Nashville hot chicken
I search for the perfect hot fried chicken in a sea of contenders far from their homeland.
The recent-ish trend of Nashville hot chicken has piqued my interest, as I love fried chicken, but don’t live in Nashville. Luckily for me, this is a thing that exists in LA, and I find more and more of these places popping up and competing with one another, all with the same red-and-black design language. I find this a little overwhelming, so to get a lay of the land on the scene, I went with my bud Jack Nuss, who is commonly regarded as the Nashville-style hot chicken connoisseur, and tried some important places, to make my ranking official.
Dave’s
(Photo by Rex Podunovich)
Chicken Sammy at Dave’s
Dave’s hot chicken is what I think of when someone says Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich (which is not that often). Everything about Dave’s is good. Their crinkle-cut fries are great, salty, and have got that perfect mushiness-to-crispiness ratio I so deeply care about. The chicken was crispy and had a nice back-of-your-throat kick to it that correctly corresponded to the medium heat level.
What I will say, however, is that, while I’m sure there’s much better Nashville hot chicken in LA, Dave’s has got a special nostalgic place in my heart. For this reason, I fail to maintain the journalistic integrity that is expected of me. If I’ve got to hand in my badge now, it’s worth it, for I will back Dave’s until I die.
Final score: 7.8
Red Chickz
The chicken at Red Chickz was so crispy, I felt like I would have internally bled, with too big of a bite, or possibly obtained a gum infection from the spice blend after the breading tore my mouth open like shrapnel. Either way, I think fried chicken is not a bad way to go: an opinion that is clearly shared by a lot of other Americans.
(Photo by Rex Podunovich)
Red Chikz’s offering.
Overall, I would declare Red Chickz deserving of a 6.5 out of 10. Jack and I got the two-tender combo, which comes with fries, a piece of bread, and pickles, for 12 bucks. When compared to other places, you might find Red Chickz a little pricey, but you’re supposedly paying for better quality. The chicken was, as stated, quite crispy, and also intensely hot at the “spark” level, among their other weird spice levels including “glow” and “inferno.”
Now, a word on their fries. To follow up on the idea of fresher ingredients, they do have fresh potato wedges. I have no issue with potato wedges themselves, and I want to make that clear. However, in my opinion, it is criminal to advertise fries, and not deliver fries. Let’s get one thing straight: a fry is never in the shape of a triangle, nor a doorstop. For this reason, Red Chickz gets knocked down a peg in my book, for daring to serve me the plate of lies I received.
Final score: 6.5
Main Chick
(Photo by Rex Podunovich)
The NHFC at Main Chick.
My feelings for Main Chick Hot Chicken on Santa Monica Boulevard are hard to navigate. I have broken down how I feel about this place into two conflicting interests: they seem to make possibly the best Nashville hot chicken I've had, but don't offer a very good setting to enjoy your food. While I usually wouldn't gripe about something like this, it's not a great experience to dine with Uber Eats drivers, noisily waiting to pick up an order. In fact, I find the 20 restaurants behind one kiosk, and a weird food hall constructed solely with the innovation of food delivery apps like Postmates and Doordash in mind, quite depressing.
But I digress, for their food almost balances out their failure. Both their chicken and fries are really, really good. The chicken is super juicy, and so is the spicy blend that covers it. However, you'll find that the fried chicken doesn't become soggy as an effect of the juiciness, but is instead, quite crispy. Mainly, there is some strange additive in the seasoning that makes my mouth water when I think about this fried chicken. It is something slightly sweet, and so subtle, yet so addictive, and so moreish it’s slightly concerning. Whenever the FDA finds this mystery ingredient, there's no doubt in my mind it will cause a scandal bigger than MSG was in the 80s.
Final score: 8.8
Al’s Hot chicken
Al's hot chicken was very underwhelming. I'm a big fan of cheap food, and I'm a lover of LA strip malls and street cuisine. In general, if you know where to look, most great restaurants in LA are on the cheaper side. This is why I feel as though the whole “you get what you pay for” thing does not apply to the food scene here, and this is for the same reason why food-loving Americans love countries like Vietnam so much.
However, occasionally, I find that the rule will apply to a restaurant, and unfortunately, that restaurant happens to be Al’s Hot Chicken. There's not too much to say about it, and that's their main issue–its mediocrity. In general, my biggest gripe is a general sogginess in the chicken's breading, which every other place seemed to not struggle with. Its redeeming factor is that it was seriously hot. They even have a spice level of 2.2 million Scoville, which you have to sign a waiver to order. So if you're big into heartburn, or “gastroesophageal reflux,” check it out.
Final score: 6.0
Published may 2024
