We may never stop clucking about Nashville hot chicken in Dallas. Or so it seems: Hot chicken chains like Hattie B’s, out of Nashville, are coming to Dallas. We also have homegrown chicken concepts from local restaurateurs: S&J’s Hot Chick, Ricky’s Hot Chicken, Hot Chicks and more.
All seem to want a piece of Dallas’ hottest food trend of the past 18 months.
And despite its visibility, restaurateurs are also opening invisible hot chicken businesses. Where can Dallasites find Sarah’s Hot Chicken, I asked a spokeswoman? In Plano, but it doesn’t really matter: This new ghost kitchen from the folks behind Half Shells and Fish City Grill is selling Sarah’s food for delivery only.
Consumers have started commenting on the colossal number of Nashville hot chicken restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth. Some of the restaurants feel formulaic: Make a cayenne-based spice rub, offer it in three to six levels of heat. Serve up some Southern sides.
And pick the right name: [Person]’s Hot Chicken. So far in North Texas, we have Ricky’s Hot Chicken, Helen’s Hot Chicken, Sarah’s Hot Chicken, Lucky’s Hot Chicken and Palmer’s Hot Chicken. Gold star to 2Neighbors Hot Chicken for being a little different.
But seriously, have we hit peak chicken? It’s getting hot in here.
It’s time to revisit all the Nashville hot chicken joints in Dallas-Fort Worth and look ahead to the restaurants opening soon.
Nashville hot chicken shops coming soon in D-FW
S&J’s Hot Chick: S&J’s Hot Chick is expected to open in Northwest Dallas, near the crux of Northwest Highway and Interstate 35E, in the next few weeks. Chef Nathan Black, who worked at Pink Magnolia in Oak Cliff (and is married to chef Blythe Beck), created S&J’s menu. The restaurant will be halal and will therefore not sell alcohol. In addition to traditional hot chicken options, S&J’s will also have sandwiches with faux-meat chicken, fried fish and portobello mushrooms, to cater to vegans and vegetarians. S&J’s Hot Chick is at 2201 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas. snjhotchick.com.
Lucky’s Hot Chicken No. 2: The Dallasites who created Hudson House, Drake’s and East Hampton Sandwich Co. have opened one Lucky’s Hot Chicken in East Dallas already. Lucky’s No. 2 is expected to open by the end of February on Hillcrest Avenue, across the street from Southern Methodist University, in University Park. Lucky’s Hot Chicken will be at 6309 Hillcrest Ave., Dallas. luckyshotchicken.com.
Dave’s Hot Chicken: In what we’re calling “the biggest cluckin’ expansion yet,” Los Angeles-based Dave’s Hot Chicken has plans to open 10 restaurants in Dallas. The first Dave’s in D-FW, run by local franchisees David Futrell and Ernest Crawford, is expected to open in May 2021 in Far North Dallas. The chain is named after co-founder and chef Dave Kopushyan, who saw a fiery rise for a business that started in a parking lot in 2017. Other leases in Dallas have not been signed yet, confirms a spokesman. Dave’s Hot Chicken will start by opening at 14750 Preston Road (between Spring Valley and Belt Line roads), Dallas. daveshotchicken.com.
Hot Chicks x 4: D-FW nightclub owner Sam Sameni already has one Hot Chicks restaurant open, in Plano, but he has plans to open four more in other areas. Construction is underway on the Dallas restaurant, located on SMU Boulevard in place of a former Twisted Root Burger Co. After it opens, Sameni says restaurants in Las Colinas, Arlington and Willow Park come next. Details here. hotchickschicken.com.
Hattie B’s: One of Nashville’s trendiest hot chicken restaurants will open its first Dallas-area restaurant in Deep Ellum in summer 2021. More Hattie B’s are expected to open in Texas in the future, though no more leases have been signed yet in North Texas. Hattie B’s will be at 3000 Main St., Dallas. hattieb.com.
Nashville hot chicken shops open now in D-FW
Nashville Hot Chicken Shack: D-FW’s biggest Nashville hot chicken restaurant, in terms of reach, has gotten the least amount of press. Nashville Hot Chicken Shack is a delivery-only restaurant with kitchens in Grapevine, Plano, Richardson, Mesquite and Cedar Hill. The menu has several hot chicken combos, plus a hot chicken grilled cheese (yes, please!) and a bowl of mac and cheese topped with hot chicken tenders, bacon and green chiles. The shop sells fried cookie dough for dessert. Delivery only; check if you’re within range of its five kitchens here. hotchickenshacknashville.com.
2Neighbors Hot Chicken: Nashville hot chicken originated among Black communities in Tennessee nearly 100 years ago, and the Marshall family is honoring that tradition. 2Neighbors Hot Chicken was created to “build up the Black community” in DeSoto, says owner Carlonda Marshall. They sell chicken and catfish in four spice levels. 2 Neighbors Hot Chicken is at 324 E. Belt Line Road, DeSoto. 2neighborshotchicken.com.
Red Claws Hot Chicken: One of the newest hot chicken shops in North Texas is Red Claws in Fort Worth, which celebrates its grand opening Feb. 5, 2021. Unlike other Nashville hot chicken joints, Red Claws sells chicken buckets for those feeding a group. The restaurant also sells loaded fries: a bed of Cajun fries topped with tenders, vinegar slaw, pickles and comeback sauce. The owners operate Red Claws Crab Shack in Arlington and Dallas, which each serve a few Nashville hot chicken items. Red Claws Hot Chicken is at 5278 Hulen St., Fort Worth. redclawshotchicken.com.
Helen’s Hot Chicken: It started as a food truck in Nashville named after owner Jeremy Mallard’s grandma. Today, it’s a growing restaurant brand named Helen’s Hot Chicken with just one shop in Texas, in a strip mall in Lewisville. They’ve been selling hot chicken in Lewisville since 2015, years before the trend heated up in D-FW. Helen’s sells chicken breasts, legs, wings, gizzards and tenders. The hot chicken and waffles served with syrup and butter seems worth a try. Helen’s Hot Chicken is at 413 E. Round Grove Road, Lewisville. Dining room is closed; pick-up and delivery only right now. helenshotchicken.com.
Sarah’s Hot Chicken: On Feb. 1, Sarah’s Hot Chicken started selling a short and sassy menu for delivery only. Cooks make the food at Half Shells in West Plano, but it’s a ghost kitchen, so customers will never step foot inside. Delivery options include a chicken sandwich, tenders, a shrimp po’ boy and a fried chicken salad. Those who order spicy chicken can cool it down with creamy coleslaw or mac and cheese. Delivery only, to addresses near its West Plano kitchen; check if you’re within range here. sarahshotchicken.com.
The Cookshack: Up the street from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Cookshack is doing Nashville hot chicken and smoked ribs. We’re interested in their dessert: Aunt Peggy’s ice cream sandwich. The Cookshack is at 500 University Drive, Fort Worth. thecookshack.com.
Ricky’s Hot Chicken: Ricky’s in Richardson: That should be easy to remember. Ricky’s started as a hot-chicken obsession in the owner’s garage. It’s now a homegrown restaurant selling chicken at six spice levels. The XHOT has ghost peppers and scorpion peppers; the A-BOMB is one step hotter. Whew. Ricky’s Hot Chicken is at 100 S. Central Expressway, Richardson. rickyshotchicken.com.
Hot Chicks: Is hot chicken sexy? Hot Chicks wants you to think so. (Despite the name, it isn’t a breastaurant; it’s just a restaurant with a punny name.) Here, Nashville hot chicken comes in the form of tenders, tacos and rice bowls. The top seller at the one restaurant currently in operation, in West Plano, is The Sandwich. It’s fried chicken with slaw and pickles served on a brioche bun. Hot Chicks is at 1885 Dallas Parkway, Plano. hotchickschicken.com.
Lucky’s Hot Chicken: The funky-cool exterior of Lucky’s Hot Chicken in East Dallas has an interesting history: It’s the former Brinks Coffee Shop from the 1960s, named for its operator Norman Brinker. (Brinker was a prolific restaurateur who had a hand in creating or growing some of the country’s biggest chains, Jack in the Box, Steak and Ale, Bennigan’s and Chili’s among them.) Lucky’s Hot Chicken serves a simple Nashville hot chicken menu in a throwback dining room. But it’s 2021, and delivery is available, too. Lucky’s Hot Chicken is at 4505 Gaston Ave., Dallas. luckyshotchicken.com.
Palmer’s Hot Chicken: Deep South restaurateur Palmer Fortune moved to Dallas to open a hot chicken joint with his name on it. Of all the restaurants on this list, Palmer’s feels the most like a true Southern restaurant, with a more thoughtful menu that includes a variety of salads, plus sides like pimento cheese grits and flash-fried Brussels sprouts. It also has a comfortable covered patio with Astroturf and picnic tables. While many Nashville hot chicken restaurants focus on poultry, Palmer’s also sells shrimp and catfish. Drinks include mint juleps, palomas, frosé and ranch water, Dallas’ of-the-moment tequila cocktail. Palmer’s Hot Chicken is at 6465 E. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. palmershotchicken.com.
Rule the Roost: Take a drive west of Fort Worth and you’ll find Westworth Village. At Rule the Roost, there’s sandwiches and tenders, available in Nashville hot, extra hot or extreme heat. Interestingly, this restaurant also sells lactose-free shakes. Rule the Roost is at 6635 Westworth Blvd., Westworth Village. ruletheroostchicken.com.
Chirps Chicken Shack: After some on again, off again availability at Chirps Chicken Shack on Greenville Avenue, the restaurant appears to be back open. Chirps sells wings in a variety of spice levels and appetizers like blue cheese potato chips topped with bacon. And, of course, there’s chicken tenders and sandwiches. Chirps Chicken Shack is at 3619 Greenville Ave., Dallas. chirpschicken.com.
More Nashville hot chicken, if you can believe it —
Beyond the dedicated hot chicken shops, some restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth have added cayenne-laced chicken to their menus. Head here if you’re looking for Nashville hot chicken but your dining partners want something else:
- Mighty Chick in Watauga has a menu of tenders and wings. Then it’s decision time: Do you want Nashville hot chicken seasoning? Cheesy snowflake chicken seasoning? Hot spicy Seoul? There’s a lot to work with.
- Biscuit Bar (in Fort Worth, Arlington, University Park, Deep Ellum and Plano) sells a Nashville-style hot chicken biscuit cooled down with house-made ranch.
- Rapscallion on Greenville Avenue in Dallas has a three-piece chicken dinner jazzed up with Nashville-hot spices and served with mustard greens and a biscuit.
- Brix Barbecue in Fort Worth serves up a Funkytown Hot Chicken sandwich on Saturdays that impressed Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn.
- Super Chix (in Dallas, Richardson, Frisco and Fort Worth — plus several spots outside of Texas) serves a Nashville hot chicken sandwich with pickles.
- Whistle Britches in Dallas and Plano is selling a Hot Dang sandwich on toasted white bread with dill ranch and bread and butter pickles. Whistle Britches sells several other spicy options, including a Korean spicy crispy chicken sandwich and a “Yankee” sandwich with Buffalo sauce.
- Street’s Fine Chicken — with two restaurants in Dallas, on Cedar Springs Road and on Forest Lane — makes Nashville hot chicken on brioche served with jalapeño-brined pickles. It’s called Hell’s Chicken; clever. They’re also selling Nashville hot fried boneless thigh sandwiches with slaw and pickles.
- Invasion in Old East Dallas mostly serves healthful food. But it also has the Nash-Ty Sandwich, a Nashville hot chicken number with sour cream ranch.
- Yard House in Addison and Las Colinas sells a Nashville hot chicken sandwich with aged white cheddar and a Nashville hot chicken entree with sweet potato pancakes.
- Angel Chicken Kitchen in Dallas sells a crispy Nashville hot chicken sandwich with cilantro pesto.
Did we miss your favorite Nashville hot chicken spot? It wasn’t for lack of trying. Email Sarah Blaskovich at sblaskovich@dallasnews.com.
