Thousands of Americans turned out on Wednesday to feast on fried chicken in a politically charged show of support for a family-owned fast-food chain which opposes same-sex marriage.

Long lines and traffic jams were reported throughout the American heartland after 630,000 people declared on Facebook they would take part in a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.

"I just got my chicken and my car is filled with the smell of freedom," a caller named Steve told conservative talk show host Mike Huckabee from the Chick-fil-A outlet at Fort Walton Beach in the Florida panhandle.