Cary C.
Yelp
I heard about this place from some of my fellow Bridgeport denizens, saying they were kind of in love with this spicy chicken sandwich.
I love chicken. I love fried chicken. I enjoy convenience. And I enjoy trying new places. This location being a 5 minute drive from home, this was an easy try for a weekday lunch.
I spontaneously drive over during a work from home day, around 1:30 to avoid any crowds. That part was successful. As I parked on Halsted, a party of 4 walked out smiling and looking very full. This already seemed promising.
The decor inside and out is colorful graffiti, chicken motifs, and a convenient Instagrammable spot by the cash register. The owner took my order and gave me some recommendations for side dishes. Even though I'm buying take out for 2, my lack of discipline causes me to order for 3.5 to maximize menu spread. She was very helpful with the heat level (I ended up with mild-dry for everything), and she told me they make their own BBQ sauce in house.
1 sandwich, 1 half chicken, 1 quarter dark, 1 order of sweet potato fries.
It did take 15 minutes to prep my food, even though I'm the only person in the restaurant. I can't imagine the wait if it's packed there, I think I'll call ahead next time if I'm ordering out. It seems like they were fresh, hand breading everything. Perhaps a tip is to pre-hand bread some items like Church's? It's still fresh but faster?
My short drive home was filled with the aroma of freshly fried chicken, I couldn't wait but only managed to devour a piece of well toasted, thick cut white bread.
Food: first off, it's hot, spicy hot. Like the mild is a medium for a lot of people. Even my wife who frequently devours spicy food commented on the level of heat. If you like spicy food, this is the place for you. I recommend trying a few different levels to gauge this for yourself.
The chicken sandwich is huuuuge. See photo. It's like 2 chicken thigh cutlets combined, which to me is a great value. Tender, juicy, flavorful, great crunch with the tangy, sweet pickles to balance it. Beats the pants off white meat everytims. I'm not sure why certain people always go for white meat, over priced, drier, less flavorful. If you are on a diet, just don't eat it. Why punish yourself. Instead, treat yourself to this sandwich.
The rest of the chicken was delicious, very spicy, and crucht batter. The batter itself is thick, thicker than I prefer but still good. The heat slowed me down so I had to savor each bite.
Sweet potatoes fries are large slices of sweet potato, more like a sweet potato tempura which is different gives you more heft.
I wish they would give you more than two pieces of toast, unless you only get one piece of toast per chicken order, and a little packet of pickles. I would have liked more. Same with the BBQ sauce for $1. I guess we are paying a premium here, but small deductions for value.
I still recommend this to people, especially the sandwich. Nice addition to the neighborhood.