Gas station food in South Mississippi hits a little different. We gave a popular spot a try

You’ve really got to be from a certain place to understand.

Gas station food isn’t for everyone, and not every gas station should be eaten from. But if you’re a Deep Southerner, then you know where the right vibes are.

South Mississippi is a treasure trove of convenience store dining. Local embedded eateries have drawn praise from outsiders as well as regulars.

The Honey Hole in Vancleave comes to mind. So do the Fayard’s locations at various Marathons. And, of course, Dodge’s in Gulfport.

But the Mississippi Coast also has one location of a growing convenience store food operator that some say has the best fried chicken in the Lower Six counties: Creole Fried Chicken.

Its lone embed is a Chevron on Highway 67 at the corner of East Wortham Road and Saucier Fairley Road near the William Carey Tradition campus.

I’ve driven by many times to and from Hattiesburg, but I have never stopped at the unassuming store — which has only a Creole Fried Chicken branding marker in the form of a small flag hidden off to the side.

Creole Fried Chicken Branded Foodservice Program is a little over 40 years old and is spread across the state as well as Southeastern Louisiana. It specializes in a fried chicken recipe crafted in Louisiana and a range of home cooking-style side dishes.

The Saucier location is a relatively nice gas station and has a small section off to the side for Creole Fried Chicken with a few booths and the heat bar. The menu looms overhead for the steady stream of comers and goers who always seemed to know exactly what they wanted. I took that as a good sign.

Chicken comes in tenders, wings, breasts and thighs. There are gizzards and livers. You can get a barbecue sandwich. The list of extras includes Creole rice, boudin balls, hash brown sticks and potato logs.

I believe the best way to test a chicken joint is though its tenders. And to put my life on the line even more at this crossroads pump, I ordered the spicy variation.

I added corn nuggets and fried pickles and found a seat at the booth.

First impression: the tenders are generously portioned. The 25-piece on the menu would probably be enough to feed Washington’s army through the winter of 1775.

Test one: the pull-apart. The chicken was cooked thoroughly. Amen.

Test two: the first bite. Juicy, tender and easily torn into chewable bites. But where was the kick?

Test three: the kick. There it is. After a moment of false security, the spice arrived. And it was perfect. It delivered with force. But the best part about it was that it left fairly quickly. This gave each tender its own spice journey.

And it also made me wish I had grabbed a drink. All I had was Sauer’s Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (since 1887), which was good ranch.

But can you blame me on the drink? The sweet tea looked great, but so did the lemonade. The slushies came in a number of flavors. When faced with so many slushy options, I simply couldn’t decide. It was overwhelming. I had also forgotten my slush fund in the truck. Which reminds me, I need to renegotiate my contract to include a slush fund stipend for times like these.

But back to Creole Fried Chicken. The corn nuggets were good, though textured a bit like they had been sitting under a light bulb all day (they had). The tenders are popular enough that they get cycled out fairly regularly.

And yes, they were elite tenders. Better than Zaxby’s. And, forgive me Lord, better than Cane’s.

Don’t believe me? Make the trip yourself. There’s no cell service out here. The roads aren’t well-lit. But the chicken bangs.