AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
You don't get much more British than fish and chips, but now the popular takeout is facing stiff competition from an American rival, fried chicken. The staple of Southern cuisine is kicking up a storm on the British High Street, with the number of fast food outlets selling chicken increasing by more than 7% last year.
One man who closely tracks the changing taste of the U.K. is David Miller. He's the owner of the Millers Fish and Chip shop in the town of Haxby in Yorkshire, England. He recently added fried chicken to his menu. David joins us. now, welcome to the program.
DAVID MILLER: Hi. It's really good to be here.
RASCOE: And chips here, for those who don't speak British...
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: ...Actually means French fries. But explain to us what a fish supper means for Brits.
MILLER: Well, what it is, it's really good quality either cod or haddock fried in a batter and chips, and that is our takeaway meal and has been for many years. But as time has gone on and the generations are coming through is that we need to look at other things.
RASCOE: So is that why you added fried chicken?
MILLER: Absolutely, because I look at my restaurant and I look at who's in the restaurant, and they're all 45-plus, really. So I look at that and think, how do I keep the young people coming through?
RASCOE: Do people seem to like it? Do the younger people seem to like it?
MILLER: They love it. People that we've never seen before are coming in the shop, and it's because of the chicken, and we buttermilk it and make it really wholesome, just like we believe what we do with our fish and chips.
RASCOE: Now, what type of seasons are you putting on this chicken here?
MILLER: Right.
RASCOE: 'Cause I can fry some chicken now. I can fry some chicken.
MILLER: So what we do - OK, we get this - the fillet of chicken out of the breast, and we use that as the thing. So we season it in buttermilk for 36 hours...
RASCOE: OK.
MILLER: ...With some sriracha and some herbs that I can't tell you 'cause they're secret.
RASCOE: It's secret. OK, I get that. I get that.
(LAUGHTER)
MILLER: We seal that up for 36 hours, then we fry it, and we'll do our menu, like - if we look at the Millers chicken, we'll do, like, a boneless fried chicken with crinkle cut fries, pickles and a dip. And the dips would be something like buffalo, barbecue, ranch, sriracha mayo and then, of course, the secret sauce that I can't tell you about.
RASCOE: Yeah, no, now I'm getting hungry. Now that you're describing this meal, I'm like, I might have to go over there and get a taste.
MILLER: So I think the beauty of it is a batter, where the chicken is white inside and really juicy. That's when we know we've got it right.
RASCOE: OK. Well, I mean, do you think that fried chicken, along with, you know, other takeout favorites like kebabs and curries - do you think that they could spell the end of fish and chips in the U.K.?
MILLER: I don't think it will be the end of fish and chips because fish and chips is iconic for Great Britain, for the UK. And it will always be there. But what will happen is the smaller shops will go, and that is a really sad thing because I feel very sorry for people 'cause they're probably like me. They are generations of people that have run small shops. I'm really lucky at that. I've got a busy shop, but I can see it. I can almost see the writing on the wall that you need to progress.
RASCOE: That's fish and chip shop owner David Miller. Thank you so much. Like I said, the chicken sounds good. So if I ever get to Yorkshire, I'll be sure to stop by.
MILLER: You are so very welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHICKEN FRIED")
ZAC BROWN BAND: You know I like my chicken fried. Cold beer on a Friday night. A pair of jeans that fit just right. And the radio up. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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