OMAHA'S BEST NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN SANDWICHES
As the popularity of the fried chicken sandwich exploded in recent years, curiosity grew in its more incendiary cousin: the Nashville hot chicken sandwich. This Southern specialty not only mixes spices into the breading, but also finishes the sandwich off with a coating of lard or oil infused with brown sugar, cayenne, chili powder, and other devilish spices. The result is a crispy sandwich with enough heat to have one desperately gulping down water to douse the flames.
Though Omaha certainly isn’t known for this style of sandwich, several of its restaurants have attempted their versions. And as a lover of all things spicy, I set out to find the best.
What follows is a completely subjective ranking based solely off my tastebuds and palate. I ranked each sandwich based on heat level, flavor, the quality of the chicken, and its accompaniments (bread, pickles, mayo, etc.) on a scale of 1 to 5. Both the deliciousness of the sandwich and its adherance to Nashville hot heat levels were taken into account.
Don’t agree with my rankings? No worries! Let me know what you think (or which place I need to add to my list) by messaging me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Now, let’s singe some tastebuds, shall we?
1. Sauced by Alfaro
Heat: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
2. Block 16 (Renegade Chickenwich)
Heat: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
Here’s all you need to know about the Renegade Chickenwich: Block 16 ran it as a daily special and fans clamored loved it so much it that it was added to the permanent menu a few weeks later.
The chicken is plump and juicy, and the batter application is light. This allows the moist chicken to practically erupt when you bite, while the batter applies just the right amount of crispiness.
The chile de Arbil oil the Renegade is dunked in gives it a mouth-tingling kick. Even the elements that are supposed to provide cooling relief – habanero bread and butter pickles and serrano-buttermilk slaw – bring the heat. But when the sandwich teeters the line of being too hot, a welcome sweetness arrives, and mayo helps extinguish the blazes.
3. Bärchen Beer Garden
Heat: 🔥🔥🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞🍞🍞
Bärchen (pronounced Bear-shen) offers three levels of heat for this sandwich: normal, hot, or ghost rider (described as “hot as hell”). That characterization had me excited; I expected this one to hurt.
So I was shocked when I found it to be relatively mild. Was something wrong with my tastebuds? But my dining companion agreed that while the poultry had a pleasant kick, it was more like what you’d expect from a spicy chicken sandwich, not a tongue-torching Nashville hot.
But whatever this sandwich lacked in heat, it more than made up for in flavor. Bärchen’s oil has both brown sugar and dark brown sugar to complement the spice with a nice sweetness. The exterior of the chicken is fried very well, giving it not only texture but all kinds of hiding places for the sweet/heat oil to take hold. Crunchy house pickles and a creamy garlic aioli add cooling elements, and a buttery fluffy bun ties it all together.
4. Block 16 (Brooke's Chickenwich)
Heat: 🔥🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
All the elements that make Block 16’s Renegade sandwich above are present here, too: enormous chicken tenders popping with juice; a savory, light batter; a firm yet tender sesame bun. But the heat is turned way down, which drops it below its B16 companion.
Though the normal version of Brooke’s Chickenwich isn’t spicy, you can order it Nashville hot. The heat is quite mild, though it builds slightly as you work your way through the sandwich.
My complaints end there, however. The lemon-honey aioli infuses each bite with sweet acidity, while dill slaw adds a nice crunch. It’s a great sandwich, but it’s missing the Nashville kick.
5. Burning Bridges Food Truck
Heat: 🔥🔥🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞🍞
The fried chicken sandwich at Burning Bridges Food Truck is already one of the best in Omaha, so I had no doubt this truck could nail the chicken itself. But could it grasp the essence of Nashville hot?
It comes darn close. All that’s lacking here is the heat. The chicken has a very heavy batter, which gives it a brilliant crispy texture. The crunch when you bite into this thing might register on the Richter scale.
The hot sauce leaves a mild tingle on the lips, but not what I’d hope from a Nashville hot. It’s just too friendly; I’m looking to having my tongue engulfed with flames, while this simply gives it a playful slap.
What keeps this version behind Sauced, Block 16, and Bärchen are the other elements. The creamy white sauce is fantastic, tangy and delicious enough to drink out of a straw. But the bun is a bit dry and the pickles lack the thickness and crisp texture. This is an excellent sandwich, but it’s missing that Nashville hot punch.
6. Dirty Birds
Heat: 🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
As a chicken sandwich alone, Dirty Birds‘ entry is near, if not at, the top of the list.
The thick breading makes the exterior of this chicken ridiculously crispy, and it creates innumerable nooks and crannies for the spicy, lard-based sauce to take residence. The thigh meat remains rich and juicy, and there’s enough chicken on this sandwich to feed a family. The soft bun gives off a butter-y sheen, and the house mayo and pickles are delicious.
The only thing lacking is the heat. There’s a very slight kick, but not enough to even tingle the tongue. I actually added more of the hot sauce on the table to bump it up a notch.
This is a spectacular mountain of a chicken sandwich that’s so messy you’ll end up wearing half of it—but it’s so delicious, you don’t care how sloppy you look. But the lack of heat knocks it down several rungs on these rankings.
7. Jukes Ale Works
Heat: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞🍞
If you want the spice, this is your sandwich. Jukes Ale Works isn’t afraid to take a blowtorch to your tastebuds, though the overall execution of the sandwich is a bit messy.
But first, the spice. 5-6 bites into this sandwich, you may start to feel a small sweat building on your brow, and the tingle on your lips and tongue won’t subside for a good 30 minutes. It’s not a stomach-twisting heat that’ll ruin your day, but it’s enough to kick most palate’s right in the teeth. The sauce possesses just a touch of sweetness to cut the flames.
The chicken, however, can be a bit overfried and burnt in places, and it has far fewer crispy bits and craggles to add texture. The pickles, mayo, and potato bun are all pretty ordinary and don’t add a ton.
Still, I applaud Jukes for going for it. While it won’t melt your eyebrows, the house made cayenne pepper sauce is no joke and stakes its claim as Omaha’s spiciest fried chicken sandwich.
8. Omaha Tap House
Heat: 🔥🔥🔥
Flavor: 🤤🤤
Chicken: 🐔🐔
Accompaniments: 🍞🍞
There were several critical errors with Omaha Tap House‘s sandwich. First, it has almost no chicken—the patty is extremely thin, and there is more breading than meat. That produces a crispy bite, but robs the sandwich of any poultry goodness.
The hot sauce has a decent kick, but it honestly tastes like it was dunked in Frank’s Red Hot. The pickles are grocery store quality and the bun becomes soggy under the oil.
The mayo is the best part: rich and creamy, it adds a nice contrast to the crunchy chicken. But if the mayo is the highlight, that’s not a great sign for your sandwich. OTH makes some excellent burgers, and I’d advise sticking to those rather than testing out this sandwich.
This exploration reminded me that Omaha has some excellent options for fried chicken sandwiches. The quality of the chicken, the spices in the batter, and the accompanying components create some drool-worthy meals.
When it comes to the spice, most options are a bit lacking. A few have some power, but most lack that tongue-numbing, dare-worthy quality.
But the ones that do truly stand out. I would happily eat most of these any day of the week… but Sauced’s version is the one that will be dancing in my dreams tonight.