The second annual Chicken Wars took place Sunday at Meadowbrook Mall in Pittsburg.
Five restaurants– Chicken Mary’s, Chicken Annie’s Original, Chicken Annie’s Girard, Gebhardt’s and Bartos– all provided hundreds of chicken legs for the competition.
The crowd paid $5 and in return they each got a numbered bag with a sample of chicken.
After they decide their favorite, they give a voting ticket to Angela Meyer, one of the judges for the competition.
Meyer, who is the president of the Little Balkins Festival Association says she came up with this idea last year and is excited about the competition’s growth just one year later.
She says Chicken Wars is more than just chicken legs, it’s a celebration of the cultural and ethnic heritage of Kansas.
“A lot of people don’t realize that most of these restaurants started because a spouse was hurt in a coal mine. And they had to feed their families. So now we have second and third and fourth generation family members serving great food. We truly are a wonder of Kansas,” says Meyer.
Last year’s winner was Barto’s Idle Hour Steak House.
And this year they have taken the crown again!
If you’re interested in tasting their award winning chicken you can visit them this Tuesday through Thursday from 4pm to 9:30pm and Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 10pm.
They’re located at 201 Santa Fe Street in Frontenac.
All money collected from this year’s Chicken Wars will be used to fund next years Little Balkins Days Festival.
