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10 Spots Serving the Best Hot Chicken in LA

June 02, 2022

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Who’s got a craving for some hot and spicy chicken? Let’s dig into where you can find amazing hot chicken in Los Angeles.

 

Boneyard Bistro

Specializing in slow-cooked barbecue, Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks is one of the more upscale chicken joints in the Valley. And they only serve their Nashville Hot (and Southern Style) chicken on Mondays. With a 25% discount on their wide selection of beers. Served on white bread with speared dill pickles atop, and slathered in hot sauce if you like, these crispy chicken delights are best enjoyed with sides of mac 'n' cheese and coleslaw.


 


Tokyo Hot Chicken

Flavors from Japan collide with spicy Southern-style at Tokyo Hot Chicken. The pop-up from Michelin-star chef Michael Mina cooks up hot chicken buckets and tenders with sides including kimchi slaw and spicy kewpie. This one is a dipper's delight with sauces that include Yuzu Kosho Honey, Chukka Tare with chili and soy, and Yum Yum Sauce with furikake. As for sides? Well, there's red miso corn, furikake fries, and wasabi mashed potatoes.


 


Dave's Hot Chicken

No matter where you live in LA, you've probably got a Dave's Hot Chicken nearby. The popular chain has locations in Sherman Oaks, Glendale, Culver City, North Hollywood, Koreatown, East Hollywood, and Fairfax. All offer chicken with six levels of heat ranging from "no spice" to "reaper," along with sides including kale slaw. If you go for their extreme-heat chicken, you can soothe your scorched tongue with a milkshake made with real ice cream.


 


Fritzi Coop

Celebrity chef Neal Fraser, featured on Bravo's Top Chef Masters, founded this pop-up at the Original Farmers Market. Not for the timid, Fritzi Coop’s spicy chicken is only available as "hot" or "super hot." Served by the bucket or atop a decadent pile of curly fries and spicy Louisiana slaw. Best savored with a side of honey mustard fried pickles. And do you like nachos? Then you'll love tachos: hot chicken oozing with mac 'n' cheese and tater tots.


 


Howlin' Ray's

It's easy to guess what might make you howl at Howlin' Ray's, serving some of the most mouth-searing chicken in the Southland. Chef Johnny Ray Zone worked in Nashville and brought the heat back to LA's Chinatown. Intensity levels rise from Mild with a "brush of heat" to Medium Plus with "extra burn" and Howlin' rated as "can't touch this 10++." Sides keep things traditional with collard greens, macaroni salad, and vinegar slaw.


 


The Red Chickz

In Downtown LA and close to Howlin' Ray's, Red Chickz offers some serious competition with six levels of spice from Cool to Bonfire and up to Inferno. With some creative dishes that mix in hot chicken: chicken tenders or wings over French toast; hot chicken tacos with coleslaw and pickles; and a chicken chipotle sandwich. All made with all-natural, hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken.


 


Hotville Chicken

You can get a taste of hot chicken royalty at Hotville Chicken, a Crenshaw joint founded by Kim Prince. She's the niece of André Prince Jeffries, who served the very first Nashville hot chicken in Nashville in 1936. It's the same family recipe all of these decades later, with the technique of adding just one spice during each step of the preparation process. And served as simply as the original—fried chicken atop white bread and topped with dill pickles.


 


Crawfords

Have doubts that a dive bar in Historic Filipinotown has some of LA's best hot chicken? Crawford's down-market yellow brick front and hand-painted signs reading “Ice Cold Beer'' and “Fried Chicken” don't exactly instill confidence. But one bite of their hot chicken and you'll be hooked. Nothing fancy here, just cheap beer and hot chicken with choices of slaw, beans, mac 'n' cheese, and potato salad on the side. Plus, an order of tater tots if you've got the room.


 


Sweet Chick

Three parts of America are represented by Sweet Chick: it's imported from New York City and serves Nashville hot chicken on Fairfax in LA. Fried chicken and waffles is Sweet Chick’s forte, but they serve hot chicken on salads and in sandwiches such as their popular Spicy Honey Butter Fried Chicken Biscuit and their classic Nashville Chicken Sandwich on a potato roll. Savor them with a side of cheesy grits or jalapeno cheddar hush puppies.


 


Hawaiian Hot Chicken

Understandably, you might be wary of Hawaiian-style Nashville hot chicken. It does sound kind of odd. But the Hawaiian Hot Chicken pop-up in Northridge will make you a believer with their hot chicken served on Hawaiian rolls and topped with their signature volcano hot sauce. Or maybe you'll go with Loaded Lua Fries mixed with chopped chicken tenders and coleslaw.


 

You don’t have to head to Tennessee to get some of the country’s best Nashville hot chicken. Some of the best chicken in Los Angeles offers the same spicy goodness.

Written by William McCleary for Knockaround.

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