Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket Makes List Of Best Suburban Restaurants

WILLOWBROOK, IL — What started out as a simple lunch counter that served up fried chicken n the 1930s has grown to become one of the most historic restaurants in the country. Since expanding to a standalone location on Route 66 in 1946, Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket has won countless awards and been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Recently, Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket made Eater's list of top restaurants in Chicago's suburbs.

Not much has changed about Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in the last 70 years, but that's precisely what makes it so appealing. The original neon-lit sign still glows outside the unassuming brick building that once welcomed hungry diners as they cruised from Chicago on Route 66. Cooks still use the same recipe to whip up batches of fried chicken that have garnered the restaurant attention from "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," "Chicago's Best," and "190 North."

Beyond the famed fried chicken, the award-winning menu at Dell Rhea's features traditional Southern fare that includes catfish po'boys, sautéed chicken livers and chicken gizzards that are seasoned, boiled and deep-fried. Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket has updated the menu selection to include gluten free items and only non-GMO chicken. Their chicken is marinated for 24 hours and each batch is cooked to order, so diners will have to be a little patient, but it's well worth the wait.

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