Best I Ever Ate? Broaster Chicken at Fleetwood in Springfield, IL.
I love doing my own version of Cooking Channel’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”, because I don’t have to play by their rules and in this installment, I get to go back in time 40 years (and 300 plus miles), to a place that’s no longer around, but still makes me hungry for a food I tend to rail about. But I learned something stunning (to me) along the way.
Picture it, early 1980’s, and I’m starting out my career in Illnois’ state capital, Springfield. Out on the northeast side of town, along Dirksen Parkway, is the Fleetwood Restaurant. It’s far from fancy, but as with most of these kind of places, it’s got good food. And the Fleetwood’s specialty is “broasted” chicken. It’s moist, not greasy, seasoned just right. Darn near perfect; even the chicken breasts.
Now here’s where things get dicey for me. I’ve been railing for several years about how people get all excited to the point of making traffic jams for what is essentially just a piece of chicken on a bun, like at Chick-fil-A. But while doing my homework for this piece, I come to find out, a lot of these trendy chicken places are serving essentially broasted (or simply pressure-fried) chicken, like the chicken I loved at the Fleetwood..
“Pressure frying is also used by some of the larger food-service operations, such as KFC (formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Chick-Fil-A. These companies do not use the term “broasted,” however, since it is trademarked by Broaster Company. Pressure frying can be attempted at home using special equipment.” – Encyclopedia.com
There are recipes on the interwebs for doing your own broasted chicken, though I read pressure cooker makers don’t want you doing it at home, for safety reasons. But, at the same time, apparently broasted uses less oil than fried chicken, so it’s probably healthier for you.
So back to Springfield. Springfield has some historic places still around from the legendary Route 66 era. “The Mother Road” went though Springfield. So there’s the Cozy Dog Drive-In selling batter-dipped corn dogs on a stick; and Sonrise Donuts, so it’s not health food we’re focusing on here.
I guess I need to rethink my complaining about chicken sandwiches, and focus on the traffic jams they create instead.
Read More: ‘Best I Ever Ate’? Broasted Chicken In Springfield, Illinois
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Is this video making you hungry? Because we’re definitely craving a crispy piece of Genuine Broaster Chicken! 🤤
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Jan 14
This week’s Operator Spotlight goes out to Corporate Dining Concepts! 👏🏼
Not only are they a nationwide leader in foodservice, but they also serve as the US Provider of dining services for GlobalConnect.
Corporate Dining Concepts specializes in providing a variety of foodservices like cafe management, vending, catering, pantry, and more!
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Jan 13
#FAQFryDay: Operators, want to know how you can get our Frozen Food Line Items delivered right to you?
The #ChickenExperts know!
👇
Check out our new Frozen Food Broadliner locator tool! Visit our Broaster Company website, click on "Find a Distributor" at the top of the page, then scroll down to "Frozen Foods Broadliners" and type in your zip code to see what companies work with Broaster to get our Frozen Food Line items delivered to you!
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Jan 10
There’s nothing in the world we love more than this! 🫶🏼
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Jan 9
Hungry for some delicious wings, burgers, or tacos… or even better, all of them? 😍
Head over to Bourbon’s Craft Kitchen & Bar located in Middletown, OH. Their menu offers a variety of yummy options.
Chicken Tenders? They got it!
Juicy Steak Burgers? They got it!
Beef Birria Tacos? They got that too!
Thank you for being a Genuine Broaster Chicken Operator! 💯
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Jan 8
Did you know that one of our best selling frozen food items are our Chicken Tenders? Not surprised huh? 😍
Our Chicken Tenders are made from tender, delicious, premium, 100% closely trimmed breast tenderloin. They’re marinated in our exclusive proprietary marinade and lightly breaded with our proprietary tenderloin breading for great consistency, moisture & flavor.
Best paired with Broaster Dipping Sauces! 💯
You gotta have ‘em! Ask your local Broaster Distributor for availability.
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Jan 7
Wanna cook cheese curds? 🧀
Here are some of the Broaster models you can cook them in!
🔥Broaster 1800 Pressure Fryer:
* Most popular model, offering the best combo of production capacity & space efficiency.
* Designed for max space efficiency
* 18” in overall width
* Available in gas or electric models
* Touch screen controller option now standard
🔥Broaster 1600 Pressure Fryer:
* Smallest footprint, most cost-effective medium-capacity pressure fryer available.
* Uses only 3.2 square feet of floorspace under the hood.
* 16” in overall width
* Available in electric models only
* Touch screen controller option now standard
Send us a DM to see what other Broaster Equipment can cook up some delicious cheese curds!
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Jan 6
#FAQFryDay: What Are The Features Of The Broaster Ventless VF-3 With Smarttouch Model?
The #ChickenExperts know!
👇
Model VF-3 ventless fryer includes round cooking well with 21 pound cooking oil capacity. Unit is primarily stainless steel monocoque construction with black, welded and powder-coated steel base plate. Interior cooking well tray is designed to capture spills up to 22.5 cups. Heating element is fully immersible with lift-and-lock mechanism for easy cleaning.
Want to learn more about The Broaster Ventless VF-3 With Smarttouch Model? Send us a DM! 📲
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Jan 3
Craving egg rolls, potstickers, or crab rangoons? We know just the place for you! 🤩
Check out one of our Broaster Express operators, @the_eggroll_ladies. They have a variety of cold and hot menu options, anything from egg rolls to spring rolls to their popular mixed bowls.
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Jan 2
New Year, Same Craving... Genuine Broaster Chicken! 😍
We`re wishing you and yours a Happy New Year! 🎉🥂
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Jan 1
A little bit of Genuine Broaster Chicken fixes anything! ❤️🩹
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Dec 30
#FAQFryDay: What Are The Features Of The Broaster Ventless VF-2 With SmartTouch Model?
The #ChickenExperts know!
👇
Model VF-2 ventless fryer includes round cooking well with 14 pound cooking oil capacity. Unit is primarily stainless steel monocoque construction with black, welded and powder-coated steel base plate. Interior cooking well tray is designed to capture spills up to 15 cups. Heating element is fully immersible with lift-and-lock mechanism for easy cleaning.
DM us for more info!
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Dec 27
Operator Spotlight!
Check out this week’s operator spotlight 👉 @joaniespizzeriaoflonggrove.
Joanie’s pizza has a variety of menu options, anything from calzones to pizza and pasta, to our personal favorite, Genuine Broaster Chicken!
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Dec 26
Happy Holidays from all of us at Broaster! 🎄
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Dec 25
💥 Advanced Filtering Technology 💥
The E-Series 24G boasts an on-board integrated filtration system that runs automatically at the end of each cook cycle. We`ve seen it extend oil life up to 4X versus traditional pressure fryers.
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Dec 24
