Best Fried Chicken Sandwiches in Boston – Part 2

Whenever a new fried chicken spot pops up around Boston we’re usually the first ones on the scene. Whether it’s a classic hot chicken, Korean fried chicken, or your basic fried sandwich– we’re here for it.

Three of our favorite fried chicken sandwiches in Boston are:

• Butterbird (Watertown)
• Flip the Bird (Beverly, Salem, Swampscott)
• Birdies Hot Chicken (Boston, Brockton, Westwood)

Butterbird (Watertown)

When we saw that the mastermind behind Boston-based restaurants Citrus & Salt and Buttermilk & Bourbon was opening up a fried chicken spot, our only question was:

“Where are the ampersands in the name?!”

All jokes aside, we’ve had the fried chicken at Buttermilk & Bourbon, so we had high hopes for Butterbird.

We loved the diverse sandwich options on display at Butterbird. We tried the Incredible Hawk as well as the Butterbird. These sandwiches are lookers. They overflow out of the delicious brioche buns. The Incredible Hawk was their spicy chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce, blue cheese, and cool ranch. The sandwich was crispy, tender and juicy. The heat didn’t knock our socks off– but it didn’t really need to. Plus, it paired really well with the tangy cool ranch. Their flagship sandwich, the Butterbird, came with thick-cut bacon and a runny egg. There was an entire breakfast on this sandwich, making it well worth the trip to Arsenal Yards.

Flip the Bird (Beverly, Salem, Swampscott)

We don’t know how Flip the Bird didn’t make our first fried chicken sandwich list, because this spot is top-tier with everything they do. This is a fried chicken list– but first thing’s first, the Angry Fries are a must-try item here. These loaded fries are topped with shredded rib meat from their house-smoked ribs, along with bayou sauce and BBQ sauce with angry dust to add a real kick to this creation. The rib meat is savory and succulent, which pairs perfectly with the their bayou sauce (a spicy mayo-based signature sauce). The angry fries will put you to bed, so for something lighter let’s dive into the sandwiches.

Flip the Bird knows how to bring the heat. The Nashville Chicken is the perfect balance of heat with flavor that lingers in our mouth just the right amount. The sandwiches are huge with a perfectly crispy crunch and juicy insides. We’ve had the Angry Bird before, which is the next level up in heat, providing a serious kick. We’re not mental enough to go all the way up and try the Cry Bird. If you like to go hard, their frappes are super rich– plus dairy always helps with the heat.

For those who aren’t looking for too much of a kick, the O.G. sandwich is for you. The buttermilk ranch and pickle combo goes great on top of the fried chicken.

Birdies Hot Chicken (Boston, Brockton, Westwood)

A local Brockton mainstay, Birdies has started to expand their hot chicken operation to Boston, which is something we are pumped to hear.

Birdies stays true to the hot chicken roots, both in taste and in presentation. Served open face on a potato roll, these sliders keep it simple with just coleslaw, pickles, and their birdie sauce (which is a take on the classic comeback sauce). With six spice levels, you can go from no spice to Grim Reaper, landing anywhere on the scale you might prefer. We thought hot would be manageable, but it had some serious heat and was no joke. The heat had us dipping our sandwich in that extra birdie sauce to try and quell our taste buds.

Without a doubt, Birdies is a great addition to the growing fried chicken sandwich scene in Boston.

If you haven’t already, check out part 1 of our Boston fried chicken guide here!