Beyond a fried Oreo. What food are Chicken Charlies, others bringing to Big Fresno Fair?
Charlie Boghosian’s trips to the grocery store aren’t like yours.
Where one might see shelves full of food products and snacks, Bogohsian see his next culinary creation.
“I’m constantly thinking, ‘what can I fry?’“ he says.
“Is it a wet or dry batter? What are we going to wrap it in.”
Over the past two-plus decades, Boghosian’s fried creations have become a staple on California’s county fair circuit, including The Big Fresno Fair, which opened Wednesday and runs though Oct. 15. His Chicken Charlie’s food stand is known for more over-the-top and non-conventional choices.
This is, after all, the guy largely credited with creating the fried Oreo in the early 2000s.
From fried Oreos to s’mores on a stick
And he’s come up with a new concoction every year since. There was deep-fired Kool-Aid and the more mundane strawberries and bananas. One year, the stand sold deep-fried avocado, an idea that Applebee’s eventually took and put on its menu, Boghosian says.
This year, Chicken Charlie’s has a pair of new food choices.
The first is a deep-fried s’more on a stick.
That’s three jumbo marshmallows covered in chocolate and graham cracker coating, then battered, deep-fried and topped with more chocolate, more graham cracker crumbles and sugar. It’s meant to be shared.
Boghosian knew this would be a hit with fair-goers the first time he tried it.
“My brain stopped working for two seconds,” he says.
“The flavors ... it’s really like a bomb.”
The s’mores have been a bestseller all season long.
The second dish is a take on a pot sticker. It’s a chicken pot sticker, obviously, covered in teriyaki sauce and tossed with the dust from crushed Flaming Hot Cheetos. There are five to an order.
“You’ll never want a normal pot sticker again,” Boghosian says.
As American as (McDonald’s) apple pie
All of this started because Boghosian was trying to emulate McDonald’s. Before the fried Oreo, Chicken Charlie’s had been doing fine, but Boghosian knew his menu needed a dessert, something sweet to balance out the fry.
The Oreo was his version of McDonald’s iconic apple pie, which Boghosian had fallen in love with (along with the Big Mac) when he first immigrated to the United States.
Not that the creme-filled cookie was his first thought. Boghosian and his brother actually bought out a Hostess rack at a 7-11 for some serious R&D: They took one of everything home to fry.
None of it quite worked, until they saw the Oreos.
There was something in the way that the cookie held up under the deep fry, Boghosian says.
“It really changed it and transformed it, but with that cookie flavor.”
That fact that he has something new every year is owed in part to The Fresno Fair.
It was a Fresno TV reporter interviewing him at the fair who first put the thought into Boghosian’s mind.
“He said, ‘you gave us the fried Oreo. What will you do next year?’”
“That day,” Boghosian says, “the mentality changed.”
Winning at The Big Fresno Fair midway games is tough. But these tips might help
Other new The Big Fresno Fair foods
Of course, Chicken Charlie’s isn’t the only food stand bringing new creations to The Big Fresno Fair this year.
Fabulous Fanny’s Funnel Cakes is offering two new flavor profiles this year — rocky road and Oreo chocolate cream.
Fair time Fudge is making fudge-dipped bananas and cheesecake.
Sharky’s Fish Fry has honey sriracha popcorn shrimp.
The Indian Fry Bread stand is making a cheesy jalapeno version.
JLQ Agua Fresca (which you can find Inside the Agriculture Building) is doing a stuffed Oreo waffle-wich.
Timbo’s will have chamoy pickles, which area all over TikTok if you experienced the trend. Sweet and sweet and spicy version are available.
A complete map of the fair’s food choices can be found on its website.
