Thirty years ago, in pre-McDonald’s Philippines, Tom Sawyer was an ultra-popular fast-food chain in Metro Manila. Chef Eli Aurelio used old recipes from 19th-century Mississippi and cooked his chickens to craggy, homespun perfection, naming his work after Mark Twain’s poultry-loving hero. The perfectly fried batter is just the right amount of salty, and, more important, it seeps right down to the chicken meat (yes, even the breast).

Originally from EsquireMag PH: https://www.esquiremag.ph/food-and-drink/food/best-chicken-manila-a00204-20200205-lfrm