Nashville hot chicken is really hot right now.
Byrd’s Hot Chicken is coming to Schererville. It will be located a few miles north of the new Dave’s Hot Chicken that’s coming to Shops on Main and a few miles east of the homegrown Chick & Shake concept at Centennial Village.
It’s taking over the space on Indianapolis Boulevard that was previously occupied by Vegas Cafe Bistro, the high-rolling Las Vegas-themed restaurant that offered breakfast, crepes, American, Latin American and Mexican fare, as well as sandwiches and hot dogs for lunch.
Like Dave’s Hot Chicken a few minutes’ drive north, Byrd’s Hot Chicken is a California-based chain that specializes in Nashville hot chicken. The trendy chicken was invented in Tennessee by a woman seeking revenge against a philandering lover by putting extra spices in his chicken to make it super-hot, but who wowed him so much with her spite-fueled culinary creation they partnered to open a restaurant together.
Nashville hot chicken places like Hattie B’s, Granddaddy’s Famous Hot Chicken and Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack have been a staple in the Music City for years, along with its famous meat-and-three joints, which are exactly what they sound like. Long a must-try for tourists seeing the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium or The Parthenon from the ending of that Robert Altman film, Nashville-style spicy chicken, in which spices like cayenne are blended right into the batter, has exploded in popularity nationally and can often be found on menus in restaurants in big cities like Chicago.
Byrd’s Hot Chicken has locations in Anaheim and Redlands in California and Orland Park, Algonquin and Skokie in Illinois. It’s expanding to Schaumburg, Houston, and Corona and Santa Ana in California.
The restaurant aims to provide “comfort food with a California twist” and “a cultural fusion of culinary traditions with a focus on freshly prepared ingredients and constant innovation.”
The menu includes sandwiches, tenders, wings and chicken nuggets. It also has a fried chicken sandwich with a doughnut for a bun and a “Byrd Bomb” in which a mess of diced chicken tenders, slaw, pickles, cheese and its signature 24/7 sauce are served atop a bed of fries and toast.
The chicken can be ordered to suit one’s palate: plain, mild, medium, hot and “supahot” for the truly adventurous. Byrd’s Hot Chicken bills itself as the “home of the supahot” and “comfort food meets California cool.” Its chicken is all-natural, cage-free, antibiotic-free and halal.
Sides include French fries, fried green beans and mac and cheese. There’s also a kids’ menu with chicken nuggets and the like.
Like with Chick & Shake, the spicy hot chicken can be washed down with cool, creamy shakes. Byrd’s Hot Chicken offers a choice of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
For more information, visit getbyrds.com.
