AQ Chicken offers quality taste
AQ Chicken in Springdale offers visitors a graceful view
AQ Chicken House
1270 N. Thompson St., Springdale, AR
1925 N. College Ave., Fayetteville AR
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday
The entrance to AQ Chicken House in Springdale
Pan fried with tender meat and crispy skin, over the coals with blackened bits and barbecue, tangy and slightly sweet. These are the pieces I usually order as part of the Chicken Sampler Platter at AQ Chicken House in Springdale and Fayetteville, AR.
All the choices are delectable, so this allows me to savor the crispy, smoky and barbecue flavors all in one dish.
The Sampler Platter inclues pan-fried chicken, over-the-coals and barbecue.
I must have eaten at “The Best Little Chicken House” in Arkansas 100 times throughout the years, having worked and lived in the area.
The Best Little Chicken House in Northwest Arkansas
AQ Chicken stands for Arkansas Quality and serves food from local growers and chicken from Tyson Foods Inc., which also has its global headquarters based in Springdale.
Both locations are like a second home to me. Springdale is the original restaurant established by Roy Ritter in 1947. The restaurant resembles a graceful southern home filled with hospitality. The Springdale eatery sports an antique car out front with a board advertising the daily lunch special price of $5.99.
Daily specials are advertised on an antique truck
Cheddar Chicken on Fridays is my favorite Blue Plate Special. A fried chicken breast is topped with cheddar cheese and green onions served over a bed of rice and a choice of one side item.
Visitors are greeted by a larger-than-life sculpture by Keith E. Black titled Ozark Red. Legend says that rubbing a rooster’s red wattle will bring you good luck. I’m not sure about the chickens though, as millions of diners from all over the country dine on AQ’s chicken specialties.
A larger-than-life rooster greets visitors at the Springdale AQ Chicken House
Photos of President Bill Clinton celebrating his 47th birthday line the walls, and others of President George Bush when AQ catered an event.
Mouthwatering rolls, wonderfully fluffy and large, arrive in a green basket at the table. Be careful not to devour too many of these, or you won’t be able to finish your dinner! The sides are excellent as well, although the main focus is the chicken. Top picks are the creamed spinach, cinnamon apples, mashed potatoes, fried okra and sweet potato casserole.
A big fluffy roll
Starters are scrumptious too, with choices like Batter Dipped Mushrooms, Fried Chicken Livers and Chicken Quesadillas. Calories are not on my mind when I eat here, but if you’re trying to eat more healthfully, there are selections like the excellent Low Fat Lemon Lite, a charbroiled chicken breast with sauteed mushrooms and onions.
Another outstanding dish is the Chicken Parmigiana, a homemade dish that offers savory fried chicken breasts served with what tastes like tagliatelle pasta and chicken gizzard ragu. This reminds me of the chicken dinners I’ve enjoyed at the Tontitown Grape Festival.
The best seller touted on their menu is the chicken tenders. They are tasty, especially with the honey mustard sauce for dipping. If you’re really hungry, then the Ozark Platter is a solid choice with a quarter serving of dark roasted chicken, rack of ribs and spaghetti. The Chicken Fried Steak Dinner will also fill your stomach with a half-pound serving of meat covered in gravy.
The batter is delicious on the over-the-coals chicken breast
You get plenty of meat with any order
There’s even more chicken choices like Hawaiian Chicken, which is prepared with a teriyaki sauce and topped with pineapple rings, Southwest Grilled Chicken served with shredded cheese and pico de gallo, and Cajun Chicken Breast, spicy and blackened served over a bead of rice.
Chicken is, of course, the main attraction, but there’s also a new choice of AQ’s Tender Roast Beef.
White River Catfish is served up southern style, coated with a thin layer of cornmeal and fried; Blackened Grilled Catfish prepared in a cast iron skillet; Grilled Lemon Pepper Catfish, and Catfish Over the Coals, chargrilled and seasoned with lemon pepper.
I have tried only the Old Fashioned Apple Dumpling for dessert, since I usually do not have room from anything other than rolls with honey or strawberry preserves.
Yes, AQ is like coming home. I see the comforting ceiling fans swirl and green and white color scheme. There’s a carousel horse in one room of the Springdale eatery, which seems like a fun addition to this unique establishment. At the Fayetteville location a long front porch graces the entrance, setting apart the guests from busy traffic on College Avenue.
Black gargoyles and elegant scroll designs adorn green light posts outside the grounds. Chandeliers grace the ceiling, and a guest books sits on a bombe chest where visitors from all around the country have left their mark in Northwest Arkansas.
I know most of the wait staff by name, their faces familiar as anyone you might see at least three times a week for 15 years.
“Don’t you own this restaurant?” I heard one diner ask a waitress who is a familiar face.
“No, but I should. I’ve worked here 18 years.”
One waitress’s portrait hangs on a back wall. Sheila, who passed away. For a while, I couldn’t face this picture without tears running down into my food. She was a friendly face among many who have worked there. I’ve never known the staff not to be anything but gracious in the best southern tradition.
She was one who had the menu memorized and seemed to remember your favorites before you even opened the menu cover.
I hope AQ never loses its local flavor. It’s what keeps me coming “home.”
Graceful lighting invites a welcoming atmosphere at the Fayetteville location
A gargoyle light shows the way
The front porch welcomes visitors to the Fayetteville AQ Chicken House
It ain’t bragging if you’ve done it!
Short URL: https://flavorfixx.com/?p=1076
Posted by admin
on Feb 24 2012. Filed under Restaurant Guide.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
Hey, excellent details with regards to signs and the like. I think you will keep on writing this?
Heya! I hope you do not mind but I decided to submit your weblog: http://flavorfixx.com/aq-chicken-offers-quality-taste/ to my online directory website. I used, “AQ Chicken offers quality taste | Flavorfixx” as your blog headline. I hope this is ok with you. In the event that you’d like me to change the title or perhaps remove it completely, email me at romainlevy@ymail.com. Appreciate it.