White Fence Farm Outside of Chicago: Champions of Chicken
The White Fence Farm legacy was originally built by a millionaire Chicagoan by the name of Stuyvesant Peabody. Peabody had great success with the Farm but eventually sold it to Robert and Doris Hastert in 1954 who continue to thrive in the family chicken business today.
On those day trips with my family, we would drive to Romeoville, Illinois to visit White Fence Farm’s main restaurant which truly is a farm featuring games, mini rides and a petting zoo complete with llamas, sheep and goats. White Fence Farm is also a makeshift antique museum paying homage to vintage autos, hood ornaments, dolls, clocks and music boxes, not to mention a glorious Christmas display in December. But the real masterpiece could be found in any one of the twelve country dining rooms each decorated with various homespun themes.
White Fence Farm’s chicken is fresh, never frozen, and breaded with ingredients from a secret family recipe. Then, the chicken is pressure cooked and fried in hot soybean oil that, believe it or not, is cholesterol free! And what’s chicken without some homemade extra fixins? All dinners are served with sweet and creamy coleslaw, doughy corn fritters, French fries, mashed potatoes and gravy and beets and bean salads. Meals are delivered family style and we usually go with the farm chicken specialty for $12.50 per person. This dinner includes a half of a chicken for each person along with all of the delicious side dishes.
Luckily for us, over the years White Fence Farm has added numerous chicken stands throughout the Illinois suburbs. These take-out only storefronts offer complete meals, sides and catering in the towns of Riverside, Plainfield, Joliet and Downers Grove. For a small feast, try the Family Pak which includes sixteen pieces of chicken, two pints of coleslaw, two dozen fritters and four orders of either fries or mashed potatoes for just $26.75. For a hungrier crowd, order the Harvest Pak which contains twenty pieces of chicken and lots of yummy sides for $32.95. If it’s a last minute party you’re hosting, White Fence Farm advertises that they can cook up to sixty pieces of chicken in less than ten minutes. For larger orders, though, please give at least a day’s notice.
White Fence Farm locations around Illinois are open from Tuesday through Friday from 4:00 to 8:00 and on weekends from noon to 8:00. They are closed on Mondays. Log onto www.whitefencefarm.com/chicago/ for more information, menus and photos.
