Celebrating National Fried Chicken Day at PONKO Chicken

CHAMBLEE, Ga. - Back in January 2021, we spent some time at PONKO Chicken in Decatur, as the talented team prepared and donated meals for healthcare workers keeping the community safe during the pandemic. And if you watched that morning, you know that we were immediately hooked on the restaurant’s unique menu of what the founders call "Japanese Soul Food" — especially the award-winning chicken tenders.

So, since today is National Fried Chicken Day (in case you didn’t know), we decided it was a perfect time to stop by the restaurant chain’s Chamblee location to find out what makes those tenders so delicious!

This morning, we spent some time with Jason Morgan, executive chef for PONKO Chicken, cooking up some of those famous fried chicken tenders and learning how to incorporate them into some delicious dishes. PONKO Chicken was created by sisters Maggie Antoine and Reiko Clark, who moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles and opened the first PONKO in 2017 with business partner Dr. Patrick Sallarulo. The very first PONKO Chicken was opened in Chamblee, and soon franchise locations were opening across Metro Atlanta and the Southeast.

For National Fried Chicken Day, PONKO is offering a special deal for fans: $5 for the Basic Chicken Tender dish (three tenders and a side), which is regularly $11.

For a list of locations and more information about the PONKO Chicken menu, click here. And click the video player in this article for a peek at our morning doing a little taste-testing in the PONKO kitchen!