My family had a summer tradition of meeting in Port Huron for the day. Mom, Dad, my sisters and I packed into our minivan to make the trek. My grandparents, aunts and uncles, made their trips from various towns in Michigan. Our meeting point was the beach at Lakeside Park, where we spent the day picnicking.
A wonderful day at the beach.
Then, our caravan would move to Pinegrove Park for a stroll down the boardwalk. On many occasion, we’d see a freighter passing through. I marveled at how big the Blue Water Bridge was through my little kid eyes. It was on those family trips, my eyes also caught sight of something else.
What was this place with lit neon sign and a rooster on it?
What is ‘Chicken in the Rough’?
Years later, my sister and I threw together an impromptu beach day at Port Huron. We met our dad and the three of us made new memories together. While reminiscing on past family trips, we decided that we MUST have dinner at this mysterious chicken joint. Since then, Chicken in the Rough has remained my favorite place for fried chicken.
Chicken in the Rough, Traditional Four Piece Dinner, Port Huron, Michigan.
Where is Chicken in the Rough?
Just across from the St. Clair River in Port Huron, Michigan, Palms Krystal Bar & Grill—affectionately known to locals as “Chicken in the Rough”— is a roadside restaurant that has been serving fried chicken baskets since 1936.
Origins: From Prairie Picnic to Iconic Dish
Chicken in the Rough began in Oklahoma City, created by Beverly and Rubye Osborne. The name allegedly sparked when Rubye jolted the car on a bumpy prairie drive, scattering the picnic basket and prompting her to quip, “This is really chicken in the rough.” This half‐chicken meal—served with shoestring potatoes, a biscuit, and honey—quickly became the chain’s signature platter.
The franchise grew to nearly 300 locations, stretching as far as Hawaii and South Africa. But today, only four restaurants continue to serve the original dish—New Market (VA), Fishers (IN), Port Huron (MI), and Sarnia, Ontario (although, the basket in Port Huron came with a roll rather than a biscuit).
Port Huron: Palms Krystal Bar & Grill
The vintage neon rooster sign—golf club in talon, cigar clamped in beak—casts a nostalgic glow over the entrance, drawing travelers and locals alike across the decades.
Inside, the décor echoes the 1940s–1950s aesthetic: glass‐block walls, an aluminum entry door, Art‐Deco details, plush booths and old promotional placemats depicting the chicken and his golf‐caddie sidekick, exclaiming, “I’d gladly be fried for Chicken in the Rough!”
Hattie Dunlap: The Recipe Architect
Behind the beloved chicken baskets is Hattie Dunlap, the first cook at this Port Huron venue. Arriving in 1941 from Eutaw, Alabama, Dunlap served as kitchen manager until retiring in 1976. Her original breading recipe remains the heart of the dish today. Her influence continues to flavor each basket.
The Chicken Basket Experience Today
Walk in and the aroma of sizzling fried chicken fills the air. Order the “usual” and you’ll likely be served a generous half‐fried chicken, shoestring fries, dinner roll and a side of coleslaw. Sadly, my generation never got to experience Hattie’s biscuits. There is, however, a bottle of local raw Harsen’s Island Honey placed at every table – which, is nice.
Why It Still Matters
Chicken in the Rough preserves an era when dining-out was an event, where each recipe echoed a cook’s memory, when “branding” was charming, rather than the extent of an experience. In corporate America, this little chicken joint holds fast to something genuine. And, it continues to produce some of the finest chicken baskets in the country.
So the next time life guides you to Port Huron, skip the generic fast-food joints. Take a seat under the rooster sign, drizzle some honey on that crispy goodness, and know you’re part of a history that’s still cookin’.