Check out Roseville’s Q1227 for an elevated take on Southern cuisine. Their Southern Fried Chicken is prepared boneless in a rich buttermilk batter, and the golden crunchy coating clings to the chicken like a needy toddler (in a good way). It’s served with garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, because literally nothing pairs better (aside from a nap). 1465 Eureka Road, Suite 100, Roseville, 916-899-5146, q1227restaurant.com

 

Cozy up to The Independent in Placerville for their comfort dinner specialty: Mary's Free Range Buttermilk Fried Chicken, featuring tender boneless chicken encased in a deliciously seasoned, golden-brown coating and served with white cheddar polenta, Swiss chard, and roasted garlic cloves. (Weighted blanket optional.) 629 Main Street, Suite 102, Placerville, 530-344-7645, independentplacerville.com

 

Land Ocean, with locations in Folsom and Roseville, is serving a party and your mouth is invited. The crave-worthy Crispy Chicken Sandwich—served on grilled sourdough bread with tasty toppings like bacon jam, melty cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, and cayenne aioli—is a simple yet simply complex sandwich you won’t soon forget. 2720 East Bidwell Street, Folsom, 916-983-7000; 1151 Galleria Boulevard, Suite 241, Roseville, 916-407-5640, landoceanrestaurants.com

 

Is there anything better than Chicken & Waffles on a cold wintry morning—or any morning for that matter? Wally’s Pizza Bar in Cameron Park has got cozy on lock: a sweet cream Belgian waffle topped with crispy seasoned buttermilk chicken breasts and a heavy drizzle of real maple syrup. It’s like a deliciously warm hug for your belly. 4079 Cameron Park Drive, Cameron Park, 530-677-5205, wallyspizzabar.com

 

Come for FLB’s bowling, stay for the grub! The Buffalo Chicken Salad at FLB Entertainment Center will sate your post-strike hunger (and then some): mixed greens topped with red onions, tomatoes, bacon, jack and cheddar cheeses, crispy chicken, and a sliced hardboiled egg, then drizzled with not one but two dressings (buffalo and ranch) and topped with crispy onion tanglers. 511 East Bidwell Street, Folsom, 916-983-4411, flb365.com

 

It's true: Placerville’s Rocker Oysterfeller’s does serve great oysters, but they also offer a great Southern-style menu, including a mouthwateringly good Chicken on a Biscuit: delicious fried chicken on a fluffy, house-made buttermilk biscuit with roasted jalapeno aioli, apple-fennel slaw, pickles, and hand-cut Kennebec potato fries. It’ll tickle your taste buds in all the right ways! 564 Main Street, Placerville, 530-295-9408, rockeroysterfellers.com

 

“Comfort food” in the dictionary could be defined as “Southern Fried Mary’s Chicken from The Chef’s Table.” If you know, you know; if you don’t, it’s buttermilk brined for three days and served alongside a bacon gravy you’ll want to bathe in, creamy mashed potatoes, and carrots (for a touch of color and beta-carotene). Highly caloric, highly delicious, and highly likely to have you addicted, it’s one dish that doesn’t disappoint. 6843 Lonetree Boulevard, Suite 103, Rocklin, 916-771-5656, thechefstablerocklin.com  

 

Cameron Park’s Chx Shop is coming in hot with their Fried Chx Sandwich: a brined chicken thigh, fried crispy, with house-made cheese spread, pickles, shaved lettuce, and pickled red onions on a pillowy brioche bun. Heat it up with buffalo sauce or send it straight to hell with the double-hot hell-dorado sauce. Feel the burn! 3000 Green Valley Road, Suite 17, Cameron Park, 530-350-7844, chxshop.com