What’s your favorite fried chicken joint in the Midlands? Vote in The State’s poll today

The Columbia area loves its chicken, and we’re not just talking about the Gamecocks.

For decades, fried chicken has been a staple of the restaurant and dining scene in the Midlands. Numerous restaurants across the region have their own take on the Southern delicacy, with customers continuing to line up to get two-piece specials for lunch on-the-go or grab 12-piece buckets for a family dinner or pile their plates high at old-school buffet joints.

Now The State wants you to vote for your favorite fried chicken place in the Midlands from a list of 12 restaurants, selected by the newspaper’s staff, in the poll below.

First, a few ground rules. For this poll we stuck with mostly locally owned places or small chains, rather than include the mega-chains. (Sorry, KFC and Bojangles’ fans.) Also, for the purposes of this poll, we are referring to traditional, bone-in fried chicken, not sandwiches or chicken fingers. (Sorry, Chick-fil-A and Zaxby’s fans.)

And, to be absolutely certain, this is not an exhaustive, comprehensive list of every establishment in the Midlands that sells fried chicken. Rather, it is simply a sampling of some of the key places in the area that serve a mean bird.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on March 26 to vote in the poll below.

So vote early and often, and don’t forget a sweet iced tea to wash it all down.