Recipe Still Resonates After 6 Decades

Customers Rave About the Chicken Shack’s Prize-Winning Fried Chicken

Winning Bama’s Best Fried Chicken contest triggered unimaginable and fortuitous chain reactions for owners of the Chicken Shack in Luverne.

Michael and Drew Money, brothers who have been making their eatery’s signature entree since they were teens, have had to double their weekly poultry order to satisfy a growing number of loyal customers’ cravings.

“Now we order 4,000 pounds of chicken a week,” Michael says. “We get shipments of fresh chicken every other day.”

Since 2018, when the brothers won a contest sponsored by “Simply Southern TV,” they have been featured on other television shows and have won more contests. The Chicken Shack Facebook page has more than 6,000 followers.

Staying True to Their Roots

While adjusting to those changes, the brothers took care to keep the core of the business unchanged since it opened in 1968 at 665 South Forest Avenue, just off U.S. Highway 331.

“We still order our chicken from the same supplier in Union Springs that the original owners used,” Michael says. “Our recipes for the brine marinade and bread coating haven’t changed either and are made for us locally.”

On social media, reviewers rave about the chicken’s characteristically crunchy outside while the meat remains moist and juicy inside.

“The secret to keeping it moist is our brine marinade,” Michael says. “We cut and trim chicken daily and put it in the marinade every afternoon so it’s ready for the next day.”

To fry it quickly, they plunge it into 350-degree beef tallow for about 17 minutes.

“We switched from highly processed seed oil to beef tallow because some new nutrition studies found that it’s healthier,” Michael says.

Building a Following

The wall surrounding the restaurant’s register displays the Chicken Shack’s culinary accomplishments with framed certificates and plaques for winning contests.

“The ‘Simply Southern’ contest was the first one we won, so we qualified for others and have done well,” Drew says.

Hearing about the Chicken Shack through social media, curious crews with WSFA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Montgomery, came to see for themselves and to feature the restaurant on their broadcasts.

“They’ve been here several times,” Drew says. “The word has gotten out. A lot of people stop on their way to the beach and tell us that eating here has become part of their vacation tradition. We’re very appreciative.”

Working at the Chicken Shack is a family tradition for the brothers. Their father, Henry, was known for his expertise managing restaurants, so original owners Nick and Dot Nichols hired him to run it in 1973. Eventually, the Nicholses sold the restaurant to Henry.

“This place has been part of our lives since we were teenagers,” Michael says. “I started here when I was 15, and now I’m 52. My wife and our 2 children work here, too.”

In 2013, Michael bought the business. The brothers rotate shifts, working every 2 days to give each other some time off, arriving an hour before it opens at 8:30 a.m.

“We do it all from cutting to cooking,” Drew says.

While keeping the mainstays on the menu — chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, and fries — the brothers have expanded to offer seafood, several side dishes, and desserts from Dean’s Cake House.

They have made a few changes in their business model. “For some people who don’t want fried food, we offer grilled pork, chicken, and shrimp in the evenings,” Michael says. “6 years ago, we began offering online ordering, too.”

Summer is the busiest time of year with vacationers and locals filling the dining room’s seating capacity of 130. Their private banquet room accommodates 35 to 40.

The brothers reminisce about the business’s origins. The original building, a small red brick structure, stood at the south end of the parking lot.

“I wish we had a photo of it,” Michael says. “The business grew so much that this building was constructed.”

They attribute the growth to their customer service, catering, and father’s perfectionism. Henry owned and worked at the shack for 40 years and made it the community’s beloved destination for civic events, company dinners, birthday celebrations, and other milestones for almost everyone in town.

The brothers are equally committed to the community, offering discounts to schools and other nonprofits and sponsoring ball teams and supporting Christmas singing.

“Like Dad and the 2 of us, our kids are devoted to keeping the business going,” Michael says.

The Chicken Shack is open daily at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m., except Friday and Saturday when it closes at 10 p.m.