There’s no shortage of hot chicken restaurants in Houston. As a local food writer covering new eateries, I continue to be amazed, and sometimes baffled, by the number of fried chicken sandwich, tender and wing businesses that not only continue to open, but thrive in our city.
“What the cluck?” I think. How can our residents be able to support the vast number of fast-casual chicken joints that litter our sprawling metropolis? They even seem to surpass the astounding number of burger establishments that abound. No one ever has to wonder “Where’s the beef?” in Houston but the nation’s most popular poultry seems to be getting the upper hand. Or wing.
I’ll admit I’m on the fence about the proliferation of chicken-centric restaurants. I was way behind on the Popeyes’ chicken sandwich craze. I finally tried it last year. And it was all it was cracked up to be. My taste buds were hooked but my middle-aged body said, “Hold up. Did you read the nutritional facts?” I did and that’s why the spicy version of the crispy chicken sandwich at Popeyes has become a rare and wonderful treat that I savor slowly. In fact, I sometimes eat one half and save the rest for the next day. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning.
Of course, Houston has a bazillion (look it up) fast food restaurants selling chicken sandwiches of every stripe. But it’s the smaller chains and local businesses serving up hot chicken, usually Nashville Hot, that are really earning the fealty of their customers. Mico’s Hot Chicken was so successful as a Houston food truck that it opened a successful brick and mortar, during the pandemic no less. It regularly has lines out the door.
Besides local chicken purveyors like Mico’s, Clutch City Cluckers, Howdy Hot Chicken and Rosalyn’s Hot Chicken, Houston has also lured a number of national chicken chains to the city and its outlying areas. Dave’s Hot Chicken, Gus’s World Famous Chicken and Austin-based Tumble 22 have all opened locations in the Greater Houston area in the past few years. Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken just opened its first Houston location this week.
Needless to say, we are spoiled for choice. One local chicken place, Urban Bird Hot Chicken, has been on my radar for a while. Founded by Brandon Gawthorp, it opened its first location in Katy in September 2020. It has since quickly expanded to six locations including the very recently opened store in Webster. There are four more Urban Bird restaurants planned for Texas including College Station, Richmond, Round Rock and the Summerwood area of Houston.
I decided to see for myself what was behind its obvious success. Since my daughter and I were in the Katy area, I chose its original location off the Katy Freeway among a plethora of casual dining establishments. It was almost noon so I figured we might be in for a wait at lunch.
However, we lucked out with no one else in the line. We were greeted right away and there were conveniently placed menus at the front. We gave our order, were given a buzzer, then made our way to one of the booths lining the wall. The decor is mostly red and black with food photos lining the walls. There is a mix of booths and chairs and tables with a long communal table in the center. There is also a large table outside, where a family was enjoying the beautiful spring weather despite a parking lot view.
It didn’t take long for our food to be ready. We ordered several items to split with plans to order more once we decided our spice level comfort. That was a good idea because the Nashville Hot choice I made for the Chicken Tender Sando ($10) was out of my daughter’s league. I had also chosen it for the half-order of Urban Fries ($6), thinking it would be a happy medium between Country (no spice) and Fire in the Hole, which is pretty self-explanatory. Unfortunately, it was bit too hot for her and even I, who loves spicy food, was feeling the “beautiful burn”, as it is described on the menu. My daughter handed me back the other half of the Nashville Hot sando and went back to order the Chicken & Waffle ($12.50) with no spice.
Even though I was getting tingles of heat in my mouth, it wasn’t overpowering; just a slight simmer. The sandwich was piled high with two thick, crispy tenders, a generous mound of creamy kale slaw and a couple of pickles on a picture-perfect brioche bun. We had wisely chosen a Salted Caramel milkshake ($6) to split. The coolness of the dairy helped to temper the heat. While I might have been craving a cold beer, the restaurant does not offer alcoholic beverages. For those who opt for the spicier levels, milkshakes are a great foil for the heat. And they’re delicious.
Our half-order of Urban Fries was plenty for two people. Crinkle cut fries are topped with mac and cheese, its signature Bird Sauce and a chopped chicken tender. I could have done without the mac part, but that’s just a personal preference. Loaded fries are terribly popular in our country and some folks are of the ‘more is better’ orientation. If it had been midnight after an evening of bad choices, I might have been thrilled with two starches covered in spicy sauce. However, it was noon on a Tuesday, so we took the leftovers home to be scarfed down by my teenage son.
My daughter’s Chicken & Waffle was a tidy dish of four Belgian-style waffle triangles, two jumbo fried Country tenders, pickles and sides of butter and real maple syrup. She loved them but I knew that a little heat would have worked beautifully with the maple sweetness. She also enjoyed her street corn ($4) which had a double whammy of chipotle aioli and Mexican crema. I am more about restraint. To me, the chipotle aioli could have been eliminated and wouldn’t be missed. The roasted corn was sweet, with a little brightness from the lime. The Styrofoam container it was served in was small but there was quite a bit of corn, cotija and crema packed into it.
The prices at Urban Bird Hot Chicken are more in line with a full service restaurant but that seems to be the way things are trending these days. Still, the Tenders Sando was a hefty sandwich and I would have been perfectly satisfied with no sides.
However, some folks love crazy food concoctions and the back side of Urban Bird’s menu offers even more over-the-top items such as a selection of its Chronic Fries (from its ghost kitchen concept) and desserts like the S’mores Fries made with sweet potato waffle fries and Nutella.
Did I find the secret to Urban Bird’s success? I think so. It’s in a well-made crispy and juicy chicken tender in a variety of spice levels, served fresh and quickly. Whether it’s on a brioche bun or in a basket with fries, guests can choose spices and sauces that fit their personal taste. These days, we want it our way and restaurants are keen to oblige.
The fried chicken mania shows no sign of slowing down despite inflation and rising food costs. Fried chicken remains for this writer a delicious cheat treat once in a while, but at least I can say that I had my kale for the day at Urban Bird. Even if it was in mayonnaise. On a bed of fried chicken tenders covered in sauce.
Urban Bird Hot Chicken Katy
21788 Katy Freeway
346-388-2901
urbanbirdhotchicken.com
Other Urban Bird Hot Chicken locations:
12719 FM 1960
27120 Fulshear Bend
19325 Gulf Freeway
5404 Kirby
2162 Spring Stuebner
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
