4 places serving the best Broasted chicken in Minnesota

I recently had someone ask me where to get Broasted chicken, and I didn’t have more than one or two ideas. But I knew there are plenty of great places around. So I took to my Facebook page and received a surprising amount of comments.

Folks view Broasted chicken differently than fried chicken, although both are fried. The concept of Broasted chicken was invented in Wisconsin and is made in a pressure cooker. This Chicago Tribune article explains the history and differences between Broasted chicken and fried chicken.

After tallying up those Facebook comments, here are the spots serving the best Broasted chicken in Minnesota:

Brass Rail, Grandy
36868 Highway 65 NE, Grandy, MN 

• Grandy is a few minutes north of Cambridge along Highway 65, less than 60 minutes north of Downtown Minneapolis.
• Brass Rail by far and away had the most votes on my Facebook page.
• Brass Rail has served their Broasted chicken for more than 40 years.
• Open 11:00 am – 9:00 pm Sunday – Thursday, 11:00 am – 10:00 pm Friday – Saturday.

Blacksmith Lounge and Broaster, Hugo
17205 Forest Boulevard N, Hugo, MN 

• Hugo is in the Northeast part of the Twin Cities, about 25 minutes from Downtown Saint Paul.
• On Thursdays, Blacksmith offers a Broasted chicken deal from 4:00 – 9:30 pm for $10.44. It includes 1/2 of a chicken, along with a choice of potato, salad or coleslaw and toast.
• Their Broasted chicken is available to-go.
• Note that their kitchen is closed Monday – Friday from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.

Carl’s Corner, Essig
21378 First Street, Essig, MN 

• Essig is just west of New Ulm and is about 1 hour, 45 minutes from Downtown Minneapolis.
• Broasted chicken is on the dinner menu, which is served from 5:00 – 9:00 pm; the only day it is available during lunch is Tuesday.
• Heads up: Carl’s only accepts cash or checks.

The Coop, South Saint Paul
157 Third Avenue S, South Saint Paul, MN 

• The Coop is not far off of 494, just west of Concord Street.
• The Coop’s building dates back to the early 1900s and The Coop has been in business since 1963.
• For just $9, you can get two pieces of Broasted chicken (either white or dark), served with your choice of potato (fries, wedges, mashed or mini hash browns), along with coleslaw and a dinner roll.
• Need to feed a crowd? You can order a bucket of 40 pieces for $99 — that will satisfy 15-20 people.