No need to exclude chains. But if those are winning, damn, that really sucks for your town.
These are my top​ three for LA County:
1. Howlin Ray's - I finally got to visit Howlin Ray's the other day, and it's as good as its hype. They're known for their spicy chicken sandwich, but I got the non-spicy fried chicken, and it was crispy, juicy, and delicious. Even the white meat was good, and white meat sucks.
2. Tokyo Fried Chicken - Their blend of spices gives their chicken a unique flavor, and they have amazing sides to go with it, like chicken rice and truffle edamame. This place is owned by a former izakaya taisho who got bored and revamped his whole restaurant to do fried chicken. They don't even serve white meat because white meat sucks.
3. Sir Pizza 'n Chicken - Their chicken is broasted (pressure fried--not "roasted, bro"), and it's really good. Not Howlin Ray's good but still really good.
Bonus: Tenkatori - Their chicken karaage is the best.