About Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket

For Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket, eavesdropping has paid off in a big way. Back in the 1940's, a couple of Illinois farmwomen overheard a gas station owner mention that he wanted to sell more food. They struck up a conversation, and soon he was selling their special-recipe fried chicken from the gas station's lunch counter. Business was good—so good, in fact, that the owner converted his space into a full-service restaurant, Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket, just off of Route 66. Since then, the restaurant has become a landmark of the iconic roadway, earning a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and a feature on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Although the juicy, original-recipe chicken—which is marinated for a full 24 hours— keeps diners coming back, current owner Patrick Rhea crafts his own dishes to spice up the menu. His signature deep-fried macaroni and cheese is cooked to order, and wings are slathered in his own barbecue sauce. Besides fried chicken gizzards and other poultry, diners can expect grilled jumbo shrimp, Italian sausage sandwiches, and old-fashioned root beer floats. For additional entertainment, the restaurant hosts live trivia and karaoke weekly, as well as live blues and rock-and-roll shows set to the rhythmic backbeat of crackling fryers.