Chicken Annie's -- 1143 E. 600th Ave, Pittsburg KS
N 37° 29.033 W 094° 38.479
15S E 354887 N 4149818
A fried chicken restaurant outside of Pittsburg KS that has been serving fried chicken since 1934. It was recently named one of the 8 wonders of Kansas cuisine.
Waymark Code: WMGNTH
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 03/25/2013
Views: 2
Blasterz are from Texas, which is in the South, where we know a thing or two about fried chicken. So we had to come try Chicken Annie's!
First, the place had NO OLD GREASE SMELL to it AT ALL -- and the service was friendly and helpful on a Sunday night. All their meals are served family style, which we liked. The chicken was perfectly cooked, not greasy at all. Being Texans, we wished for more spice on it than salt and pepper, but that is not a ding -- it is just a different recipe they use up here. Sides were so-so -- canned green beans were blah, white gravy was from a mix, but the German cole slaw was yummy! The chicken was crispy outside, tender and juicy inside - YUM!!
We recommend Chicken Annie's -- we will come back if we are in the area again.
From the Chicken Annie's website:
"HISTORY
From humble beginnings Chicken Annie’s Original grew out of a need to care for the family. In 1934, Ann Pichler began cooking out of her kitchen after a coal mine accident disabled her husband, Charlie. She would prepare dinners for the other miners and on Saturdays’ she and the family would move furniture out of the living room to accommodate the dinners. Annie’s reputation begin to spread throughout southeast Kansas: For a good meal, warm hospitability and a dance or two, come out to Annie’s! Eventually, the family had to move out of the house, and additional rooms were added to accommodate the customers. People came from far and wide to experience Annie’s unique offerings. Customers would come in and order their meal, then return to their cars and wait until their name was called. This continued until 1963 when Annie retired and her two children, Louella and Carl, and their families began running the restaurant. As business continued to grow, in 1972, Chicken Annie’s left the old house and moved into our present building. Today Annie’s is proud to carry on a tradition of excellent food, warm hospitality with Annie’s third generation grandson, Lonnie and his wife, Janice, and granddaughter Donna.
What began in 1934 continues today." [end]
Chicken Annie's was named one of the 8 wonders of Kansas cuisine by the Kansas Sampler Foundation:http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/cuisineresults.php
"Crawford County Fried Chicken
Crawford County Fried Chicken restaurants, as a group, are one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine because these six chicken restaurants have made Crawford County legendary for fried chicken dating back to the 1930s.
In chronological order:
Chicken Annie's Original, 1143 E. 600th, 620.231.9460, Pittsburg, KS 66762. Hours: uesday-Friday 4-8:30 p.m.; Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. . . .
A SUMMARY OF EACH PLACE
Chicken Annie's Original, Pittsburg
Ann Frances Rehak met Charlie Pichler in 1914, when she left home to do the housework at the Pichler's. In the early 1900's the only work available to young ladies was housework. Ann and Charles were married on April 28, 1917.
They started their married life in a three-room house in Yale, a mining camp called No. 13, five miles north of Pittsburg and 3 1/2 miles east. Charley was a miner and worked in several of the area mines. Out of this union, four children were born: Ann Irene, Wilma, Carl, and Louella.
Charley was in a mine accident in March 1933 at 24 Western. He was severely injured, one leg was crushed and the other had to be amputated below the knee. It was now up to Annie to become the breadwinner of the family. For a short while she worked as a seamstress for the WPA, which was a government project during the depression. Then she started selling ham and veal cutlet sandwiches for 15 cents and home-brew. This was during prohibition days and many of the foreigners made their own wine, whiskey, and home-brew.
Ann started serving chicken dinners in a small way in 1934. In the beginning she raised her own chicken, but as the demand became greater, she purchased chickens from neighboring farms. She also raised peppers and pickled them. Her chicken dinners consisted of three pieces of chicken, German potato salad, Cole slaw, a strip of pickled pepper, a slice of tomato, and bread, all for 75 cents. All of the preparation of the food was done by hand -- the chickens were slaughtered, dressed, and breaded. While Anne took care of the purchasing, cooking, finances, etc., Charley did some of the preparing of the food and was also the bartender and cashier.
In 1963, Annie and Charlie decided to retire and let their children take over the operation. A new building in 1972 with increased seating, and an enlarged menu was added to better serve the customers. What began in 1934 continues today with Annie's children and grandchildren.
Saturday nights were quite lively as the customers not only enjoyed their meal, but also could drink beer and dance to the jukebox. As the business grew the little three-room house had to be remodeled and several rooms were added. People would come out and had to wait, with the picnic tables and big yard, they didn't mind.
In 1961, Annie and Charley retired, passing the business on to their daughter, Louella, and her husband Louis Lipoglav, and their son, Carl and his wife, Rosemary. By 1972, the country home was no longer adequate for the prospering business. A new building was built down the street from the old Pichler house.
On May 10, 1978, Charley died and Annie passed away on September 25, 1991, leaving the family tradition to their children and grandchildren. [end]
Website: Not listed
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