DIRTY BIRDS
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑
Districts: Downtown
Fried chicken and sandwiches
Perfect For: Breakfast/brunch; Casual Dining; Takeout; Lunch
Standout Dishes: OmaHawt Sandwich; Chicken & Pancakes; Blue Corn Hush Puppies; 2 PC Combo
There’s just something inexplicably homey and American about fried chicken. Even if you rarely eat it or are enjoying it for the first time, there’s something about that first bite: the crunch of the deep fry, the warm juices gushing forth from the meat, the spices from the breading. It all combines to transport you to a simpler, happier time. I cannot neither recall nor imagine a time I’ve eaten fried chicken while angry. Even in its simplest form, fried chicken is not only delicious, but it warms the soul.
But when you get an elevated piece of fried chicken, the emotions intensify. Your happiness builds with each bite and you become so lost in the experience that you don’t even realize your plate is empty until you reach down for another piece and come up empty-handed. It’s a feeling not truly satisfied until you taste that chicken again.
Fortunately, that experience is now available nearly every day of the week at Dirty Birds.
Dirty Birds’ rapid growth is a testament to just how special the fried chicken is. Owners Moses Moseley and Dan Whalen came up with the idea while working as cooks at Kitchen Table, then tested it during pop-up lunches at Dandelion Pop-Up. The reception was so strong that they were invited to operate in The Switch Beer & Food Hall, and that’s where things really took off.
The restaurant gained such a following that it was able to move into the historic Flatiron building, long home to one of Omaha’s most iconic restaurants. After a aesthetic refresh to match Dirty Birds’ devil-may-care attitude, it established itself as a permanent player in the Omaha scene.
But Dirty Birds’ laid-back vibe belies just how much attention goes into every element of the food. If it’s served on a Dirty Birds’ plate, there’s a really good chance it was made in the restaurant: from the scratch pickles to the buttermilk biscuits, hot sauces, mayos, and butters, Dirty Birds takes pride in creating every element of the meal to ensure quality and maximize deliciousness. It’s an ethos Dan and Moses learned under Collin and Jessica Duggan at Kitchen Table, and it’s the reason no other fried chicken joint stands up to Dirty Birds.
The dedication to homemade starts with Dirty Birds’ signature fried chicken. The restaurant uses the leftover liquid from pickling green beans and cucumbers to brine their chicken for two days, infusing it with an extra hit of salt. It’s then fried to a perfect golden brown and can be ordered as is or OmaHawt, Dirty Birds’ ode to Nashville hot chicken.
The chicken itself achieves that perfect dichotomy of a crispy, salty, fatty exterior with moist, tender meat. Each bite produces an audible crunch, yet none of the oil is allowed to infiltrate the poultry. The breading adds a good crunch and a punch of salt, but the chicken itself provides the dominant flavor.
As if the chicken doesn’t speak loudly enough on its own, Dirty Birds up the ante with its Fried Chicken Sandwich, sliding a crispy, juicy thigh between two pieces of buttery Texas toast, which is slathered with mayo and adorned with thick pickle chips. The result is a monstrosity so large, that diners are forced to practically unhinge their jaw to get a complete bite and experience all the flavors, but the effort is well worth it.
Remember the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich that took the world by storm in 2019? This blows that version out of the water.
The Sweet Tea Brined Tenders offer a similar experience, but in boneless form. The tenders aren’t quite as moist and fatty as the thighs, but the flesh remains luscious in contrast to the crisp exterior, and the brine adds just a hint of sweetness.
Fried chicken doesn’t often venture into the breakfast/brunch realm, but Dirty Birds bucks that trend. Its weekend brunch has a number of fun twists on traditional breakfast items, but none top the Chicken & Pancakes. The pancakes are the star; they’re thick and dense, perfect for soaking up the sassafras syrup (which has a nice touch of root beer flavor). Just when the flapjacks threaten to be too sweet, tart blackberries and rich, buttery brie cheese arrive to provide balance. The pancakes can be ordered with dark meat (drum/thigh) or white meat (breast/wing), but chef Dan Whalen recommends the Sweet Tea Brined Tenders, and I can’t argue with his pick. All in all, this is one of the best breakfast/brunch dishes in Omaha.
And despite its name, it’s not all about the poultry at Dirty Birds, as the Cubano shows these guys can make magic with other meats, too. The way each ingredient balances the others is a masterclass in layering flavors. The mojo marinade gives the tender pulled pork a touch of citrus, which plays well with the smokiness of the ham. The bread & butter pickles add a touch of sweetness to counter the salty, gooey Swiss, and the dijonaise assures that no bite of this sandwich is the least bit dry. And the homemade bread is buttered and toasted to crispy perfection.
If you’re watching your waistline and want to stay away from the fried stuff, go with Dirty Birds’ Achiote Grilled Chicken. Soaked in a brine that includes orange Kool-Aid, this chicken carries just a tinge of sweet and citrus notes to complement the tender chicken. The poultry literally spurts forth juicy goodness, and the many napkins needed to take down a few of these enormous portions are well worth it.
Of course, fried chicken is best enjoyed with sides, and Dirty Birds has some excellent options. The Chicken Fried Onion Rings are battered beautifully and have a shatter-crisp texture and a savory seasoning. The Buttermilk Biscuits are flaky, buttery, and the size of a softball. And while the Deviled Eggs don’t necessarily stand out, they’re a solid version of the picnic staple.
The headliner is the Blue Corn Hush Puppies, deep-fried morsels of goodness. The sweetness from the corn perfectly complements the savory batter, and the exterior texture is pleasantly crumbly, similar to a cornbread. They’re addicting on their own, but if you need some additional sugar, a dunk into the provided honey butter will do the trick.
Dirty Birds also offers a special bread of the week (baked in house, of course). The Blue Corn Cornbread is a cross between cake, bread, and sweet corn, with a crisp crust that comes from the cast-iron cook; if it’s on special, it’s worth a visit alone.
Dirty Birds is exactly what fried chicken should be: not complicated or fussy, but crispy, tender, and delicious. The menu offers a variety of options with different sauces and sandwiches, and the sides are on point.
But at its most elemental level, Dirty Birds makes you feel like you’re home, and that’s exactly what fried chicken was intended to do.