Shaq's Big Chicken restaurant opening Tuesday in Livingston County; More locations set to come to Metro Detroit

HARTLAND TWP. (WWJ) — NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is bringing more of his Big Chicken restaurants to Michigan.

The fast-casual chain, which specializes in chicken sandwiches with loads of toppings and flavors, is set to open a new location on Tuesday in Livingston County’s Hartland Township — just north of Brighton — and several more locations are set to open in Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing and Saginaw.

O’Neal signed a deal last year with H & D Investments that will bring 20 locations to Michigan, according to a report from The Detroit Free Press . The exact locations of the Metro Detroit restaurants have not been released.

In 2018 the four-time NBA champion partnered with Authentic Brands Group and JRS Hospitality to launch the chain of restaurants that focuses on modern takes of Shaq’s “home-cooked childhood favorites.

The menu features seven different chicken sandwiches, including a crispy chicken grilled cheese, “Uncle Jerome’s Nashville Hot” and the “Shaq Attack,” featuring pepper jack cheese, jalapeño slaw, spicy chipotle bbq sauce.

It also includes sides like Cheez-it crusted macaroni and cheese, jalapeño slaw and “Dirty Fries” — with cheese sauce, bacon, banana peppers, chipotle bbq — as well as specialty shakes and sundaes.

The first 34 customers in line at the Hartland location on Tuesday will receive free Big Chicken food and drink for a year. Why 34? That was the jersey number Shaq famously wore for the Los Angeles Lakers, of course.