Hot chicken edition: We tried the trendiest chicken around to see which spice reigns supreme 

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San Luis Obispo County has at least four spots that are dedicated to Nashville hot chicken. With three spots in SLO and one in North County, their menus are built around that red-tinged, crunchy white meat. And while the Central Coast may be timid about heat compared to some areas of the country, there's nothing quite like a brined, breaded, spicy, deep fried clucker to make you go "yum!" We thought we should try them all—just in case you haven't already—and give you the 411 with our incredibly subjective opinions about the trendiest sandwich around.

New Times staffers ate the "hot" chicken sandwich and tenders meals from Nate's Nashville Hot Chicken in Paso Robles and Hellahot, Dave's Hot Chicken, and Jay Bird's Chicken in SLO to compare notes on sauces, fries, slaw, spice level, crunchiness, and juiciness. We actually ate the hot chicken from one other place as well but decided to omit it rather than name it, because we really didn't enjoy it. The meals all weighed in at about the same cost (you can get the chicken sandwich with fries and a drink or two tenders with a slice of bread, fries, and a drink for less than $20).

We graded each out of a scale of five flaming chickens, with five being the best, most moist, crunchiest, spiciest, tastiest morsal of meat in the universe. None of the establishments garnered that honor; however, the moral of this story is that you can't really go wrong with any of these hot chicken choices. Here are the results:

Nate's Nashville Hot Chicken

Website: nateshotchicken.com

Address: 1145 24th St., suite A, Paso Robles

Phone: (805) 369-2240

Nate's Nashville Hot Chicken is a newish restaurant specializing in "piping" hot chicken, bringing North County the "top-tier fried chicken" it's been "desperate for," according to the restaurant's website.

As one of them darn "SLOcals," I don't often drive up to Paso Robles, but after trying this take on Nashville hot chicken, that might change. Not only was it one of the best-tasting sandwiches I've had this year, but it remained that way even after being transported 40-ish minutes to our office in SLO for a taste test.

The crispiness is the immediate wow factor, combining crunch-tastic texture, heat, and flavor that keep you hooked bite after bite. The tender was flavorful and the meat offered a slightly different savory flavor than the breading, while not being too dry. The sandwich had a complex flavor profile that blended the crispy, savory chicken with a sweet "Kick it up sauce" that helped temper the heat while not overwhelming the tangy coleslaw.

The only thing that kept this from being an easy five out of five were the fries. However, they still offered a nice contrast to the range of flavors in the chicken. As someone who prefers flavor over sheer spiciness, I did feel like the "hot" flavor was not as spicy as it should have been. However, I've been informed that the tiers ramp up quite a bit so keep that in mind if you decide to try the "very hot." I'd recommend Nate's to anyone looking for great hot chicken, and it's well worth the drive if you are not up in North County. You can even place your order ahead of time on the website.

—Adrian Vincent Rosas

Dave's Hot Chicken

Website: daveshotchicken.com

Address: 297 Madonna Road, SLO

Phone: (805) 706-0600

Dave's is a relatively new chain, having started in May of 2017 when four friends pooled $900 to buy a fryer and started serving hot chicken in an East Hollywood parking lot pop-up. By 2021, the company was named American's Fastest Growing Restaurant Chain by Technomic. It's all over California, it's made it to Arizona, and it has stores opening in Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York.

You pick your heat level: no spice, lite mild, mild, medium, hot, extra hot, and reaper. We got it hot and started with the tenders.

"It just kicked me in the back of the throat," our editor, Camilla Lanham, announced at first bite.

"Really?" I asked. "I don't think it's as hot as the last one [Hellahot], but maybe my taste buds have been damaged."

"Yeah, I agree," New Times Staff Writer Adrian Rosas chimed in. "This isn't even close to the last one."

Maybe my taste buds were OK after all, but we couldn't come to a consensus about whether Dave's was hotter than Hellahot. We agreed to disagree. What everyone could agree on was that Dave's sauce was on point, and that the chicken was extra crispy yet still extra tender. We also thought the chicken was salty enough to mention the saltiness. Over brined? You decide. I was OK with it. Some argued that Dave's fries were soggy, though that might have been unfair since they sat in a bag longer before we tried them. Santa Maria Sun Staff Writer Taylor O'Connor admitted she's not a "crinkle cut fry girl," so she obviously can't be trusted to offer an unbiased opinion.

Look, we ate a lot of hot chicken, but eventually the whole exercise seemed suspect to me. As President Theodore Roosevelt famously said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Hey, it's all hot chicken, and if you like hot chicken, enjoy what's in front of you.

—Glen Starkey

HellaHot

Website: hellahot.io

Address: Creamery Marketplace, 570 Higuera St., SLO

Phone: (805) 439-2687

Founded by two brothers, Joe and Jereme Alerta, and their best friend, Tony Antillon, HellaHot's mission is to serve the best Nashville style hot chicken with a California twist.

I usually get the level below the spiciest when I'm in the mood for HellaHot chicken sandwiches or tenders, which is quite often. But we skipped my ghost and scorpion pepper-laced favorite to try the tamer habanero "hot" version. I still enjoyed it. The heat from the spice-dusted chicken in the sandwich was dry and tingly, and intensified slowly. The pickles and slaw that bookend the chicken gave tangy relief. Thanks to the low level of grease, the giant chicken tender was deliciously crispy and stayed that way until the very end. It generously came with a slice of white bread to mop up the chili powder and the spicy oil that's brushed on all HellaHot chicken pieces.

But the fries we tried that day lacked crunch and were teetering on soggy rather than fluffy. The zingy house-made "HellaSauce," which seems like a spicy mayo dipping sauce, saved the day. I enjoyed dipping the tender in the orange-tinted condiment, too. Overall, I think HellaHot is one of the best hot chicken places in SLO County. It doesn't hurt that they offer non-fungible tokens to purchase and get 20 percent off your orders from then on.

—Bulbul Rajagopal

Jay Bird's Chicken

Website: jaybirdschicken.com

Address: SLO Public Market, 3854 S. Higuera St., SLO

Phone: (805) 752-1141

Originally launched in Long Beach, Jay Bird's first opened in 2019 to celebrate the flavors of Nahsville hot chicken under the guidance of executive chef Jay Bogsinske. In addition to a classic hot chicken sandwich (with your choice of six heat levels), the chicken joint offers up a Mac Daddy—which comes with mac and cheese on the sandwich.

While Jay Bird's chicken was tasty (and is my personal favorite), the staff didn't necessarily agree with my opinion. The breading separated from the chicken fairly easily and the seasoning was spotty. That being said, I'm biased and giving it a pass, because I've had it before and since—and loved it. The ratio of coleslaw and pickles to chicken and bun is great, and the chicken was juicy, not greasy.

The "hot" wasn't as spicy as the other spots we tried, but we all liked the sauces. Jay Bird's coats their crinkle cut fries in special seasoning and the Big Sexy sauce made for a nice fry dipper. The best part about hitting up Jay Bird's is being able to grab a beer from the bar in the SLO Public Market as you snag a table and wait for your spicy chicken dinner. Really, you can't go wrong. Δ

—Camillia Lanham