The Horny Chicken

The Horny Chicken is a name that gives one pause. My first assumption was that this would be a Hooters-Bombshells-etc. kind of place. Put that out of your mind, the vibe is nothing like that. Their specialty is roasted chicken, like El Pollo Loco. We tried a to-go order--a sack (1/4 chicken, cilantro rice, potatoes, corn, and sausage), a fried chicken sandwich combo with french fries, and some churros. Washed it down with a jicama agua fresca.  Their to-go containers are very sturdy, definitely reusable.

There's a lot to like about the food. The sack is a very clever idea--they say on the website that all the components are put together in a sack, ready to dump out on a platter like a Cajun feast. I was a bit disappointed that the meal did not in fact come in a sack. In any case, the dark meat chicken was delicious, with a deep roasted flavor. The rice is tender and savory, not a strong cilantro flavor. The potatoes are also excellent, the roasted flavor really gets in. The sausage is a nice polska kiolbasa and also picks up the roasting. The corn did not do so well, it was pretty dried out but the season is wrong for it. The sack comes with a side of their rustic home fried potato chips, which do come in a sack with promising grease spots. I love these things and theirs are delicious, crisp with great potato flavor. They also have a spiral-cut potato appetizer on the menu which looks promising. They have a large selection of salsas--I got the green and red. The green salsa is pretty good. The red salsa is mild and tomatoey. I like this kind but you should be ready for it.

The chicken sandwich was massive--two very large breast pieces. The white meat was reasonably tender but didn't have that same roasted flavor. The fries are standard issue forgettable--you might try some other side. Lots of food, not so much flavor.

The churros are a good representation, a generous serving with a lot of cinnamon and sugar. They are supposed to come with chocolate dipping sauce but that got left out. The jicama was very good.

There are some serious challenges this place will have to overcome, and they have to do with the location. The restaurant is attached to a run-down convenience store. The bathrooms are in the store, and when I visited the men's room was not functional (no light in the bathroom). The place also reeks (sewage issue?), and some of that smell gets into the restaurant. The dining area is a cheerful fast-food setup. The comfort is marred a bit by the ventilation from an in-room HVAC appliance that was blasting cold air. They serve beer and margaritas but it wouldn't be comfortable enough for me to want to dine in. Bigotes' Street Tacos used to be in this location, and as I recall had the same issues. Bigotes overcame them, perhaps the Horny Chicken will too. They are nice people and I wish the place well.

My Yelp Review