Fried Chicken Championships

Enter the inaugural Fried Chicken Championships

A brand-new cooking competition has been launched for fried chicken operators across the UK hospitality industry.

The Fried Chicken Championships is now open for entries, welcoming recipe submissions from any level of fried chicken operation around the country.

With the boom in fried chicken restaurants showing no sign of slowing down, the new cook-off will bring together some of the finest dishes in the market, welcoming 16 chefs to a live final in London on Tuesday, 20 January 2026.

How the competition works

Once operators have submitted their recipe online, 16 dishes will be selected for the final at Big Penny Social in London.

At the cook-off, chefs will compete in three rounds. They will put together a Technical Platter, filling a tray of classic fried chicken items and sides, featuring products from the event sponsors. There will also be a Loaded Fries round, sponsored by Lamb Weston. Finally, they will be required to create their signature fried chicken dish, with the winner from this round being named the 2026 Fried Chicken Champion.

On the day, each round will be judged by a hand-picked selection of industry representatives.

Entries are free and can be submitted at friedchickenchampionships.co.uk. Entries close on Friday, 21 November 2025.