Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket - Rt. 66 Willowbrook

Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket located on historic Route 66 which opened in the summer 1946.

The Wing Joint:
Once a gas station lunch counter, this award winning diner is well known throughout Chicago for its delicious fried chicken.  My family and I have been coming here for many years, whether for a birthday celebration or just for a basket of their famous fried chicken.  Before getting their wings recently, I never even ordered anything else beside the "Chicken Basket" which comes with 4 pieces of freshly cooked fried chicken and fries.  With a diner on one side of the building and the Blue Rooster Lounge on the other, there is usually always a table ready when you walk in.  Decorated with chicken décor on the shelves, walls, and even all the way down to the chicken curtains.  Fresh salad bar located right outside the kitchen and a large fire place, burning all winter long, on their opposite end of the diner.  There is always a daily drink special and Monday - Friday 3-7pm $ .50 wings.  Yes, you heard right.  Wing night every night.  They also have a Route 66 Roadhouse Red Ale on tap, which goes great with dinner.  Recently featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket is right off I-55 and easy to find.  So if you're looking for awesome fried chicken, a chicken pot pie or the award winning wings this you're place, its been my families chicken place for years.

The Wing Review:

Buffalo Wings

I cant say enough about the fried chicken but this time its all about the wings.  There is 5 sauces: Vesuvio, Spicy BBQ, Jamaican Jerk, and the two I had Buffalo and Chef Patrick's Wings.  Their menu says the Buffalo wings are made famous by Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives so its time to put them to the test.  More on Chef Patrick's Wings later.  The temperature as steaming hot, wings are jumbo and meaty.  Buffalo wings had that deep fried crispy crunch and the Chefs wings that nice char grilled taste, but not to much, so done just right.  So far so good.
First lets talk the made famous buffalo wings.  Seasoned and lightly floured then deep fried and tossed in the buffalo sauce.  As for the buffalo sauce and flavor...it was anything but famous.  Don't get my wrong, its not bad, but sauce was a little too buttery, oily, greasy...can't put my finger on it, maybe all of the above but its flavor was little off.  What's weird is, I took a few wings home, and they actually tasted better reheated then.  The sauce does offer a nice kick to spice it up.

Chef Patrick's Wings

Lets talk the winner of the night, Chef Patrick's Wings.  The wings are deep fried naked, sauced in the secret Chef Patrick's sauce, then char grilled.  These waitress favorite wings are loaded with flavor.  The bite is a little sweet then comes the heat.  The sauce is like a sweet Asian zingy mango flavor with a kick it up notch heat.  Delicious.  All I wanted,  was more wings and what's is in the sauce?  Must try.

Wing Night: Every week night! M-F 3-7pm 50 cent wings!

Side Notes:
+Attention fried chicken lovers, must try
+Nightly drink special and events in the Blue Rooster Lounge like trivia and karaoke.
-The room temperature in the winter can be cold, sit by the fire place.
-We have sent back the chicken pot pie for being cold more than once in the past.  Very good, but temperature served is hot or miss.



Rt. 66 Roadhouse Red Ale

Moment of Truth and Why:
Overall: 4.5 Star Wings 
Temperature: 5
Size & Texture: 4.5
Sauce: 4
Heat: 3
Flavor Overall: 4
Buffalo: 3
Chef Patrick's: 5

Seriously good wings.  Wings are served steaming hot, jumbo in size, meaty, tender, and crispy, basically everything I look for.  Wings don't have much sauce on them, could use a bit more, but the flavor is cooked right into the wings.  Buffalo flavor was a little disappointing because of the hype.  The Chef Patrick Wings, saved the day and was the favorite of the night.  Being so close to home and 50 cent wing night every night, you know I'll be back soon.  Order the Chef Patrick wings and those Jamaican Jerk also sound pretty appetizing.


Chicken nick nak's galore

Yes, chicken curtains

Website: http://chickenbasket.com
 

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Always looking for a new wing joint, got a favorite wing joint?  Tell me about and I'll check it out.  Hope this helps and enjoy.  Eat more wings!