Fans of Nashville hot chicken have a fiery new contender in the battle for their wallets and taste buds, but how does it stack up?

Although every restaurant has its own spin on it, Nashville hot chicken is typically characterized by marinating, breading and frying chicken before covering it in a sauce that gets its spice from various types of pepper. This chicken style has been a hard-to-miss food trend over the past couple of years, typically eaten in a sandwich or as tenders.

Expanding franchise The Red Chickz has now opened its fifth location in Fresno, bringing an assortment of Nashville-seasoned goodies, from classic chicken sandwiches to shrimp tacos.

To celebrate their recent grand opening on Aug. 17 and to get the word out, owner Keerat Riar was kind enough to let me try a wide assortment of items offered on the menu. That being said, this review is going to be 100% honest.

My initial impression came from the location of the restaurant and the vibe being presented to incoming customers. Located in The New Manchester, the restaurant faces away from the sun which makes for a cool, shaded outdoor dining area even on the hot day that I went.

Upon walking in, the work ethic exemplified and the kind staff was immediately apparent, with everyone either detailing the restaurant to maintain their sleek aesthetic or manning the registers to give customers a warm greeting.

Once I was greeted, it was time to get down to business.

Riar gave me a rundown on some of his personal favorites, items that have resonated with customers, and even some items he thinks deserve a little more love.

“My go-to here, funnily enough is the chicken and waffles,” Riar said. “They’re the best I think unarguably, out of any waffles I’ve had.”

After this proud statement and a large list of recommendations, the items I decided to try were:

• Loaded Wedges
• Mac and Cheese
• Nashville Shrimp Taco
• Cheese Curds
• Honey Butter Sandwich
• Southwestern Salad
• Classic Chicken Sandwich
• Belgian Waffles
• Molten Chocolate Cake

With a mountain of food in front of me, I started with some smaller items before diving into some of the more classic options. The wedges caught my attention immediately when I saw the steam flowing out from the pile of golden crisp, so that was my natural starting point.

Presentation wise, I was truly in awe at the display of perfectly cooked chicken, chopped and sprinkled over a layer of coleslaw, all resting magnificently over a base of potato wedges. Once I started to get some bites in, I was pleasantly surprised to taste a layer of melted cheese that brought a delightful saltiness to the mix. These wedges also gave me a preview into the remarkable crunch of the chicken that I would get to fully appreciate later through other items.

While the wedges could absolutely serve as your main meal during your visit to The Red Chickz, I personally think they would make a fun snack to share with someone as you sink your teeth into other items from their stacked menu.

I followed my delightful appetizer with a side of macaroni and cheese, and as a self-proclaimed connoisseur of mac and cheese, I must admit I was a little disappointed. In my taste, I found it to be a little too thick and artificial tasting, whereas I typically look for something like Chick-fil-A’s mac and cheese as a gold standard for a quick, but quality, cheese experience. I also enjoy a nice layer of cheese crusted over the top, which is a detail I was sorely missing here.

What came next, however, was truly a great surprise. I never would’ve thought that a place specializing in Nashville hot chicken would have such a superb shrimp taco, but The Red Chickz really blew me away with theirs. The pairing of Nashville Seasoning with that taste of the sea felt so natural, and the presence of coleslaw showed me the subtlety it can bring. As someone who typically despises coleslaw, I found myself appreciating it anywhere it was included.

Chasing my taco with another small snack, I was blown away yet again by the cheese curds. These gooey, salty bites really made me realize how special The Red Chickz’s Nashville seasoning is. It had a smokey flavor that complimented the spice within, and it tasted like it was really made from genuine peppers. I often find that the flavors of Nashville hot seasoning are a bit too overpowering, but something I noticed throughout my visit is that all of the flavors in most of the food felt precise and controlled. Everything comes together in a way that lets all of the individual flavors shine, while creating something better than the sum of its parts. The cheese curds are a simple example of that harmony, they ended up being my standout favorite item and will be a must-have for me on future visits.

Moving on, I tried my first big ticket item with the honey butter chicken sandwich. While it wasn’t for me, I think the sweet and spicy combo is definitely going to be worth a try for a lot of people. The honey butter brought a warm sweetness, while the chicken countered with that punchy spice. Although I wasn’t a fan, I can appreciate the pride that is held in the company over their honey butter.

“Out of our LA store, we actually made honey butter,” Riar said. “We were the first people to do honey butter in the Nashville chicken industry, and a lot of people followed suit right away.”

According to Riar, the honey butter is made daily in-house, regardless of the process being tedious for them.

Moving on to the southwestern salad, it wasn’t for me. The salad itself was not too bad, but in this case, I thought the Nashville seasoning that came on the cauliflower was far too overpowering, and didn’t pair well with the freshness of the salad.

Finally, after taking a tour of the menu, I made it to the main event. Any hot chicken restaurant’s claim to fame is going to be their classic chicken sandwich, so this is where the pressure was on. I am happy to say that The Red Chickz did not disappoint at all, and even left me impressed.

The crunch of the chicken’s breading is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Combined with the tender juiciness of the chicken, it creates an immaculate texture that makes eating genuinely satisfying. Though Riar could not tell me the secret recipe behind this crunch, the restaurant definitely lives up to its mantra of “We have the crunchiest hot chicken in Fresno.”

Beyond the crunch, the subtly flavored coleslaw added a crisp freshness to serve as a foil to the warm savoriness of the chicken, and the gooey pepper jack cheese added a nice tang on top of it all.

I decided to wrap up my culinary journey with some sweet treats. Although the waffles were talked up quite a bit, I was let down by them. I enjoy a crispy exterior on my waffles, but these were soft and even felt a bit dry in my mouth. To be fair, this may have been due to the fact that they were setting out as I devoured the rest of my food, but I still was not crazy about them.

What I did enjoy was the molten chocolate cake I had after. The cake was delightfully warm in the center and was oozing with chocolate sauce. It had a very rich dark chocolate flavor which I think could pair nicely with a milkshake. Fans of dark chocolate will have something to enjoy here.

My main takeaway was that The Red Chickz has mastered the arts of subtlety and flavor harmony. The typical critiques I have with hot chicken as a genre of food were mostly absent here, and it is clear to me that they have brought a sense of refinement to hot chicken in Fresno.

Students of Fresno State and Fresno City College can get 15% off when they show a valid school ID, so it would be foolish to not at least give it a try. The Red Chickz is here to stay, and I will absolutely be paying future visits.

I officially rate The Red Chicks a very solid 8.5 out of 10.