Big Chicken Big Dreams

Soul Food Paradise began in the shared kitchen space of Fork Food Lab in Portland. After finding success in that location owner, Martin decided it was time to stretch his wings in his own space.

That space is in the Food Court at The Maine Mall where Arby's used to be. Soul Food Paradise is a wonderful addition to the already diverse options in the food court. They specialize in Soul Food inspired by the comfort food Martin's mother made him growing up.

XXL Chicken

One of those comfort food items is fried chicken. Normally fried chicken isn't a food that will grab my attention but after seeing this recent Instagram video, I HAD to see it (and eat it) for myself.

I went with a meal combo that included one meat and one side. For the side, I went with rice and each meal comes with a cornbread muffin.

Martin boxed up my meal and the chicken was so big it took some maneuvering to get it to fit in the to-go box. Upon returning home and grabbing my own dish, I barely had room for my rice and cornbread!

The Verdict

Bigger is better! The great thing in my opinion about fried chicken being flattened is there's a much better chicken to breading ratio and Soul Food Paradise has perfected their breading. I would honestly like it on everything. And the cornbread? Perfection. And yes, the rice was delicious too.

Want another opinion? I went with a co-worker who said this:

attachment-Untitled design - 2021-11-29T141920.661
loading...

So next time you're at The Maine Mall in South Portland make sure you visit Soul Food paradise. Even if a trip to the mall isn't on the agenda, this tasty meat frisbee is sure to be a new favorite!

Top 10 Chinese Restaurants in Southern Maine

Top 10 Mexican Restaurants in Southern Maine

More From 102.9 WBLM