

Fried chicken (specifically in the case of pressure cook frying, which I believe is how they cook their chicken, given the commercial pressure cookers) is a science. Once you close that clamp and flip the switch, you need to trust you have your temperature, time, amount of food, etc all right.

Jay's nailed it. Especially with the chicken breast, which came out properly cooked and still amazingly juicy. This is not as easy as it sounds. It means they are probably good with their suppliers on getting consistent sized chicken pieces, or have had the practice to know how to adjust the time and temperature.

My dad had a leg and a thigh, and said they were both tender and juicy - which means even the smaller pieces of chicken are turning out well. Again this is a balancing act that is tough to do. Overall, definitely juicier than the baseline comparison chain.

Also, they don't keep a lot of chicken cooked ahead of time, which is nice! The woman who took my order was polite in pointing that out when I ordered, so I was aware of the wait time. Indirectly this also told me the chicken would be juicier, which it was.

The breading is light, meant to carry the spice mixture. If you like a heavy breading, like the 'extra crispy' from the baseline chain, this will not be in that same realm. I like both light and heavy breading, so I was perfectly happy still.

The coleslaw was a middle ground between creamy and vinegar based. So a little creamier than the baseline, but not as sweet. It's perfectly good, though in this instance, I personally prefer the baseline's coleslaw.

The onions rings are a standard commercial onion ring, very uniform in size, easy to share, and cooked perfectly. A good price for the quality and quantity of the side.

The biscuits are another highlight! Though I did not ask, I am confident these are made from scratch. They are perfectly golden brown on the top and bottom, split apart evenly and easily and by far one of the best biscuits I've ever paired with honey.

Overall, this place is definitely worth the 20 minute drive to get chicken and biscuits. The next time the craving strikes, this is where...

I am commenting as well as my co worker Paula. When we picked to go to that restaurant, it was Wednesday 04/11/18. Paula along with her supervisor went on their lunch break I didn't go I sent my order. What I ordered was 2 salmon cakes, grilled veggies, fried okra, and a side of chicken salad for $12. When the ladies arrived back with my order it was completely wrong I had a piece of fish and a little bit of grilled veggies in my plate. Yes I did call back and spoke with the cook because I was upset that what I asked for was not what I received. When I spoke to the cook or manager he did apologized and replaced my whole order which was the right thing to do. I had my receipt and offer to bring back what I received and I was told to keep it, no need to bring it back. My co workers were not satisfied with their order. Paula called back the next day but her supervisor did not. So on Thursday Paula said she called in regards to her order that was placed on Wed and who ever she spoke with told her that they would replace it. She left work on her break to go get the food that she was promised and when she got there they told her they wasn't going to replace it. Words were exchanged and then the "Social Services" comment I didn't think that was nice or appropriate to say when Paula came back to say what happened. Paula did ask for the cake because they waited a little over an hour for our food and the orders were placed before they came. People came in placed their order and still left out before the ladies did. Now as far as your cashier, when I came to pick up my replacement order she was not friendly and I wasn't greeted at the door. My food on the replacement order was good and hot so no complaints on that. Just to clear things up from your response from Paula's entry, she was not trying to get food for free 3 days. She just called the day after her order was placed . My order was placed and remade...

Jay's chicken is slapping, smacking, banging (aka amazing), and/ or whatever you want to call this DELICIOUSNESS! 🤤

I live in Brier Creek, Raleigh, and I have passed this place over a dozen times heading back and forth to my father's house in the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA, and I finally had to stop..

I was starving, had a craving for chicken, and it was a packed house, so that alone tells me there's gotta be something special there!

Wooow!!!! This was the literally the best fried chicken I ever had and that says A LOT ming from someone who worked as a cook and Su-Chef for close to 15 years (I'm even writing my own cookbook right now).

I slso used to manage a Bojangles close to 20 years ago, and I thought they had good chicken and biscuits, but now I'm thinking to myself... Bojangles, who?!?! Lol! 🤣

Not only did I get an 8 piece (which was massive), but I also bought mashed potatoes, collards, and green beans! My wife doesn't eat pork due to religious reasons (I still do, lol), and they don't out pork in anything, and guess what?!? It still tastes like they put the ham hocks in there, lol!

The food, staff, cooks, and customer service were impeccable!

The best part is that they serve some of my other favorite dishes such as livers, gizzards, fried catfish, etc. and please don't hate fpr it but I'm from NY. NY ain't got nuttin on Jay's, my fellow Carolinians!

If you haven't been, you're doing yourself and your palate an injustice! Crazily enough, my wife and I looked at each other and said, "As long as Jay's is open, we are driving 45+ min. just for chicken n' fixins!!! Lol 🤣

My tastebuds are still dancing, just thinking about going back to get some more!

Please make sure you tip these folks handsomely as they deserve every penny!

Thank you,...