#PowerPlayer Kortni Robinson is our Director of Sales and Marketing by day and Chicken Critic by night! Over 4 years ago she created Chicken Critic, her Instagram page devoted to sharing all of the delicious chicken dishes she tries. Our team works with influencers daily, so we love having a micro influencer on our staff to give us behind the scenes tips and tricks. We asked Kortni a few questions about her gram, how she got started and of course where to get the best fried chicken below!
What inspired you to start Chicken Critic?
Since I was a little girl I have always loved chicken. I grew up a very picky eater. I was that kid who ordered chicken nuggets at a Mexican restaurant. Eventually I started thinking about how many different chicken dishes I have tried in my lifetime. I’m not kidding – chicken to me is so much better than any other meat or fish. It has way more flavor and there are so many varieties of how it can be cooked or added to a recipe. You won’t catch me dead ordering a steak or burger over chicken!
Being a Journalism major and PR minor at Texas Tech, I was very in tune with social media and the rise of bloggers my senior year of college. One day in 2016 I asked myself, “why can’t I do this?” and the Chicken Critic was born!
What do you think makes Chicken Critic special compared to other food bloggers?
The fact that I only review chicken of course! I’m also super honest on my page. If I don’t like something, I either won’t post it or I will tell you straight up in the caption. I believe there is something special about every restaurant, so I’m willing to share the good, bad and ugly. Working in the PR industry, I have seen many influencers who only post nice and friendly content. My page is more about honesty and helping my followers to find the absolute best chicken in Dallas, DFW and beyond.
Chicken Critic is also a page I created for fun. I genuinely love talking about food and sharing my restaurant experiences with friends, family and followers. I didn’t create this page to make money or get free meals, I did it to share my knowledge of chicken with the world.
What’s been the most challenging obstacle to overcome as a food blogger?
Taking pictures! It is so much harder than it looks. If you want the best image not only do you need to have the latest iPhone and a steady hand, but lighting is key! Oftentimes restaurants are dark, so you need to take the dish outside or near a window to get a nice photo. Talk about annoying!
Also, being an influencer can be a lot of work! Some people plan their content out days, weeks and even months in advance. I give major props to those people and their feeds look amazing for it. It’s all about the flow and mood of the grid. Chicken Critic is a little more lax. I know I don’t have the best photos or grid fluency – my goal for the page is to inform first and be as visually appealing as possible second.
Where do you see Chicken Critic going in the next five years?
I want to continue to increase my following so I can expand my audience and reach. Right now I have a little over 5k followers with the majority of people living in Dallas between the ages of 23-34. I also have about 50/50 male to female. I’d love to be able to travel more frequently, leading to photos and followers all over the U.S.
It’s also a dream of mine to be called on as an expert source for chicken. Laugh at me if you want! I think it would be so cool to be interviewed or asked my opinion on things like National Fried Chicken Day. @TheTODAYShow, give me a call if you’re looking for a fun segment on July 6th!
If you could only have one more chicken dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The hardest question ever. People always ask me what my favorite chicken dish is and it’s so tough!
I would probably choose Chuy’s Elvis Fried Chicken in Boom Boom sauce. It comes with a large breast battered in crunchy potato chips and deep fried, smothered in my favorite spicy sauce with rice and beans. I love fried chicken as well as spicy Mexican food, so this dish is the best of both worlds!
Other dishes/restaurants you’d recommend?
HG Sply – Ranch Chicken Sandwich
Italian Garden Lubbock – Chicken Murphy with Pink Sauce
Asian Mint – Basil Chicken Fried Rice
Outback Steakhouse – Bloomin’ Fried Chicken
Mi Cocina – Fajita Chicken Nachos with Poblano Cream Sauce for dipping
Babe’s Chicken – Chicken Tenders
Joe T. Garcia’s – Chicken Fajitas
Chick-fil-A – Spicy Southwest Salad with Creamy Salsa dressing
East Hampton Sandwich Co. – Famous Hot Birdie (salad)
Drake’s – Honey Fried Chicken
Maple Leaf Diner – Flagship Chicken Sandwich
State & Allen – Chicken Tenders with homemade ranch
Las Palmas – Chicken Fajitas with bone marrow butter
Reservoir (Ft. Worth) – Captain Crunch Chicken Tenders
The Porch – Fried Chicken Cobb Salad
Superchix – Chicken Tenders
Popeye’s – Spicy Chicken Sandwich (duh)
Rafa’s (Lover’s Lane) – Chicken Burritos
Chicken parm from anywhere but, not gonna lie, Olive Garden’s is good!
