CHICK N’ BROS’ fried chicken sandwiches are worth the $15 and the everlasting scorched tongue, so come prepared with a fire extinguisher.
The food truck had its grand opening in February and is located in front of The Fix Kicks, a local sneaker store on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
They offer chicken sandwiches with five levels of spices: level one is the most mild and uses cayenne peppers, level two uses habanero peppers, three uses ghost peppers, four uses trinidad scorpion peppers and five is the most extreme using carolina reaper peppers.
On Saturday, a friend and I ordered two different chicken sandwiches. I ordered an Original Chick n’ sandwich with level one spice, while my friend ordered the popular Angry Bird sandwich with level three spice.
The Original Chick n’ sandwich came with beer-battered fried chicken, mayonnaise and pickles on a slightly toasted brioche bun. The Angry Bird sandwich came with beer-battered fried chicken, pickles, onions, local honey and bro sauce (a slightly spicy orange dressing), all on a toasted brioche bun.
We ordered our food ahead of time by texting “menu” to the phone number on the
CHICK N’ BROS Instagram page and then we went to its blacked-out truck with neon pink letters.
As cars zoomed by on the street next to us, we were greeted with a smile at the order window by cashier Brittany Lee, who let the chef know we were ready to pick up our food.
Lee said the most popular items on the menu were the Original Chick n’ sandwich and the Angry Bird Deluxe, which comes with coleslaw and chick sauce, a sweet white condiment, in addition to everything that comes on the regular Angry Bird sandwich.
After waiting about 10 minutes and salivating from the smell of the frying oil and spicy seasonings, our sandwiches were ready.
My friend and I sat down on stairs in front of an old building down the street from the food truck and got ready to endure the euphoric burn of the sandwiches.
After admiring the chicken’s golden color, which was lightly seasoned with red chilli powder, I took my first bite.
My eyes shot open wide as my taste buds immediately thanked me.
The chicken crunched between my teeth as the juices oozed from the flavorful beer batter. The mayo provided a pleasant saucy element to the sandwich and complemented the crunch inside of the soft bun.
The fries were also a highlight of the meal. The serving size was hefty, their exterior was crispy, the interior was soft and they were perfectly salted. Dip them in the bro sauce for extra zest and even more fireworks in your mouth.
As for the level three spicy Angry Bird sandwich, heed my warning that the spice is no joke. While the elements from the original sandwich were there and were bolstered by additional ingredients, the spice from the ghost peppers provided a roundhouse kick to my tongue that lasted for 10 minutes and became the predominant flavor of the sandwich.
My friend, who ate most of the Angry Bird, was pacing back and forth, breathing heavily and had to chug three water bottles because of the spice.
For context, the establishment hosts a challenge every Friday to see if customers can finish a level five sandwich for $100. CHICK N’ BROS posted a video on its Instagram page on Aug. 28 of a young woman puking from attempting the challenge.
That in mind, I would definitely make a return to CHICK N’ BROS. Next time I will order the Angry Bird with level one spice to ensure I can fully savor the
flavorful ingredients.
While the price for a single sandwich is pricey at just over $15, I’d say customers get what they pay for and then some. The quality of the sandwich is better than places with similar items, like the restaurant Scratch Cookery. The size, the flavor and the juiciness of the meat made this food truck my favorite chicken sandwich spot in San Jose.
