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Review: Fried Chicken & Doughnuts Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Disney Springs

On Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ website, you can learn important information about the Disney Springs restaurant. On that website, they declared that “THE COMFORT FOOD IS CALLING YOUR NAME. OR MAYBE IT’S THE MOONSHINE.” If it is comfort food, then the chicken here calls to many people. Since this is Walt Disney World, we know “the magic is calling.” I suspect some version of Disney magic happens with the Homecomin’ kitchen. Clearly, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ generates some delicious chicken. If you desire comfort food, they also offer their own play on chicken and waffles. Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ offers “Fried Chicken & Doughnuts.”

Photo courtesy of Main Street Magic podcast

Yes, you read that correctly. The concept of fried chicken & doughnuts can be found in many places. Yet, one of the best versions resides at Homecomin’. Of course, people claim the comfort food style at Homecomin’ calls their name. Once again, that could just be the moonshine talking. The “Fried Chicken & Doughnuts” entrée here consists of two pieces of Chef Art Smith’s famous fried chicken served with house-made sugar doughnuts and a choice of side item. This item comes with a price tag of $32.

The server suggested side usually is mashed potatoes. I recommend mac and cheese, but you have numerous choices here. This entrée comes with syrup mixed with your chicken and Everglazed doughnuts. I have also seen it come out with some sawmill gravy, especially when having mashed potatoes as a side. Depending on when you order this, you may get one large doughnut or two small doughnuts.

Okay, before discussing the pros and cons of this entrée, I need to mention an essential detail for your planning. Always be careful since Disney’s online menu for this place tends to lag far behind the actual in-person menu. For example, I know one appetizer no longer appears on the menu at the beginning of August. Yet, I can still find it on Disney’s online menu as of mid-December. I suggest always going to the official Homecomin’ website for menu information, especially pricing. That one tends to be very accurate.

So how does this version of comfort food taste? As you might expect here, the meat brings high-quality preparation and flavor. The breading offers excellent flavor based on the preparation method. In addition, the skin remains light and crispy. For fried chicken, this variety creates a limited greasy feeling. Sure, there is some greasy feeling but less than you would expect. The breading is light and crispy. The doughnuts bring the desired Everglazed flavor. They arrive soft and warm. Some guests like to combine a bit of chicken, some doughnut, and syrup in every complete for a whole experience. Whichever way you choose to enjoy this entrée, expect plenty of flavors.

On a less positive note, the price point might lead one to doubt if this is worth it. In fairness, I generally choose other entrées here over this one based on price point. Still, the high quality and uniqueness of this entrée might be worth the price point. In addition, everything comes out very warm. I struggle to decide which part t, fearing it might cool down too much. Maybe that explains why people suggest eating all components of this savory and sweet entrée together.

I have three other reminders for when you visit Homecomin’. First, the service here is very polite and thoughtful but can be slow even by southern USA levels. Second, this place offers a military discount, even on alcohol. Third, reservations can be tough to get here. Please be ready at 5:45 am Florida time 60 days in advance and/or use an advance dining reservation service like MouseDining..

Sure, the moonshine could be calling you. Yet, comfort food like Fried Chicken & Doughnuts attracts many people also. Whatever calls you here, enjoy your time at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. As always, eat like you mean it!

New Britton’s Chicken Salad Sandwich from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Disney Springs

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self December 28, 2022 Tags: britton's chicken salad sandwich, chef art smith's homecomin, chicken salad, chicken salad sandwich, Disney dining, Disney Springs, duke's mayo, homecomin, sipper No Comments

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ often pays homage to his ancestor, Britton Smith. Britton Smith might be known more for his moonshine recipes, but apparently, he also had some solid food recipes. In a recent addition to the menu, we found one of those recipes being used. Britton’s Chicken Salad Sandwich would be the name of that new menu item. During a December visit, I ordered this unique sandwich. This sandwich started being served along with several other new menu items at Homecomin’.

Britton’s Chicken Salad Sandwich costs $19. The menu description informs guests that the recipe includes pulled chicken, celery, grapes, Duke’s Mayo, and savory spices. This chicken salad mix also comes with lettuce and tomato on artisan bread.

This sandwich comes standard with BBQ chips. Those chips tasted solid, as usual. I prefer more sauce drizzled on them, however.

The presentation of this sandwich reflects what you would expect from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. As you might have expected, the portion size of this sandwich exceeds standard sandwiches.

Yet, in unexpected fashion, my sandwich came with some circumstances that should be considered. I sat at the bar and ordered this sandwich to avoid my name coming up in the Walt Disney World reservation service. Yet, I failed to consider how often I walk into this place to have my refillable sipper cup filled with diet soda. That gave me away.

A guest sitting near me stated, “Your sandwich came out fast! You must know what to order.” They ordered well before me, and their appetizer arrived after my sandwich. When the talented server knew I preferred Coke Zero Sugar over Diet Coke, I realized I had been made and probably got my meal moved up in the kitchen queue. If you do not know, Diet Coke is behind the bar, so easy to provide. The bar does not have Coke Zero Sugar, so the server must go to another station for that.

However, I do not think the staff knowing me as a theme park food blogger influenced the quality of my sandwich. Yet, it never hurts a restaurant to avoid having a food blogger wait too long.

So how was the sandwich? As mentioned, the portion of chicken salad overflowed from the bread. You will need a fork for this one at some point in your meal. A new food challenge would be eating this sandwich without any chicken salad falling out. The bread must be sturdier to support a large amount of chicken salad between the two slices. Still, I enjoyed the flavor of the bread. The bread compliments the chicken salad nicely.

However, I expected a more robust flavor in the chicken salad mixture. In fact, with Duke’s Mayo listed in the menu description, I expected far more “twang” with this sandwich. In this case, I did not find that.

Despite that, I found the chicken salad provided a great texture. In addition, the flavor of the chicken salad was consistent and pleasant. Britton’s chicken salad offers a positive experience for your taste buds.

My initial reaction to this sandwich did not match my expectations. Therefore, I often only read menu descriptions after a review. Yet, I had already written about the list of new menu items, so I expected “twang.” This chicken salad recipe focuses on the chicken more than depending on the mayonnaise.

The tomatoes tasted very fresh. The lettuce was good quality and helped balance the sandwich.

On the negative side, this sandwich will make a mess as you eat, so be careful with the chicken salad falling out. Also, they gave me two pickle spears. They may know I write food reviews but did not appreciate my preference for no pickles. Yet, as a food reviewer, I tasted them. They were good-quality pickle spears, for the record.

This is what fell out of one half of my sandwich

Overall, this sandwich matches the high expectations for one at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. The portion size surpasses other comparable sandwiches. Even without the expected excessive mayonnaise, the chicken quality brings excellent flavor. The bread could hold up better, but this sandwich would be worth your time if you are not looking for fried chicken here. If you are looking for more than the Thigh High Chicken Biscuit appetizer, this sandwich might be large enough to be shared. As always, eat like you mean it!