Lucky's Hot Chicken is the Real Deal

We recently had the chance to visit East Dallas' new Nashville hot chicken staple: Lucky's, located on Gaston Avenue. It was delicious and well worth the wait in line! After our recent trips to Asheville, Charleston, and Savannah, we've been ready for Lucky's to open so we could get our spicy fried chicken fix. The head chef, Josh Bonee, worked under Charleston legend and James-Beard recipient Sean Brock at Husk. Josh is also a Nashville native, so we had pretty high expectations going in.

We had friends joining us for lunch, so (of course) we decided to order 80% of the menu. Lucky's keeps it simple: 5 levels of heat on tenders or wings. They have the Big Lou as their sole sandwich option.

To put it into perspective, here was our massive order, which came out to a grand total of $89 - including two free beers while we waited in line:

Wings - Lucky AF

Tenders - Damn Lucky

Tenders - Lucky AF

Big Lou x 3

Most of the sides - Mac & cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, and animal fries

4x of all of the sauces - Cheese sauce, honey mustard, comeback sauce, jalapeno ranch, and Mike's hot honey

3 flavors of soft-serve - vanilla, chocolate, and swirl

Needless to say, we had a massive amount of food! The Big Lou was our favorite, and we loved it at the "Damn Lucky" heat level (right in the middle). The sandwich was huge, with two tenders (your choice on heat level) topped with coleslaw, pickles, cheese, and comeback sauce. The butter-bun was fluffy and light, but held everything well without getting soggy. We loved it! Our tenders were cooked perfectly and were a good size; a two-piece is a perfect lunch portion.

Let's talk about the heat level options:

Kinda Lucky - the mildest level. Basic southern (not spicy)

Feelin' Lucky - mild. Small amount of heat.

Damn Lucky - medium heat. We loved this one! It was the perfect amount of heat.

Lucky AF - really hot! (it will make you cry a little)

Best of Luck - the hottest level available. Be warned.

The "Lucky AF" heat level was easy at first, but the slow burn built quickly even with one bite and it was HOT! Uncomfortably so, unless you have a high spice tolerance. We should've known - the waitress packing our order had tears in her eyes from exposure to the spices. Our poor pup, Cromwell, swallowed an entire Lucky AF tender. Let's just say he was hurtin' for a hot minute. We recommend starting at the Damn Lucky level and working your way up - if you can handle it! We're going to order a single tender at the hottest level, Best of Luck, next time we go just to say we've tried it.

All of the sides were solid! Our favorite hands-down were the animal fries, a classic crinkle cut smothered in cheese, jalapeño ranch, and comeback sauce. The baked beans were also a big hit! We also ordered all of the sauces available. The jalapeño ranch and comeback sauce were delicious, and you can never go wrong with Mike's Hot Honey!

We're lucky to have Lucky's Hot Chicken as a new neighborhood favorite. Everything was delicious! Judging by continuous lines out the door, it seems like most folks agree! We look forward to many more delicious meals here.