Fried Chicken Championships finalists revealed
A line-up of 16 fried chicken shops from across the country have been announced as finalists
Sixteen fried chicken restaurants have been selected to take part in the very first Fried Chicken Championships.
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 Slim Chickens, Bill’s and The Restaurant Group. The full list of finalists can be found below.
The new cook-off will bring together some of the finest dishes in market, welcoming the 16 chefs and their teams to a live final in London on Tuesday 20 January 2026.
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 are:
- Bill’s
- Birds Fried Chicken
- Butchies
- Chicken Bandits
- Chick'N'Sours
- Fortune Fried Chicken
- Killa Waffles
- Lucky B’s Hot Chicken
- Mei Mei
- Sam's Chicken
- Sides
- Slim Chickens
- The Nashville Cluck
- The Restaurant Group
- Twenty Ft Fried Chicken
- Wingmans
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