Chicken House

During the busy school year, I don’t usually have the time to casually flip through ads to get inspiration for dinner. I’m always eating at the same, reliable places. I had picked up a June - August issue of Clipper Magazine recently, so I decided to turn to it for guidance. The Chicken House ad caught my attention: “Broaster Chicken Healthier and Tastier” it taunted. With juicy photos of crispy chicken, onion rings, and potato wedges, I had to have some.

I drove to Chicken House, which is in the far corner of a strip mall complex on Stone School Road. There was decent parking in front. Upon entering, you’ll notice that it is a clean, new-looking establishment. There was a friendly woman at the register. My friend and I decided to use a Clipper Magazine coupon for the 14-piece Family Meal with 3 sides of our choosing. We decided on the mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and biscuits. This deal was for $19.99 plus tax. They apparently used to have a spicier Cajun broaster chicken, but it’s now discontinued.

The order came out in about five minutes. There were two containers of mashed potatoes, a large 7-inch tall container of coleslaw, and four biscuits. Now what exactly is “broaster chicken”? Well, broasting is supposed to be a cooking process that’s a combination of broiling and roasting, but broaster chicken is actually a different variety of fried chicken. Broaster Chicken™ is actually a trademark of The Broaster Company™. The Broaster Company uses their own special pressure fryer to produce crispy, yet less oily fried chicken. The Chicken House actually uses genuine Broaster Company pressure fryers to make their chicken.


Surprisingly, there isn’t really too much to say. The chicken was phenomenal. The meat was tender and the skin was crispy with just the right amount of crispiness. If there was anything to complain about, it was that the chicken was a tad salty. If they would hold off on the salt a bit, it would be perfect. The coleslaw was reminiscent of KFC’s, which I like, but with less mayo. This gave it a cleaner, crisp taste. The mashed potatoes and the biscuits were ho-hum, but alas, I was too busy savoring the chicken.


With free refills on fountain drinks, free wireless Internet, a clean atmosphere, and really awesome chicken, everyone should definitely check this place out if you like fried chicken. This place is especially for those of you who like crispy foods without so much oiliness. Since this place has only been open since March, be sure to check out Ann Arbor’s newest broaster chicken sensation. And before you go, don’t forget to grab the latest issue of Clipper Magazine off the street and take advantage of Chicken House’s 8 different coupons.

Rating: 8.5 (out of 10)
The Bottom Line: Great crispy chicken, but it needs to be a little less salty; clean and friendly establishment; the mashed potatoes and biscuits could be improved.

Chicken House
4119 Stone School Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734-677-2442

May the Reviews Begin...

Welcome to The Ann Arbor Appetizer! I’ve decided to start this blog because, aside from being a foodie, I have felt that there isn’t any reliable information on the Ann Arbor restaurant scene. A Google search will turn up broken links, defunct reviews, and self-aggrandizing restaurant websites. This will not do. I hope to bring a fresh, objective perspective, and I hope that this helps some people to have a better dining out experience in our cute college town.

Since this is my first blog and very much a work in progress, please add your comments and suggestions. Let me know if there are any restaurants you want me to review. My email address is . I’ll do my best to make this the best resource on Ann Arbor restaurants on the Net.