Photo by JS

I considered calling this post, “Ode to the Chicken Biscuit: A 38-Part Series.” (And yes, I’ve tried that many.) I’m just that crazy about the combo of a juicy slab of chicken breast and a big fluffy biscuit. But, I digress…

Bantam + Biddy had been on my Atlanta list for a while. Luckily my friend Alison’s new apartment isn’t far from the chicken-centric spot. Tucked in a strip mall (and unfortunately placed a mere 100 feet from a gym), it was quiet the Saturday morning we visited in February. Greeted by a glass display full of Sublime doughnuts, it would have been easy for the sugar to distract me. But I came for some daggum poultry. It was hard to pick from my two favorite foods: chicken biscuit or chicken & waffles. For a minute, I was locked in an internal debate as fierce as “What came first: the chicken or the egg…”  (For scientific purposes, I’ll have to come back to try the other.)

What makes the perfect chicken biscuit? Forget the fast-food varieties that leave a greasy film on the roof of your mouth. Like most things in life, the best biscuits take time and can’t be mass-produced. To be a successful chicken biscuit, the parts must be as good as the whole. Both the chicken and the biscuit should be able to stand alone and still be fantastic. I know I’ve got a good biscuit on my plate when I don’t have to rely on jelly, jam, or even butter to enjoy it. The chicken should be all tender white breast meat with no fat and a slight kick.

I’m happy to say that the Bantam + Biddy chicken biscuit stood up to my high standards… Chicken and waffles, you’re next!