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Maryland Fried Chicken | Our Story

Florida's Fried Chicken Secret Since 1961

Al Constantine opened a fried chicken counter in Orlando in 1961, and the recipe hasn't needed changing since. Seven independently owned Florida locations still serve it the same way — broasted fresh, priced honestly, and worth every mile.
Orlando, 1961

Orlando, 1961

Al Constantine founded Maryland Fried Chicken in Orlando with a single obsession: chicken cooked the right way. Within decades, the brand franchised across twenty states and into the Bahamas — an empire built on a method, not a marketing campaign.
The Broasted Method

The Broasted Method

Broasting means pressure-cooking chicken in a covered pot — a technique rooted in Southern tradition since the late 1800s. The result: a crust that audibly cracks on the first bite and meat so juicy it defies what a fryer should produce.
After the Chain Dissolved

After the Chain Dissolved

The corporate franchise eventually folded, but the Florida operators kept cooking. Each remaining location is independently owned — a monument to doing one thing extraordinarily well without a corporate manual.
Regulars, Rituals, Ruby

Regulars, Rituals, Ruby

At the Pompano Beach counter, a staffer named Ruby greets guests like neighbors — some have been coming since childhood and now bring their own kids. That kind of loyalty isn't manufactured.
Seven Locations, Same Chicken

Seven Locations, Same Chicken

Across seven Florida towns, the preparation is the same, the portions are generous, and the prices still undercut the national chains. The coleslaw, regulars will tell you unprompted, is to die for.
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