“It Wrecks Fried Chicken” — Curry Fried Chicken in Salt Lake City
“Winner winner chicken dinner,” Guy Fieri declared after biting into what might be one of the most unique fried chicken preparations he’s encountered. At Curry Fried Chicken in Salt Lake City, Utah, the concept is simple but the execution is anything but — it’s Pakistani spices meeting American comfort food on State Street.
The story starts with Sonny Nasar, who learned to cook using traditional Pakistani flavors at his parents’ restaurant down the street. His mom and dad opened Korean Hurry back in 1998 — the first halal restaurant in Utah. Now Sonny and his wife Eerim are building on that family legacy with their own curry-forward take on fried chicken.
House-Made Garam Masala: The Foundation
Everything at Curry Fried Chicken starts with their house garam masala. Sonny toasts whole spices — coriander, whole black pepper, mustard seeds, clove, cumin, cinnamon, and bay leaf — getting a serious toast on them before grinding. This isn’t store-bought spice mix; it’s the real deal made fresh.
The house spice blend also includes black pepper, Indian chili powder (which Sonny notes is genuinely spicy), salt, and hot curry powder. This potent mixture goes everywhere — in the batter, in the brine, and dusted on top of the finished chicken.
The 24-Hour Brine
The chicken gets submerged in a brine made with water, vinegar, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, curry powder, their freshly made garam masala, ginger, and garlic. The chicken sits in this flavor bath for 24 hours before it ever sees the fryer. Once brined, it gets coated in the house-spiced breading and fried for about 15 minutes until crispy.
The Curry Fried Chicken Platter
Guy tried the full Curry Fried Chicken Platter, which features the signature fried chicken alongside lentil curry and mixed veggie curry served over rice. The lentils alone had Guy impressed — yellow lentils and green lentils cooked for two hours with salt, garam masala, hot curry powder, and crushed chili peppers, finished with a sizzle of oil, onions, and cumin poured right on top…