Fried Chicken Championships takes place today

A selection of fried chicken restaurants are taking part in the very first Fried Chicken Championships final today (20 January), as the event launches in London.

The cooking competition, which comes from the organisers of the National Burger Awards, is bringing together the likes of Butchies, Wingmans, Chick’N’Sours, Sides and many more to celebrate the booming activity going on within this part of the hospitality industry. 

Finalists also include independent brands such as Fortune Fried Chicken and Glasgow’s Birds Fried Chicken, who will be up against national outfits like The Restaurant Group. The full list of finalists can be found below. 

How the competition works

At the cook-off at Big Penny Social in London, chefs will compete in three rounds. They will put together a Technical Platter, filling a tray of classic fried chicken items and sides, featuring products from the event sponsors. There will also be a Loaded Fries round, sponsored by Lamb Weston. Finally, they will be required to create their signature fried chicken dish, with the winner from this round being named the 2026 Fried Chicken Champion.

On the day, each round will be judged by a handpicked selection of industry representatives. 

The Fried Chicken Championships finalists 

• Mei Mei
• Butchies 
• Killa Waffles
• The Restaurant Group
• Chick'N'Sours
• Fortune Fried Chicken
• Twenty Ft Fried Chicken
• Wingmans
• Sides
• The Magic Wingdom
• Sam's Chicken
• Smoke Meat and Fire
• Clucking Crispy
• Birds Fried Chicken
• The Nashville Cluck

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