The Best Chicken Dishes From 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'

It's time to break out of the same-old food rut. We've rounded up some of the best chicken dishes from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives that Guy Fieri has sampled on his free-range tour from coast to coast. If you're after a breakfast bird, decadent dumplings or savory shawarma, you've come to the right place.

Start things off by skipping the frying pan and going straight over the fire with these chargrilled Ground Chicken Kabobs from Travel By Taste Deli and Market in Oklahoma City. Spiced with saffron and mint, the savory sticks pair up perfectly with saffron rice and hummus.

Savory, seasoned and piled high enough for a prince, the shawarma from Prince's in Arlington, Texas, is the plate you've been looking for. A bold, aromatic spice blend gets a boost with cardamom and allspice, before a flashing hot-pan sear. Plated with a sidecar of lemon-garlic sauce, fluffy rice and hummus, it's fit for a king.

Chef Robin Ganir and his wife, Jean Nguyen, are mashing up Filipino and Hawaiian flavors into new sensations at Broke Da Mouth Grindz. The Garlic Furikake Chicken has outstanding, over-the-top crunch and the contrasting sauces make it sing.

Utah might not be the first state you think of when Cajun pasta comes to mind, but MayMoes in Logan is here to change your mind. The spicy-savory dish is so popular that they blend their spice blend in a cement mixer before they toss it with smoked chicken thighs and awesome al dente pasta. And though MayMoes closed in 2024, the restaurant's spirit lives on through their longtime fans and this recipe they shared with us.

Smack-dab in the middle of Mesa, Arizona, Republica Empanada is keeping it simple with their take on the classic Latin American comfort dish. The rice absorbs the rich, tomatoey stock for its signature color, and the house spice blend brings the zip thanks to smoky aciote paste.

If you didn’t already have Boise, Idaho, on your food bucket list, Tango’s is all the convincing you need. These handmade Argentinian empanadas are stuffed to the limit with shredded chicken thighs, chipotle salsa and caramelized onions in a crispy, deep-fried shell. Empanadas travel exceptionally well, so you might want to grab a few of their 52 varieties for the road.

One of the most famous upstate New York dishes, iconic chicken riggies are a hot hit. Rich and creamy tomato sauce clings to the pasta, but it's the heat diners love. Not satisfied with the hot cherry peppers that set the dish apart, Pastabilities adds diced jalapeños, chipotle and cayenne pepper to their homemade tomato sauce. That's a winner-winner, wicked chicken dinner.

Buffalo wings are officially on notice: The Asian sticky wings from Alkaline in Norfolk, Virginia, are coming for your lunch, dinner and cold breakfast. Not only are you getting the wings, but the batter is drizzled into the fryer to create additional crispy bits for munching. If that wasn’t enough, each wing is brushed by hand so that it stays crispy instead of being sogged up with sauce.

Ever wake up after a long winter in Alaska, tired of eating salmon and want something wildly different? Bear with me and head to V’s Cellar Door in Juneau for Korean chicken fusion nachos. Imagine pear- and gochujang-marinated chicken thighs shredded, sauced and salsa’d with everything under the sun. One patron said it best: “I want to put more of this in my mouth than I can with my hands.”

Crispy, woodfire rotisserie, roadside chicken in Hawaii. Do I have your attention? Then, pull over to Mike’s Huli Chicken next time you’re in Oahu, where bird is the word. Plated up with mouthwatering macaroni salad and pineapple, these smoky, slow-roasted chickens were so memorable that Guy bought his own Huli Huli grill.

Sometimes you need a little extra motivation in the morning, and that's where the biggest breakfast bowl you've ever laid eyes on comes in. The Wake 'N' Bake Chicken from Jackalope's starts you off with a crispy and crunchy cutlet, homemade sausage and a heaping helping of sausage gravy.

If you're after a big bowl of classic comfort, this heaping helping of savory shredded chicken, rich and creamy Parmesan broth, and pillowy dumplings is enough to feed an army … or one TV show host.

As stated earlier, we are in desperate need of a cure for the common Buffalo wing. I propose that instead of trite wings fried in old oil, we start with crispy, smoked wings by someone who cares enough to make his wings into tasty lollipops. And a blue cheese dressing you could eat with a fork doesn’t hurt either.

Pterodactyl-sized and stuffed with pork, shrimp and noodles, the wings at Thai Mee Up are like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Straight out of the late Jurassic, these massive whole wings are deboned, stuffed, steamed, breaded, fried and served up alongside plum sauce and watercress salad. Plus, this spot is right next to the airport, so feel free to island hop on over for a nice light lunch.