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The world loves fried chicken in many forms. From karaage to schnitzel to ayam goreng, there are many methods and variations for frying chicken around the globe, but in the United States, Southern fried chicken has a chokehold on the nation. Nationwide, Popeyes and Raising Cane’s are usually the most popular names in Louisiana-style fried chicken, yet there’s one fried chicken restaurant in Baton Rouge, LA that’s been serving “knuckle suckin’ good” fried chicken for decades longer than either of those chains: Chicken Shack.
Not only is Chicken Shack older than fellow Louisiana-born fried chicken brands Raising Cane’s and Popeyes, founded in 1996 and 1972, respectively; it’s also the oldest restaurant in Baton Rouge. Unsurprisingly, the menu centers around fried chicken, offering dinners and family packs in various sizes as well as chicken tenders, along with a fried pork chop and a few seafood items like fried fish and various fried shrimp.
In addition to fried chicken, Chicken Shack also has po’boy sandwiches, a classic Louisiana sandwich with origins dating back to the Great Depression, along with daily lunch specials like oxtails and smothered pigtails. A wide array of side orders consists of Southern favorites like rice dressing, mustard greens, candied yams, coleslaw, and macaroni and cheese. For a sweet finish, Chicken Shack’s menu also features traditional Southern peach cobbler and pies like sweet potato and lemon.
The Delpit Family cooks knuckle suckin’, not finger lickin’, chicken
Despite it’s current name and most popular product, Chicken Shack’s origins actually started not with a store that sold chicken but one that sold candies and sweets called Suburban Ice Cream Parlor at a different location that’s now home to the Chicken Shack offices. Chicken Shack’s history begins with Thomas “Tommy” H. Delpit, who invested 35 cents (equivalent to $8.56 in 2026) in a sweets shop in 1935.
Two years later, Delpit renamed the shop to Chicken Shack and began to sell not only sweets but cakes, pies, seafood, and another Louisiana dish staple, red beans and rice. When Delpit had lived in New Orleans, he tinkered with his own recipes for popular Creole dishes like fried chicken, which he later put on Chicken Shack’s menu. The chicken is cooked using a wet batter that’s dipped directly into hot oil rather than being breaded first, which gives the chicken a unique texture.
Sadly, Tommy Deplit died in 1959, after which his son Joe Delpit took over the business, and later became the sole owner along with his wife in 1973. Since then the business has grown and expanded, and Chicken Shack currently has two locations in Baton Rouge on Acadian Highway and Pawtucket Street, both serving up golden, crispy poultry and comforting Southern sides to the masses. The business is still run by the Delpit family and loyal friends, like multi-decade veteran general manager, Troy Carter, who every day records a new voicemail with specials followed by an inspirational quote.
Dining and Cooking