Leghorn Chicken Reopens In Humboldt Park After Revamp

CHICAGO, IL — Leghorn Chicken, known for its fried chicken sandwiches and support of LGBTQ rights, reopened Wednesday in Humboldt Park. The joint at 959 Western Avenue will now offer new menu options, such as fried chicken sliders, shakes, frozen custards, floats and cheese fries. Element Collective chef and partner Jared Van Camp said the revamp gave his team the chance to assess what could be refined and improved at the restaurant.

"It was just a minor facelift — we did a lot of painting, we re-did the wood floors — the biggest update of all was that when we painted all the walls, we had new menu boards made by a local artist and they're awesome. We also added a community chalk board."

Van Camp said one of the new menu options he's most excited about is the cheese fries.

"They're a little bit bigger — half inch, square cut — larger than most fries, and they're fried in beef tallow, so it gives that really crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. The cheese is golden-colored, which is so different than frying it in vegetable or olive oil."

Van Camp said he plans to launch a new sandwich in May, and its proceeds will go to a local LGBTQ organization.

"One of the big things we've done from the beginning is donate two percent of all our profits to an organization that supports LGBTQ rights," Van Camp said.

Element Collective also operates Old Town Social, RM Champagne Lounge, Nellcote and a Leghorn stand at United Center.

The Leghorn Cafe on the corner of Ohio and LaSalle shut its doors last week. Element Collective chose not to renew the lease for the River North Leghorn location, which opened in 2014.

Image courtesy of Leghorn Chicken/Element Collective.