Pioneer Chicken was originally a Southern California fast-food restaurant specializing in chicken. It operated in California and elsewhere. The chain is now defunct in the United States, although some few franchises still exist; one exists in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, Santa Monica has one, and another remains at the intersection of Olympic Blvd. and San Vicente near Miracle Mile. A few others remain scattered about the Los Angeles metropolitan area. During the 1980s, Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn used to advertise for the restaurant.

Today the restaurant company with rights to the name "Pioneer Chicken"--with stores located in China--is known as "California Chicken" because the Chinese there tend to pronounce "Pioneer" in a way which is socially undesirable in Chinese society. The chicken is still being sold with the same recipe, but a different name, and an altogether different country.