Long before Oprah Winfrey declared Ezell’s Famous Chicken to be “the best chicken I’ve ever had in my life,” this Southern-cooking oasis has been a battered-and-fried Seattle institution. Ezell’s portions are huge, the meat tender, and the batter (spicy or classic) crispy and packed with flavor. Every order comes with a fluffy buttermilk biscuit, and, if you’re lucky, the cooks at the Central District location will throw in an extra piece of chicken by accident (an accident that happens far too often to be truly accidental). Of course, no fried-chicken joint can be worth its weight in obese customers without an A-plus offering of delectable side dishes. Ezell’s delivers on that end with thick and creamy mashed potatoes, fresh gizzards and livers, and sweet-potato pie made from scratch. CURTIS CARTIER 501 23rd Ave. (plus six other locations), 324-4141, ezellschicken.com