Several months ago, I wrote about the palate-combusting culinary phenomenon called Nashville hot chicken.
Tracing the roots of this inflammatory poultry dish, I wrote: “The origin of Nashville hot chicken has been well detailed, with much proof of its provenance in Music City, at a local restaurant called Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where — as the story goes — it was first cooked as a breakfast revenge dish, a chicken prep so spicy it was meant to fry the owner’s insides.
“But instead of being revenge, it became a menu standard, though as a much loved late-night food, rather than a breakfast dish. (Fried chicken for breakfast? After a night of much carousing, I guess it makes sense. Sort of.)”
And though Prince’s Hot Chicken was, and is, in Nashville, I found a lot of wannabes here in the South Bay — “hot spots” like Blazin’ Hens, Hudson House, Pinky’s Hot Box, Top Tenders & Wings and Wing Ferno. All of which will set your mouth ablaze with ease. Little did I suspect that a branch of Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack was about to open, the creation of a family member named Kim Prince, along with local Southern cooking master Greg Dulan — a dynamic duo who understand both deep-frying chicken and spicing the bird to the very edge of culinary tolerance.
The result, a wonder to behold, is Hotville Chicken, in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Plaza — where parking is easy, you order at the counter, and either take the chicken to go (as most do), or eat in the small outdoor patio.
The chicken — brined, floured, peppered and fried — is delivered in large orders with impressive speed. You show up at Hotville hungry, and that hunger will be satisfied before it becomes a bother. This is a restaurant that lives to make you happy. Though depending on what level of hot you get, you may pay a hellish price.
The menu comes on a wooden stick, an old school sort of fan, that you can use to cool your fevered brow, or just hold like an ice cream pop while you consider what to order. The choices are not many, but they are sufficient. You want chicken — indeed, if you’re here, it’s because you need chicken! — there’s a breast quarter, a leg quarter, a half chicken, a whole chicken and wings. There’s a creation called The Shaw Sandwich — chicken breast on a toasted brioche bun with a “spicy spread,” dill pickles, “kaleslaw” and fries.
There’s also a fried fish option, made using swai, a type of catfish, that comes out as spicy and tasty as the chicken. In fact, it’s a very impressive piece of fish, moist and tender. Just like the chicken. Which is, simply speaking, a wonder. And not just because of its devilish spices. Or at least, potentially devilish.
The spice levels are four — from West Coast Plain, through Cali Mild, up to Music City Medium and Nashville Hot, which the menu ranks as a 12 on a scale that goes up to 10! (The staff will happily regale you with tales of macho sorts who insisted on the Nashville Hot — and sat at their table turning as red as the chicken, with little puffs of smoke coming out of their ears. Trust me, the Cali Mild, ranked at a “4” is easily hot enough. After that, it crosses over from pleasure to pain — except for those who find pleasure in pain.
The spice is in the batter, which is thick, substantial and crispy to a fault; it crunches with every bite. It also does not pull off easily; this is a batter that’s been welded onto the chicken meat. But even if you do manage to pull some off, you’ll find the spice is in the chicken itself as well. The peppers cannot be denied. They exude, they dominate, they’re what the dish is all about — the raison d’être.
The chicken pieces come atop white bread, with pickle slices; white bread is a tradition in the South, and that’s all there is to it. Whole wheat is not an option. Assuming you need more, there’s thick, creamy mac and smokin’ cheese, a remarkably good barbecue baked bean trio, ridiculously delicious potato salad, “cobbed” corn, the aforementioned slaw (Kale? Welcome to LA!) and on weekends, waffles. Chicken and waffles — perfection!
Of course there’s sweet tea. And of course, there’s dessert — banana pudding, peach cobbler, key lime pie, and sundry homemade cakes. Pure Southern cooking, all of it.
Take a portion home, and you’ll find it travels amazingly well — the crust does not turn soggy, it stays crispy/crunchy, even in the refrigerator. For all I know, it will stay crunchy for all eternity.
Other places around town offer a decent replica of Nashville hot chicken. But there’s something in the Prince family blood that makes it better. Kim Prince has brought us a taste of the real deal. All that’s missing is the Music City vibe. But then, when you’re digging into a leg quarter, that may not matter. The shopping center will fade away. The only sound is peppery blood pounding in your ears.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Hotville Chicken
- Rating: 3 stars
- Address: Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Plaza, 4070 Marlton Ave., Baldwin Hills
- Information: 323-335-0373, www.hotvillechicken.com
- Cuisine: Nashville Hot Chicken
- When: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday-Sunday
- Details: Southern style soft drinks; no reservations
- Atmosphere: Casual café, with roots in the hot chicken movement of Nashville — the real deal, with Kim Prince at the helm, and local Southern cooking master Greg Dulan working alongside. A taste of the chicken that began the trend — and worth the mouth heat.
- Prices: About $18 per person
- Suggested dishes: Hotville Chicken ($10 for a leg quarter to $32 for a whole chicken), The Shaw Sandwich ($11), Fried Fish ($11), Mac & Smokin’ Cheese ($4/$6), BBQ Baked Bean Trio ($4/$5), Potato Salad ($4/$6), Seasoned Fries ($4), Cobbed Corn ($4), Kale Slaw ($3/$6), Waffles (Saturday and Sunday; $5), 4 Dessert options ($4)
- Cards: MC, V
