The Chicken Ranch was an illegal brothel in the U.S. state of Texas that operated from 1905 until 1973 in Fayette County, about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of downtown La Grange.

It inspired the 1973 ZZ Top song "La Grange", and served as the basis for the 1978 Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and its 1982 movie adaptation.

The brothel that became the Chicken Ranch opened in La Grange, Texas in 1844. Run by a widow known as Mrs. Swine, the brothel operated in a hotel near the saloon, and featured three young women from New Orleans. The women under Swine's employment used the hotel lobby for entertaining, and rented a room upstairs for conducting business. The brothel was successful for over a decade, but closed during the Civil War when Swine and one of her prostitutes were forced to leave town as Yankees. After the war, prostitution was endemic in the local saloons, but no official records were kept.

In 1905, Jessie Williams, known as Miss Jessie (although born Faye Stewart) bought a small house along the banks of the lower Colorado River and opened a brothel. Williams maintained a good relationship with local law enforcement: by excluding drunkards and admitting politicians and lawmen, she ensured that her house would be tolerated. In 1917, after learning of an imminent crusade against the red-light district, Williams sold her house and purchased ten acres (40,000 m²) outside the city limits of La Grange, two blocks from the Houston–Austin highway. This was the final location of the Chicken Ranch.

In 1917, the Chicken Ranch began advertising. Under the direction of two sisters who worked in the house, the prostitutes sent packages and letters to local men fighting in World War I. The advertising, and an increase in automobile ownership, increased the traffic flow to the brothel, and new rooms were subsequently added to meet the increased demand. The brothel "looked like a typical Texas farmhouse, with whitewashed siding and a few side buildings," which held the chickens. The unlit brothel entrance was discreetly located at the back of the house, which featured 14 rooms. No external signage marked the brothel's presence within the house.

Every evening, the local sheriff Will Loessin would visit the Chicken Ranch to learn the latest gossip and whether any patrons had boasted of crimes. Many local crimes were solved with information gained from these visits. Sheriff Loessin often paced the halls, and, using an iron rod, would eject patrons of the brothel for abuses toward its employed prostitutes.

During the Great Depression, Williams was forced to lower her prices. As the Depression lingered, the number of customers dwindled and Williams had difficulty making ends meet for her employees. She implemented the "poultry standard", and charged one live chicken for each sexual act. The number of chickens at the brothel exploded, and soon the place became known as the Chicken Ranch. Williams supplemented her income by selling surplus chickens and eggs.

In 1946, Jim T. Flournoy took office as sheriff. He immediately had a direct telephone line installed at the Chicken Ranch so that he could continue his predecessor's practice of gathering intel from the brothel, without having to travel there each evening.