Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich in Costa Mesa - Baba's Chicken
2022-10-19
Baba's Chicken currently has two locations, one in Riverside, and one in Costa Mesa. They were founded in Riverside and are sometimes known as Riverside's best Nashville hot chicken. Baba's Chicken prides themselves on their high-quality ingredients and innovative menu items.
This Nashville hot chicken trend has been sweeping the nation with new hot chicken restaurants popping up every week. In particular, the hot chicken sandwich has gained significant popularity, partially due to the chicken sandwich feuds we witnessed a while back between Popeyes and Chick-Fil-A. And since then, countless chicken sandwich restaurants have opened and I have personally been to and tried many that have opened near me in the southern California region.
So what makes Baba's Chicken special in the highly saturated hot chicken market? Baba's Chicken claims that their seasoning recipe is one of a kind as they have worked with seasoning suppliers directly from the source in order to ensure that only high-quality and organic spices are used in their sandwiches. They also claim to have built strong and direct relationships with their chicken suppliers in order to ensure that all of their chicken is one hundred percent range-free, humanely processed, and, of course, hormone-free, one thing they truly prioritize.
First and foremost, I want to say that their extreme level of spice is very spicy, but it wasn't the unbearable and painful type of spice that some places have. Instead, it was an intense but flavorful spice that can actually be enjoyed by spice lovers rather than just suffering through the entire sandwich. That being said, however, for most people to enjoy the sandwich, I'd recommend medium!
Their regular chicken sandwich was definitely huge, the patty was literally the size of my face, I can honestly say that I don't think I've seen something like that at many other chicken sandwich places, so I definitely understand why they offer a smaller version of their sandwich, that would likely be the average size of other chicken sandwiches on the market. I really liked the flavor and crispiness of the fried chicken patty itself and I especially loved the addition of the coleslaw and pickles, those are definitely a must for me when it comes to chicken sandwiches. I loved how generous they were with the sauce as well because I do love me a saucy sandwich, despite how messy it gets, it is totally worth it.
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But one thing that struck me, in particular, was how amazingly delicious their loaded fries were. These honestly were the stars of the show for me and I found myself relentlessly going back for more and pretty much hogging all the fries to myself the entire time. I really liked that they added pieces of chicken to the fries, which is relatively uncommon but the payoff is so amazing and added so much to the fries. And, of course, I loved the sauce they used for the fries, which is probably the same one they used on the sandwich but I'm not sure, and especially how much of it they drizzled on, absolutely loved it! The coleslaw and pickles are so refreshing and add a bit of tang to it to change things up. Overall, so well balanced and the fries themselves were perfect and very potatoey which I in particular really liked. Definitely some of the best loaded fries I've had and I am drooling just thinking about it.
@sanfoodiego/Instagram
Last but not least, I tried one of their secret menu items: their grilled cheese chicken sandwich. This might sound like any old grilled cheese to you but wait, there's more. What about two grilled cheeses that act as buns with not one but two large chicken patties in the middle? This monstrosity combines two of the best things in the world, chicken sandwiches and grilled cheese, and made it one large sandwich. If you love cheese and you're looking for a big meal, this one is definitely for you. But if you're looking to really taste the quality of their chicken and seasoning, I would still recommend their regular chicken sandwich.
Overall this is s solid hot chicken sandwich spot with some really delicious loaded fries. The spice can be a little disappointing if you are looking for something crazy and the flavors are not as strong as the spice hikes, but the spice is a little more bearable and mild compared to some other Nashville hot chicken places so it really depends on what you are looking for. But I definitely recommend the fries and the secret menu is honestly not worth it (especially the calories) and quite overrated overall.
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