We all know that Tom loves fried chicken. But he’s not the only chicken lover in the house. Seeing as how I’m not a 6+ foot tall man, I have to limit how often I eat it. But after four years of being married to a fried chicken aficionado, his ways have definitely rubbed off on me. We’re also both pretty obsessed with the Bravo show Top Chef. We always root extra hard for the contestants from DC and never miss an episode. So it would be an understatement to say that we were both pretty excited to check out The Chickery’s new revamped menu, created by DC local celebrity Chef Spike Mendelson.
Fried Chicken, Rotisserie Chicken + More
The Chickery is just what it sounds like – a chicken-focused restaurant serving up both fried and rotisserie versions of the versatile bird. Their focus is on making “better chicken” that’s fresh, all natural and never frozen. The small, fast-casual joint is located in the heart of Dupont Circle, making it the perfect pre- or post-drinking stop for a night out. But even if you’re super sober, you’ll want to stop in and take a taste.
While chicken is the star of the show, that’s not all you’ll find at The Chickery. We enjoyed the poutine and the street corn, and also noticed that they offer a delicious-sounding vegetarian cauliflower sandwich.
The Chicky Bunch
While these dishes were tasty, you’re definitely going to want to try the chicken. Chef Spike Mendelson’s has created a plucky lineup of sandwiches called “The Chicky Bunch”. We were especially excited about these due to our love of Chef Mendelson’s Good Stuff Eatery.
The Chicky Bunch features such delicacies and the Blue Hot with hot fried chicken, lettuce, pickles, blue cheese crumbles and buttermilk ranch dressing; the Tête-à-Cluck with rotisserie chicken, french fries, cheddar cheese curds and gravy; the GuakGuak with rotisserie chicken, guacamole, apple smoked bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato and the vegetarian CauliFire with battered and fried cauliflower steak, Chickery hot sauce, lettuce, tomato and buttermilk ranch dressing.
It was nearly impossible to choose, but we ended up going with the BBQ Big Dixie. This is a Chef Mendelson’s reimagined version of a Chickery classic with pulled rotisserie chicken, smoky BBQ sauce and both creamy and crispy slaw.
This sandwich was addicting. A buttery soft bun, sweet and smoky sauce and a pop of texture from the crispy slaw – a real winner.
Late Night Eats
In addition to the new sandwich lineup, Chef Mendelson has created a special late night menu featuring perhaps one of the most genius food creations I’ve encountered in a while.
The late night menu, available Thursday through Sunday from 9:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., features the new Chicken Cone, a waffle cone filled with The Chickery’s signature crispy chicken tossed in one of seven sauces. The crispy fried chicken, the delectable sauces and the sweet waffle cone are the perfect trio of deliciousness.
We tried one topped with BBQ sauce and buttermilk ranch and another with Thai chili sauce and… wait for it… French fries.
Tom was clearly in fried chicken heaven and waffle heaven. (All he needed was a little whiskey.)
Don’t Forget Dessert
It’s pretty unlikely that you’ll have any room left after indulging in all the chicken goodness. But on the off chance you do, I’d recommend Nana’s pudding with banana pudding, Nilla wafers and whipped cream.
The next time you have a hankering for chicken, head to The Chickery for chef-driven creations you can feel good about eating.
We were hosted by The Chickery to taste the revamped menu. All opinions are our own.
I want all of this!! Love Chef Spike too, always one of my TC faves 🙂