Donnelly's Irish Pub

The fourth and final stop on our quest for fried chicken's best was Donnelly's Irish Pub. Time to see how it measures up to the rest of our contenders!

Donnelly's Irish Pub is locally owned by a Peoria family, which makes today's blog extra special since it is so important to support small businesses! Especially during such a difficult time, as restrictions in place due to COVID-19 are hitting restaurants hard. Ordering take-out from local restaurants is a great help to our community!

How Finger Lickin' is the Final Chicken?

For the last meal on the "Fried Chicken Expedition," I ordered a plain fried chicken sandwich with a side of fries. Since I am not a big chicken sandwich fan, I took the bun off so I could just eat the fried chicken breast alone. The bun was slightly soggy anyways from being kept in the take-out container, which also caused the chicken to be slightly less crisp than it would be if it was fresh in the restaurant. However, there cannot be a penalty for this, as the chicken still tasted amazing and Donnelly's is trying it's best while the customers can't eat inside!

The chicken breast was delightfully juicy, and it's breading still had a delicious taste to it. By managing to still pack a great punch, even when it is lacking top tier crispiness, this chicken truly is finger lickin'.

French Fries? At an Irish Pub?

Though the countries and cultures are kind of colliding here, the french fries were still delectable! They were seasoned to perfection, giving you more flavors than just potato and salt. I guess they really know how to handle their potatoes in Ireland! A few of them were a bit on the mushy side due to being kept in a Styrofoam container, but the flavor really made up for it. Unfortunately, they forgot to give us all of our orders of fries, so I had a smaller portion since I had to split mine with my dad. However, the full portions of the fries were actually quite large, making this a very satisfying and filling meal.

The Grand Finale

The "Fried Chicken Expedition" has finally come to a close. Though Donnelly's really gave them a run for their money, Popeye's still wins due to their unique flavor out of the other test groups and their supreme crispiness compared to Donnelly's. If the COVID-19 restrictions were not in place and Donnelly's could serve their food fresh and in-person, we might have reached a different outcome for our journey. However, as of right now, Popeye's remains in the #1 spot. Donnelly's is a strong runner-up, and we are left with Jubilee Cafe and Gil's Supper Club in 3rd and 4th place, respectively. It was a wild and delicious ride, but I sadly have to say goodbye for now to my Fried Frenzy Family. Thank you for following along. Until the next fried chicken expedition my frenzy friends...