8482 N. Friant Rd #107, Fresno
instagram.com/hhc/
By Dave Fountinelle | dave@fresnoflyer.com
I don’t know about you, but I love a good chicken sandwich. This is why the “chicken sandwich war” between national chicken chains and the current food trend of Nashville Hot-style chicken has been a thing of beauty to me. It has resulted in a proliferation of new “hot chicken” restaurants, all vying for our chicken money. Over-saturated, you say? I say not saturated enough! Give me all the fried chicken, please.
Thus, when I received an invitation from Houston TX Hot Chicken to come down to their new location in Fresno and give them a try, I responded with an immediate and enthusiastic “yes!” I have tried a couple of the other hot chicken places popping up around the Valley, and I was eager to dive into the Houston TX Hot Chicken menu to see how they handled themselves in the ring.
First off, General Manager Andrew Tauscher could not have been more helpful and friendly. He asked me how much spice I could handle (spoiler alert: not much) and brought me a sizable sampling of items from their menu. We spoke briefly about what makes Houston TX Hot Chicken stand out from the competition, but the proof would ultimately be in the… well, chicken. So he suggested we just let the food do the talking, and what a conversation we had (the food and I, that is). Of course, I didn’t really talk to the food; it’s a metaphor.
First up was the original hot chicken sandwich – a thick, juicy, crispy-fried, and aggressively-seasoned chicken breast served on a soft, toasted brioche bun, topped with house-made slaw, pickles, and one of their signature sauces. The restaurant makes its slaw fresh, and it was exquisite. It had a great tang that delightfully complemented the chicken and the sweet and savory house sauce. As impressed as I was with the sandwich, I was equally impressed with the price – $9.99 for a large sandwich of this quality felt like an insanely good deal. Add their well-seasoned crinkle-cut fries for only $3 more, and you’ve got a delicious but very filling meal for about what you’d pay at a fast food joint.
Next, I partook of their loaded fries – a heaping bowl of seasoned fries topped with slaw, pickles, chopped-up tenders, and house sauce. These things were over-the-top in the best possible way. Once again, I was blown away by their flavor bomb of a slaw. Full disclosure, I’m generally not a huge fan of coleslaw, so believe me when I say that their slaw ultimately makes this dish. That’s not to take anything away from the other ingredients, especially the tenders. For spice lovers, topping these fries with hot tenders would perfectly pair with one of their ice-cold bottled or draft beers.
I decided to dip a toe into spicy waters by ordering a single chicken tender with medium-level spiciness. For me, this was an appropriate level of heat, just enough to dance around on the back of my throat, but not so much that it took away from the vibrant flavor of the chicken. Houston TX Hot Chicken uses only free-range chicken and all-natural ingredients; their commitment to quality is clearly expressed in the tender itself. I could taste how well-seasoned and prepared the chicken was before adding sauces. Houston TX Hot Chicken uses a combination pressure cooker and fryer to get perfectly-cooked fried chicken in a fraction of the time it takes using a conventional fryer.
After the tender, I tried their plain Belgian waffle and mother of pearl. It was delightful. The waffles are cooked with a dusting of sugar that forms a light, crunchy coating. It tasted like a cross between vanilla cake and a glazed donut. Adding syrup seemed unnecessary as it would likely mask the delicately balanced flavors.
But the dark horse of the whole spread, and quite possibly the most incredible thing I have ever tasted from a restaurant, was their blueberry lavender frozen lemonade. Words cannot fully describe the. Honestly, I would go back there to order this lemonade and nothing else. It was tart, tangy, sweet, and refreshing. The lavender notes elevated the lemonade to another realm of flavor. And for all you vodka lovers, you can add a shot of vodka to your lemonade for only $4.
Between the lemonade, sauces, chicken, and artfully crafted slaw, I am comfortable saying this is quite possibly Fresno’s best hot chicken restaurant. The quality, the customer service, and, most of all, the prices are outstanding. So, if you’ve got an itch for a mouth-watering chicken sandwich, Houston TX Hot Chicken will certainly scratch it.
Rating: 8.7/10
