Hot chicken is all the rage in its founding city of Nashville, and it is exciting that it has now found its way to Clarksville. Located in the former Duke’s restaurant on Kraft Street, Helen’s Hot Chicken has been open just two weeks, and appears to have generated quite a following already.
Entering the restaurant, you go right to the counter and put in your order, and then find a place to sit. The employee who took my order told me that because all of the orders are prepared with fresh chicken, we would be waiting a bit for our food (for example, she said that the chicken breast quarter requires 30 minutes cooking time). When I inquired as to a takeout menu, she said they haven’t been able to keep them in stock, but invited me to take a picture of the copy on the counter.
I ordered the Mild Chicken Tenders combo ($9.00), with a side of coleslaw. My dining companion decided to try the Chicken and Waffle ($7.50), going with the Hot option. We also ordered a side of fries ($1.69).
Our wait time was about 15 minutes, which gave us time to observe the other patrons enjoying their meals. All of the orders come in white Styrofoam take out boxes, lined with a red and white checked paper. It appeared that the man nearest us was sampling a variety of menu options, as he had several boxes stacked on his table. One box contained wings that looked like they came from giant chickens.
Our order number was called, and we gathered our three boxes from the counter. The obvious difference between the mild and hot varieties was striking. The Hot looked hotter! (The staff is still working through some timing issues, as the fries we received were cold and tasted as though they had been sitting for a while. I requested fresh fries, and they were cordial about replacing them.)
My chicken tenders were very hot in temperature, deliciously flavorful and juicy. The chicken tenders that came with the waffle were hot, both in temperature and in flavor, though the waffle was cold. The combination of sweet syrup, super spicy chicken, chewy waffle and creamy butter was a fun new experience for my dining companion.
It needs to be pointed out that while the choices for preparation are plain, mild, hot, and hella hot, they may be a bit misleading. Plain is seasoned but has no heat. Mild in other venues would be labeled hot, the Hot would be spicy hot, and the Hella Hot? Well, consider yourself warned!
A young couple seated nearby told us that this was their third consecutive day at Helen’s Hot Chicken, coming back each day to try a different menu item. They highly recommended giving the hot fish a try, saying it was fantastic, and in their opinion, the best fish in town.
It’s always fun to hear of other people’s experiences at our Clarksville restaurants, and if this couple’s excitement about this new restaurant is any indication, it appears that Helen’s Hot Chicken is well on its way to being a new favorite destination for chicken (and fish) here in Clarksville.
Helen’s Hot Chicken
886 Kraft St.
Clarksville, TN 37040
(931) 278-7679
www.helenshotchicken.com
