Who You Callin' Chicken? We're Not Afraid To Say Who Has the Best Chicken in Lincoln-Way

See future food challenges at the bottom of this column, comment below and you could receive a $50 gift card to a local restaurant in a random drawing. For more rules and details, see the  guidelines.

Although readers enjoyed our  almost as much as I enjoyed tasting them, none of our readers piped up with recommendations for this week's challenge, where we should get some chicken. However, I happen to know that the Frankfort local editor is a big fan of the chicken from Pizza Mia!, so that's where I started. The New Lenox location is dangerously close to my home.

, New Lenox 

Chicken at Pizza Mia! is available on its own (singly or in 8, 12, 16 and 20 piece orders) or as part of a dinner that includes slaw and garlic bread. I ordered just dark meat chicken and was pleased at how big the pieces are (even after taking the skin and breading off). The breading is thick enough to give it some crispiness but without too much extra bulk. 

The good: Big pieces of juicy fried chicken that are seasoned just right.

The bad: A couple of pieces from the order of eight were overdone (the meat tastes fine but the breading was too crispy and dark).

, Mokena

With their enormous menu of seafood, the fried chicken and handcut chicken fingers are almost lost in the sea of fish choices. Luckily, the name of the place steered me there. A chicken dinner comes with two pieces (leg and thigh), slaw, fries and garlic bread. Additional chicken pieces are $1 each. 

The good: A very reasonably priced meal is made to order, it comes out a lovely golden brown and it comes with a side of barbecue sauce. 

The bad: The individual chicken pieces are quite a bit smaller than those from Pizza Mia!, and there is just a hint of seafood flavor in the breading, perhaps from being cooked in the same oil as so many orange roughies before.

, Frankfort 

A chicken dinner at Mickey's comes with four pieces (breast, wing, thigh and leg), slaw, fries, and garlic bread. They will not allow substitutions (for example, they won't do dark only) but all four pieces are very tasty. There doesn't seem too much in the way of seasonings in the breading, but the flavor of the chicken comes through very well.

The good: The thin breading is a crispy treat.

The bad: Having all four pieces makes for a satisfying meal, but the individual pieces are quite small. 

THE WINNER: The chicken from Pizza Mia! Although Mickey's was very tasty and juicy, too, the size of the pieces and the flexibility with ordering exactly what you want makes Pizza Mia! the winner in the chicken challenge.

Looking for local eats? Do you disagree with our taster? Head  over to your local Patch Places food and dining directory. Find new spots, read reviews and even post a your own reviews on the profile pages.

• Frankfort establishments
• New Lenox establishments
• Mokena establishments

In upcoming Chowdown Showdowns, we will be looking for the best thin crust pizza, best deep dish pizza, best ice cream cone and local bar with the best tap beer selection. Please comment below with your suggestions!