Connie’s Chicken — Restaurant in Oxford

The Great Oxford Chicken Tender Showdown – A Northern Take on Southern-Fried Perfection

Y’all, let me start by saying—I’m not from around here. I am here with my wife visiting friends (James and Jessica) to attend the Conference for the Book at Ole Miss. I’m a Northerner from Wisconsin, the kind who usually hears “bless your heart” with just a little extra meaning behind it. But after one glorious, deep-fried night in Oxford, Mississippi, I’ve seen the light. And that light? It’s golden-brown, crispy, and served at Connie’s.

This wasn’t just a casual dinner party. This was six friends on the ultimate chicken tender taste test. We set out with empty stomachs, high expectations, and a scoring system (created by Jessica). Our mission: visit six of Oxford’s most talked-about tender spots and determine, once and for all, who does it best.

The Lineup: Canes (at the Pavilion) – The stadium keeps the food vendor area open during the week, even when Ole Miss isn’t playing.

Chevron (chicken on a stick) – An Ole Miss student favorite because down here, gas stations sometimes serve elite food. We understand because, in Wisconsin, we have KwikTrip.

Guthrie’s – A classic in the chicken tender world.

Zaxby’s – Big reputation, big expectations.

Popeye’s – Louisiana’s got spice, but can they beat Oxford?

Connie’s – The local chain—people whisper about it like it’s a well-kept secret.

We ranked each tender on presentation, crispness, flavor, tenderness, juiciness, spice, and shape, using a scale from 1 (best) to 5 (worst).

And let me tell you—this wasn’t even close. Well, kind of—we liked Zaxby’s too, but...

Connie’s: The Undisputed Champion We were expecting a battle, but Connie’s came in and shut it down. They scored nearly a perfect 1 or 2 in every category.

Crispness and Color ? Golden Brown and just excellent. Canes and Zaxby’s did very well here too.

Flavor? The kind of deep, rich Southern seasoning. A great seasoning mix not too salty but with nice heat, chilli powder and a balanced sweetness.

Tenderness & Juiciness? So good and fried just perfectly. Canes, Zaxby’s and Popeyes also scored well here.

Spice? Just enough to wake you up, but not so much you need a glass of sweet tea to recover. Zaxby’s scored well here too.

Shape? No oddball, over-fried nuggets here—just perfect, uniform strips of golden goodness. Chicken on a stick was the largest serving size.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Connie’s also serves fresh blueberry doughnuts. BLUEBERRY. DOUGHNUTS. I thought I came for chicken, but I left questioning my entire approach to life.

The final cherry on top? Angel, the manager, and her team (Joshua and Jason) welcomed us like family.

I may not be from the South, but the way she treated us made me feel right at home. That’s the kind of hospitality that makes Oxford special.

So if you find yourself in Oxford, MS, do yourself a favor: go to Connie’s. I don’t care if you were raised on fried chicken or if you’re just a clueless Northerner like me—Connie’s is...

We tried Connie's Chicken for the first time tonight. The ordering and pickup process was smooth and efficient. However, we were quite taken aback by the extreme crunchiness of the chicken. Jokingly, I told my mother that I was worried I might chip a tooth, and she responded that her piece seemed dry while I could hear the crunch from across the table.

As I sat down, my dad took his first bite of a chicken breast and, to our dismay, broke a crown due to the excessive crunchiness. Upon reading some reviews, I discovered that this crunch is a major selling point for Connie's, but unfortunately, we were not impressed. Given the cost of dental repairs, it's understandable that this experience left us less than pleased.

On the positive side, the service and atmosphere at Connie's were excellent, and the portion sizes were generous for the price. However, the chicken's batter was akin to concrete, making it unenjoyable for us. Additionally, the onion rings were quite bland.

In summary, while some may appreciate the extreme crunch of Connie's chicken, it was not to our liking, and the consequences...

I truly think Connie's is a great place but I do feel the service is already slipping. I've been going a few times a week since they've opened and I do notice a differece. The first few times the donuts were fresh placed nicely in the box and tasted great. The last time they where sold out all Friday to Monday. Today was the kicker, I got my order right after they only been opened about 15 minutes and they tasted like they was a batch from yesterday, not fresh at all and cold. They also look a tad smaller and just thrown in the box. The sausage and egg biscuits are good and taste fresh to me. My favorite is spicy chicken and it is spicy taste amazing. Flavor all through and I hope it stays that way. I think a few days ago the may have ran out of the regular rolls that are good and the substitute was not impressive at all. The sweet tea is a little sweeter than I'd like but ... It is called sweet tea. My overall experience has been good I just feel for as much as we are willing to spent every time we go the donuts should be fresh not from a frig from...