You can now get bone-in fried chicken at Cracker Barrel for the first time in 50 years

It may seem like a southern food staple, but did you know in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s 50-year history, bone-in fried chicken has never been on the menu?

You’ve been able to order homestyle chicken, chicken fried chicken and tons of other Southern-inspired dishes, but bone-in fried chicken has never been a choice. That is, until now — because for the first time since the restaurant opened its doors in 1969, bone-in fried chicken is now a permanent fixture on Cracker Barrel’s menu! The launch is happening now to celebrate the restaurant’s 50th anniversary.

Cracker Barrel says the culinary team has spent years developing the recipe, perfecting the breading’s spice and flour blends and even redesigning the kitchens in more than 650 restaurants all to make your Southern fried chicken dreams come true. It’s the biggest addition to the menu in the brand’s history.

The chicken is double-breaded by hand with a custom blend of three types of black pepper and several seasonings and spices, then fried. Each plate comes with a half chicken – a breast, thigh, leg and wing – and is served with two country sides and homemade buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins for around $10.79. The dish even comes with its own bear-shaped bottle of honey, for a sweet and traditional touch.

“Given that we are a restaurant rooted in Southern cooking, we’ve always known the importance of adding bone-in fried chicken to our menu,” Cammie Spillyards-Schaefer, Cracker Barrel’s vice president of culinary, said in a press release. “Southern Fried Chicken has been a long time in the making because we knew Cracker Barrel had to get it just right. As an iconic food of the South, there is so much nostalgia and emotion connected to fried chicken. Nothing brings me back to fond childhood memories with my family like eating a plate of delicious, crispy fried chicken.”

While price and availability may vary by location, you can find the southern fried chicken on most Cracker Barrel menus now.

Aside from ordering the plated meal at your local Cracker Barrel, you can also order it to go. Beginning May 20, you can also get it in the restaurant’s Southern Fried Chicken Picnic Box, which comes with 12 pieces of chicken, two sides and buttermilk biscuits for around $33.99. Add a half-gallon of sweet or unsweetened tea, lemonade or strawberry lemonade and banana pudding or cookies for an additional charge.

Are you excited to try Cracker Barrel’s new southern fried chicken? If so, find a location near you.