'A Derry classic': Chicken Box takes centre stage at Rose of Tralee

A much-loved Londonderry takeaway staple has been given a national television spotlight after a local woman demonstrated how to make a "Derry Chicken Box" during the Rose of Tralee festival.

Derry Rose Cará Hamilton showcased the iconic dish alongside host Kathryn Thomas on Monday night.

Cará told viewers she was "having withdrawals" from Derry food as the pair put together their own version of the Chicken Box on stage, including chips, chicken, peppers, cheese and of course taco sauce.

Caoimhinn Campbell, whose family owns Kiera's Chippy in Top of the Hill in Derry, said it was "very random" to see a Chicken Box being made live on television, but he found it very funny.

Cará, who is also from Top of the Hill, is hoping to be crowned the 2026 Rose of Tralee when the winner is announced on RTÉ later on Tuesday.

The annual event, held in County Kerry since 1959, began as an effort by local businessmen to attract tourists.

It has since grown into an international festival, attracting contestants from across the world. The festival includes the Rose of Tralee selection, parades, music, family events and live entertainment.

On Monday night of the Rose of Tralee, Cará brought her hometown culinary delight of a Chicken Box to the stage - a moment many "Derry wans" felt was hugely deserving of the coveted Rose of Tralee title.

Caoimhinn said the dish is "much-loved" across the city and is also becoming increasingly well-known outside Derry.

"You would be hard pressed not to find it on the menus of chippies and even Chinese takeaways across Derry - all of which put their own spin on it," he said.

Caoimhinn said the Chicken Box is often one of the first things people who have moved away from Derry ask for when they return.

"You would see a lot of people from Derry who maybe went away for university or somewhere come back and the first thing they would crave when they get back home is a Chicken Box.

"It's such a big thing here and I think word is starting to spread because we would even get tourists coming in and saying they were told they need to try a Chicken Box."

While the dish may not win any awards for presentation, Caoimhinn said its appearance was part of its charm.

"It may look like a dog's dinner - it's not the most aesthetically pleasing but it's a Derry classic."

Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, who played Michelle Mallon in the hit Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls, has previously spoken about her love of a Chicken Box after a night out, describing it as one of her favourite foods on a recent appearance of the Dish podcast with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett.

O'Donnell told a perplexed Grimshaw, who was unaware of what a Chicken Box was, that the takeaways in Derry are "iconic" and the Chicken Box is, in her words, among the top tier culinary delights.

"A chicken box is a staple and it's best eaten after a few drinks - after le pub," O'Donnell explained.

"It's chips, usually the hand-cut ones... sometimes it has fried peppers and onions, fried breast of chicken, diced, and you put it all over the chips and you do it with three sauces - so you do garlic, chilli and taco, and sometimes you put cheese or coleslaw, which I am not into that."

"You close it over, give it to your pal, and you walk home with it eating it with a plastic fork - it is gorge."

The origins of the Derry Chicken Box are hotly disputed, but one local takeaway claims to have created the city's original version.

Peter McShane, who owns Paolo's Pizzas on Waterloo Street in Derry, says the calorie-rich creation was first made by his late sister, Margaret McKeever.

He said she came up with the dish when the takeaway ran out of pitta bread for a kebab and told a hungry customer: "I can do it on chips if you want?" — and the Chicken Box was born.

"It must be over 30 years that we have been doing Chicken Boxes," McShane told BBC News NI.

"Started by accident, but now it is by and far one of our most popular items on the menu.

"A lot of places do their versions of them across the city, but I am obviously going to say that ours is the best version of it."

Caoimhinn said the Chicken Box has been around for as long as he can remember and his granny, who previously owned the takeaway, said it became very popular among people looking for something to eat after a night out.

"People who have left the bars and then they need something that will help soak up alcohol and it is pretty much everything in one box and it certainly does that."

Caoimhinn said the connection between his family and the local chippy goes back generations, with his mum inheriting the business from his granny.

He said his granny would have been making Chicken Boxes many years ago, highlighting how long the dish has been part of Derry's takeaway culture.

The remaining 14 Roses will take to the stage on Tuesday night, with the 2026 International Rose of Tralee to be crowned at the end of the evening.

Whether any more fast food dishes make an appearance is anyone's guess.