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  • - Oh look who it is.

  • Andrew!

  • Andrew!

  • - How did you find me?

  • - It is the day.

  • The day we've all been waiting for.

  • Fried chicken.

  • - Fried chicken. - Fried chicken.

  • - Let's eat that fried chicken.

  • - Alrighty. - Alrighty.

  • - Today, okay.

  • We are in New York City, baby.

  • Today on worth it, we are going to be trying

  • three fried chicken spots at three drastically

  • different price points to find out which

  • fried chicken is the most worth it at its price.

  • - Let's go.

  • - We gotta talk about it.

  • - My name is Kenneth Woods.

  • I'm president and CEO of Sylvia's.

  • I'm a son of Sylvia, as a matter of fact.

  • - It's an iconic place, this restaurant.

  • - Yeah, back in the 60's, everyone was

  • leaving the South and coming to the city.

  • Sylvia's is home away from home.

  • Everyone felt comfortable.

  • The stars, the politicians, the mom and pop.

  • A few weeks ago we had three birthdays.

  • Ladies that was all over 90 years old,

  • and three different parties.

  • - The great equalizer.

  • - We do it traditional Southern style.

  • Just like how my grandma used to make her chicken.

  • - Is that where the recipe comes from, is a family recipe?

  • - Yeah. We use a three and a half pound chicken,

  • trim it good, then season it evenly,

  • don't just season it and throw it in the fryer.

  • Massage it like when you clean a

  • baby with the baby oil on them.

  • That's how you do the chicken.

  • - You create a baby with love and

  • you create a fried chicken with love.

  • - That's right, you treat the fried chicken with love.

  • Let it marinate, then drench it in all-purpose flour.

  • Pat it to knock off the excess, fry it

  • for 12 minutes and enjoy what you're doing.

  • - Yeah.

  • - It's amazing to be the oldest,

  • the authentic, the original,

  • all of those little phrases, you know, mean something.

  • - Alright, well I think its time to try the fried chicken.

  • - Fried freaking chicken.

  • - One of the best meats with one of the best preparations.

  • Welcome to flavor town.

  • Oh man.

  • Oh, there's like a extra crunchy little bit right here.

  • - The skin is a perfect shell.

  • - It's like a suit of armor for a chicken knight.

  • - You ready?

  • - I am ready.

  • - Oh my gosh, it's so juicy on the back.

  • - I'm ready.

  • - To fried chicken.

  • Mmmm.

  • - That's (bleep) good.

  • - Oh I'm lost.

  • Oh wait no, I'm in fried chicken heaven.

  • That is like music to my ears.

  • It's so juicy inside.

  • It's just melting like butter.

  • - It's a food that takes a bath

  • when it gets cooked, it has to be good.

  • I'm shocked at how simple the preparation,

  • actually, is to get this product.

  • - That's when you know you've mastered a craft,

  • when you can make it look easy.

  • - It really is seasoned down to the bone.

  • Maybe the saddest sound at a fried chicken dinner.

  • (bone clinking on plate)

  • That was less dramatic than I thought it would be.

  • - Dramatic or drumatic?

  • - Did you just make a pun?

  • - Dra-matic or dru-matic?

  • - I think Steven just made a really good pun.

  • - Yeah that was on purpose.

  • Let's try some of the collard greens.

  • - That is the perfect thing to eat alongside of this.

  • Pretty (bleep) good right?

  • - Just walked out of Sylvia's, which is right there.

  • We're going to Red Rooster, which is over there.

  • But, we need to walk off some off this fried chicken.

  • So, wanna talk a lap around the block?

  • What did you think about Sylvia's?

  • - Crispy, simple, juicy.

  • Can't ask for more than that.

  • - So now we're going to...

  • - Wait, wait, wait, do you hear that?

  • That's the sound of: fried chicken fact.

  • According to the National Chicken Council,

  • the average American eats over 90 pounds

  • of chicken each year.

  • - I guess that makes sense.

  • It's gross when you think about it.

  • Just picturing a 90 pound chicken

  • that looks like a rottweiler.

  • - Ew.

  • - I guess that's like probably what a

  • small dinosaur would look like.

  • - Your tummy feeling okay?

  • - It's ready for more, it's always ready for more.

  • - Alrighty.

  • - Did you just try to hold my hand?

  • - What, no.

  • You're standing very close to me.

  • Okay.

  • - Fried chicken.

  • - Welcome everybody.

  • My name is Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

  • Right now, you're at Red Rooster.

  • When I thought about Red Rooster,

  • it was about, "How do I tackle fried chicken?"

  • Being neighbor with the most iconic

  • restaurant in Harlem of all time, Sylvia's,

  • we can talk a lot about what we have it common.

  • What does it mean to be a

  • restaurant in a community like Harlem?

  • For me, it's all about hiring.

  • We have about 180 employees, 70% from Harlem

  • and so I could never have dreamt that the

  • community would take so much ownership of the restaurant.

  • It's a push and pull.

  • When we make a mistake, they'll let us know,

  • when we improve something, they'll let us know.

  • - What is the name of the dish we're having today?

  • - Fried Yard Bird.

  • Yard Bird to me was just like birds running

  • around in the back, you know,

  • when you didn't have food, you could go out

  • into the yard and just cut a chicken.

  • And it's something that both from my

  • Ethiopian and my Swedish heritage.

  • I want a seasoned oil, so I'm flavoring

  • it with a little bit of rosemary, and garlic.

  • We have our bird.

  • A little bit of pickling brine, sugar, salt,

  • little bit of buttermilk.

  • Best thing is that the bird can be there overnight.

  • And then in our flour mix, we have a shake,

  • but it's the one ingredient that I will

  • let you know that's in that mix.

  • - And what is that?

  • - That is a spice blend from Ethiopia.

  • Large chilies, not super spiced ginger,

  • garlic, it has this beautiful taste of Ethiopia.

  • You want the right amount of flour,

  • so you get that crunchiness.

  • I landed on twice fried chicken.

  • The first fry is really all about cooking it through.

  • Then you lift it out, let it rest.

  • Then you just dip it again and fry it

  • to get really nice and crunchy.

  • I have a little bit of oil from that

  • flavored oil that we cooked in,

  • little bit of honey, and our Rooster sauce.

  • All of that stuff that I've used, comes back in.

  • It's really a reflection of poor man's cooking.

  • If you ever think about the food of the South,

  • everyone that was working class

  • ate pretty much the same.

  • Out of that came certain flavor points.

  • As the migration moved the population up, the food stayed.

  • Obviously, it tastes different in New York or

  • Detroit than it does in Virginia or Kentucky.

  • The methods stay just as much as jazz came up,

  • and today we have hip hop because of it.

  • The DNA is really the foods of the migration.

  • - So we got the Yard Bird.

  • - We also got some bourbon on the rocks,

  • because it's a hot day in Harlem.

  • - Oh I'm ready now.

  • Strangely, very sweet.

  • - Yeah, he said there's a hot honey in that.

  • Hot honey is what they called me in high school.

  • - Tell me who called you that.

  • - No one.

  • - Dibs on that one.

  • - Sure, go for it.

  • Because this one's clearly better.

  • - Oooh.

  • - Smells so good.

  • Oh my god.

  • - I got it on my nose.

  • Chicken cheers.

  • - That is some juicy chicken, holy (bleep).

  • - That is a sophisticated flavor.

  • - It's that nice, deep, roasted, slightly

  • bitter nutty flavor that he was talking about.

  • - Andrew with the adjectives.

  • - Adjective Andrew.

  • - Ooh.

  • - I can't believe how juicy this meat is.

  • And the skin is...

  • - Perfection. - Oh, (bleep).

  • - I just got some skin in my Bourbon.

  • - The skin is crispy and it melts in your mouth.

  • That's like making love

  • and I don't have any experience in that department.

  • - Really?

  • - I don't, but if I'm gonna be honest here,

  • that's what I imagine it's like.

  • The chicken and I have become one.

  • - You know what, I'm not gonna spoil anything for you.

  • I got it all over my face, I know.

  • - [Cameraman] You look like the Joker.

  • It's so good. - It's crazy.

  • - Can I jump in? - Please.

  • - I really thought I was gonna get to eat that,

  • but it's okay.

  • - Should we go to the cornbread next to soak this up?

  • - It's grimy, man.

  • - Grimy in a good way?

  • - (Chef Marcus) Yeah, word to the bird.

  • And like that, he's gone.

  • The structural integrity of this

  • skin with the coating is unreal.

  • It's like soft and supple, but strong and mysterious.

  • - Adjective Andrew, back at it again.

  • - Adjective Andrew.

  • Sweet potato yams.

  • The yams are like dessert mashed potatoes.

  • So there's one piece of chicken left.

  • Can I have it?

  • - Can we order some more?

  • - I asked Marcus if he had any suggestions for dessert.

  • - It's so hot.

  • - Turns out, Make My Cake, makes some great cake.

  • Thank you.

  • That may have been...

  • - It was the best fried chicken I've ever had.

  • I said it first.

  • - I couldn't have said it better...

  • - We went to the quintessential Harlem fried chicken spot.

  • - Now we're going to: fried chicken fact town.

  • - Oh, I forgot about that.

  • - How much chicken do you think the

  • United States consumes every year?

  • - A trillion chickens.

  • - A trillion chickens?

  • - I'll recalculate a little bit.

  • - Alright, recalibrate.

  • - Two billion chickens.

  • - Not bad, eight billion chickens.

  • - Eight billion?

  • - Eight billion chickens.

  • - So we ate a billion chickens, I was only a billion off.

  • - No, we eat eight billion chickens.

  • - So we just went to Sylvia's,

  • the quintessential fried chicken spot.

  • - Iconic.

  • - Red Rooster.

  • - Game changer.

  • - Now, we're going downtown.

  • Fried chicken will be served at a noodle bar.

  • It's really hot in New York, my brain no good, no more.

  • - Hi, I'm Dave Chang.

  • We've met before.

  • We're at Momofuku Noodle Bar, in the East Village.

  • - Last time we saw you was in Korea.

  • - I think you should try to eat the chili pepper.

  • - Is it good?

  • - Yeah, it's spicy as (bleep).

  • - Woooo.

  • Now, we get to try your food.

  • Does that make you nervous?

  • - I'm terrified.

  • - Why?

  • - Because I'm competitive, and if we don't win-

  • - It's not a competition.

  • - I'm probably the most competitive person.

  • Basically, we're serving fried chicken

  • like peking duck with caviar.

  • I understand how stupid and almost douche-y it sounds.

  • By no means am I trying to disrespect

  • fried chicken or caviar.

  • I think it works tremendously.

  • The person that's actually cooking is Tony Kim.

  • He's executive chef of all the Noodle Bars.

  • Anytime Tony cooks, it's a treat.

  • We brine the chicken in a buttermilk solution for a day,

  • the buttermilk helps tenderize it, gives it flavor.

  • Great fried chicken is about getting fissures as it fries.

  • Doing this is about creating irregularity in the batter.

  • We've created a dredge for it of flour, spices.

  • And then when fry it whole.

  • We let it rest for at least 30 minutes,

  • because you don't want it super hot.

  • Create all the sauces and the garnish.

  • Scallion crepes, white sauce, chives, and creme fraise.

  • We're preparing it with what I believe is

  • the best domestic caviar, by Regalis.

  • Some of the most beautiful Sturgeon.

  • We're also gonna pair it with some smoked Trout roe.

  • The salinity and oceanic brininess

  • of the caviar is perfect for the white meat.

  • Present it table side, show it to you,

  • and then we're gonna bring it back, slice it.

  • That's actually a trickier process.

  • You're sort of peeling the skin

  • and cutting at the same time.

  • Assemble it like you would with a peking duck.

  • This is not something you should eat everyday.

  • If you guys are meeting your friends in New York City,

  • and you haven't seen them in a few years,

  • this is the kind of meal that you'd want.

  • And if you break it down, amongst,

  • five to six people, it's not that bad.

  • - As a friend of Worth It, would you do the

  • honor in dining with us today?

  • - This is gonna be great.

  • This is one of my favorite things to eat.

  • - That looks nice.

  • - A lot of Chinese New Year ducks eaten this way.

  • - Is this just like a big chicken and the egg joke?

  • - Chicken, egg, and caviar.

  • That's one of the most classic culinary pairings.

  • This is just a mature egg.

  • I'm gonna make you one, how about that?

  • I'm gonna let you do white meat, just to see.

  • This is creme fraise with scallions.

  • Again, this is something that's a traditional garnish.

  • - Oh yeah.

  • - Sturgeon from Idaho.

  • - Cheers.

  • Hello sunshine, hello sky

  • Hello white clouds floating by

  • Hello cooling summer breeze

  • Coming whistling through the trees

  • Hello sand and hello seas

  • - Wow, okay, alright.

  • - I hate how good this is.

  • Those are the two most awesome textures side by side.

  • - This is like one of the most complex

  • things I've eaten, even though it's so simple.

  • - I'll make you one with the Trout roe.

  • It's very different.

  • Hello positivity surrounding everything I see

  • Hello happy, hello free

  • Hello you and hello me

  • - Okay.

  • - That is (bleep) crazy.

  • - Going from the really hot, fried crisp

  • and then having those bubbles pop in your mouth afterward.

  • It's like going to the fair,

  • and then the fireworks pop off, all in your mouth.

  • - It reminds me of a refrigerator raid.

  • For some reason, I didn't eat all of this awesome food.

  • We have a scallion pancake, we've got some chicken.

  • Oh, (bleep) and I got caviar.

  • - Is it weird to mix the two?

  • - I've actually never done that.

  • You're gonna be making history here.

  • - Pioneer.

  • Not as good.

  • - You want in on this real quick, Adam?

  • - Can I make him one?

  • (laughing)

  • - Oh, you're doing something that I like.

  • The drumstick, coated.

  • - I actually wanted to dip this in the caviar,

  • but I thought it would be rude for you guys.

  • - No, no, no, no, that's not rude at all.

  • - It's not?

  • - This is like a fever dream.

  • - Oh, (bleep).

  • Okay.

  • I've never cursed on camera in this show before.

  • That bite was so good.

  • - I didn't even talk to you about that.

  • I wanted to see if someone was going to do what you did,

  • in eating that fried chicken that way.

  • - Yeah?

  • - And you sort of passed the Willy Wonka test.

  • - Goddamn it.

  • - It's a tin of paddlefish.

  • - Woah.

  • - It's cheaper, but you can get way more of it.

  • If we're gonna make fried chicken caviar,

  • lets go all the way.

  • Just dunk it in and crust the whole thing.

  • - Where are we?

  • Woah.

  • - This is like an ice cream cone with sprinkles on it.

  • - Cheers.

  • (laughing)

  • - I'm sorry, I just can't not laugh at this.

  • - That's the whole point.

  • I'm in it to win it, man.

  • - This is going to ruin me, I think.

  • You know those weird people that bring

  • their own salad dressing to a restaurant?

  • - [David] Yeah.

  • - I'm gonna start coming to fried chicken restaurants

  • with my own tin of caviar.

  • - I love mixing things that are high-low,

  • or things that aren't supposed to,

  • traditionally, go together.

  • When I'm looking at this, I'm inspired by France,

  • China, the American South.

  • So, for me it's genuinely not about the shock value at all.

  • It's about always, number one, that it's delicious.

  • Number two, respecting the cultures

  • that you're taking it from.

  • Yes, this is sort of perverse,

  • but if you really look at it, it really sort of makes sense.

  • - Yeah, and at the end of the day,

  • I don't care what you're putting together,

  • if it takes good in my mouth, that's all that matters.

  • (laughing)

  • - Here you go, sir.

  • - Thank you.

  • Oh my god.

  • - Really get it in there.

  • Crust it, crust it.

  • This is like where filming a rap video or something.

  • - You simultaneously drooled while

  • you tried to take those last bites.

  • - Feels like you're doing something wrong, right?

  • - Alright should I just say my winner?

  • - You know what, yeah.

  • - Noodle Bar.

  • - I predicted you would say Red Rooster.

  • - I know, I thought I was too.

  • The single best bite of food today

  • was the first bite of the Red Rooster Yard Bird,

  • but for this comparison kind of thing, I pick Noodle Bar.

  • People routinely spend 150 dollars

  • or more seeing their favorite artist.

  • You could very easily make the argument

  • that going out to a dinner like that

  • is as powerful a performance, if you will.

  • - Wow, let me break it down for you

  • how it should actually go.

  • Sylvia's is the OG.

  • She set the tone for fried chicken in America.

  • But, I thought Red Rooster was gonna be

  • all of our Worth It winners, because Red Rooster

  • is my Worth It winner of today.

  • - As it should be.

  • I mean it was real (bleep) good.

  • - It really was the best fried chicken I've ever had.

  • It was magical.

  • Adam?

  • Who was your Worth It winner.

  • I know what you're gonna say,

  • you're gonna choose the same one as him.

  • No, you're not.

  • No, you're not.

  • Are you serious?

  • - Adam picks Momofuku Noodle Bar.

  • Thank you for watching the fried chicken episode.

  • Worth It, out.

  • I love a mixture of plates, very pleasing.

  • That's something I aspire to have in my own home,

  • but I think it takes a long time.

  • Maybe one really hard weekend of antiquing

  • and I could get it together.

  • - Ugh I need some more bourbon.

  • - [Steven] Oh yes.

- Oh look who it is.

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