We ate fried chicken for two weeks straight. Here are 5 great places we found

I must be some sort of a winner, because I've had nothing but chicken dinners for the past two weeks. Korean drumsticks, southern thighs and Buffalo — the type didn't matter.

Well, as long as it was fried.

That's right, Jersey residents; I've spent the past 14 days eating nothing but crispy chicken. And — even after piling bones high at the last spot on my list — the aforementioned is still better than grilled.

Now, before I get too deep into this article, allow me to give a disclaimer: nobody told me to do this. My editor didn't request it, National Fried Chicken Day isn't any time soon and the search engine algorithms aren't favoring the dish.

I just felt like eating fried chicken and absolutely nothing else for a couple of weeks. So, I did.

And now that my poultry tour of the Garden State is over? I'm passing its most important lessons to you.

From the top of my short-term memory, therefore, here are the five North Jersey fried chicken restaurants I enjoyed the most.

Brine Chicken, Fair Lawn

At Brine Chicken, juicy chicken is the name of the game. Supporting its motto, "never dry chicken," the restaurant brines all of its meat for 24 hours before cooking. The result? A tender, flavorful chicken that's pretty damn impressive for a local fast food joint.

Brine's menu boasts all kinds of chicken (from bone-in roasted to half-bird specialties), but the best of its dishes are those that are battered and tossed into the fryer. Since the fried pieces receive the same preparation treatment as the roasted, they are notably moist under their crispy shells. Further, the brining liquid gives the meat a distinct flavor, so — even if you don't dip them in sauce — each tender or sandwich is still irresistible.

Go: 3110 Promenade Blvd., Fair Lawn; brinechicken.com.

Good Chicken, Montclair

I love Korean fried chicken. Prepared in a way that renders out most of the fat from the skin, it is lighter and crispier than its American counterparts. Though, in many cases, it is still battered before frying, its outer layer is paper-thin, leaving more room for the (incredibly juicy) meat to soar on its own.

There are many great K-fried chicken spots in Jersey, but Good Chicken is one of my preferred poultry destinations. Using all organic chicken, the fast-casual restaurant turns out drums and wings that taste fresher than their competitors. It also offers at least six dipping sauces, which allows the consumer to play around with DIY flavor combinations not typically found in the genre.

Go: 114 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-337-5075, goodchickenusa.com.

Tavern on the Rocks, Rockaway

Tavern on the Rocks is a family friendly pub in Morris County — AKA, not a fried chicken spot. That doesn't stop it, though, from serving my favorite wings off of I-80. Insanely crunchy, the bar bites are just as about as much batter as they are meat, making them one of the most distinct versions of the dish I've ever tried.

Though many varieties of wings are offered (think BBQ Bourbon, Truffle Parm and "Voo-Doo"), my go-to is the Honey Garlic. Sweet and sticky, the marinade soaks into every crevice of the crispy shell, making for a sinfully delicious bite.

Go: 9 Wall St., Rockaway; 973-453-6358, tavernontherocks.com.

Fluffies Hot Chicken, Hackensack

Fluffies Hot Chicken in Hackensack offers fried chicken in so many different varieties, I could've spent all 14 meals of my poultry tour in the restaurant and still not ran out of new dishes to try.

The reason for that diversity? The ethnicity of its owners.

Brothers Raad and Saad, who run the spot, hail from India, so, though much of their menu revolves around American hot chicken, they also wanted to sprinkle South Asian-inspired dishes amongst their offerings.

Rice bowls over basmati, for example, are a top-seller, as is the butter chicken sandwich with pepperjack cheese. My favorite items on the menu, though, are the Frankie Rolls. Similar to jumbo gyros — but on homemade naan bread —the street food wraps showcase fried chicken in a way that I haven't seen before.

Go: 252 S Summit Ave, Hackensack; 201-402-3936, fluffieshotchicken.com.

Birdies Hot Chicken, Parsippany

Spice-dusted and served with slaw; there's nothing like Nashville hot chicken. And when it's locally-sourced and breaded to order — as it is at Birdies in Parsippany — it's even better.

Originally, my younger sister turned me on to this place (it was her 11 p.m. DoorDash drug of choice). "Their Dirty Fries are fire," she said.

Later I would discover that, though that might be true, their fried Tendies were truly where it's at. Hand-crafted, loaded with heat and brined to perfection, each massive strip brings the iconic taste of Nashville to Jersey in the most tantalizing shell.

Go: 131 New Road, Parsippany; 973-287-7575, bitebirdies.com.

Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, join our NorthJerseyEats Facebook group, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Best fried chicken in North Jersey: Restaurants to try now