Big Boss Spicy Fried Chicken

On a recent visit to Funkenhausen, I audibly groaned when I discovered they'd replaced their glorious oysters hockafeller with Nashville hot oysters. The overplayed Nashville hot thing has, frankly, grown tiresome. It's an easy crutch - fry something and douse it in a good spicy brine/paste/sauce and it's going to be good. That said, I'm not going to reject something delicious just because a general concept has been taken too far and I knew after reading this article in the Reader, that Big Boss Spicy Fried Chicken was worth a visit.


Big Boss Spicy Chicken is a reminder of the potential greatness of something as simple as spicy fried chicken. By creating an All-American blend that draws from China, Belize and Nashville, these guys have created an absolute stunner of a fried chicken sandwich. I had it this afternoon and if someone invited me to go back there tomorrow, I'd say yes without hesitation.


I'd already eaten lunch when I stopped in, so I limited myself to half a sandwich. This is a large, juicy chicken thigh, perfectly fried, slathered in hot sauce and topped with a spicy powder, chopped cole slaw, and sliced jalepenos. There are five spice levels available, ranging from a sauceless "mild spicy" to Big boss hot. I opted for the middle, which is Hot and described as burning hot. It was lip-tingling delicious, but not so spicy that I couldn't enjoy all the flavors in the sandwich or the nuances in the spice blend. I'm curious to try the X hot, but I suspect this middle ground is where I'll ultimately find my Big Boss happy place.

In addition to the sandwich, they also sell quarter and half chickens, tenders, and wings as well as few other items. Looking forward to trying more of the menu soon.

Between the quality of the food, the relaxed and friendly vibe, and the back story evident in Sula's piece, this place definitely has GNR potential.

Big Boss Spice Fried Chicken
2520 S. Halsted
312-877-5031
www.bigbosschicken.com

Thanks for the report and reminder. I drove by this place about two weeks ago after taking the kids to the dentist and would have pulled over just based on the name and, well, "presence," but, unfortunately, the 5- and 3-year-old were focused on getting spaghetti from Gio's in the neighborhood. Will make a mental reminder, as this is near my stomping grounds.

Pro tip: get the wings. The sandwich just turns the whole thing into a soft and wet mess; the wings have all that crisply, crackly, craggly goodness, and the spice comes through just the same.

I had seen this place on my forays to get Chinese food in Bridgeport but had blithely dismissed it. Took a long lunch and stopped in for a sandwich. Very good overall, with a nice crunch and a saucy, spicy exterior. I don't really get why they fused two pieces of chicken into a very long patty that doesn't fit in the bun at all. Also the slaw on top is pretty uneventful.

I might try the straight up wings next time since I am not sure shoving the chicken into a sandwich really improved things.

I went recently and was impressed. It's not the cheapest chicken sandwich, but I thought it was worth it. Got the medium spicy and I'd say it was pretty hot (in a good way). I can only imagine the havoc "Big Boss Hot" would do to me. I love the graffiti theme, and the dining room is correspondingly sparse. Would love to try the chicken pieces, but heard from the guy I went with that the sandwich was better; Next time.

So- after many "bad-thoughts"- about eating a fried chicken sammy-
after a long while I finally succumbed to my inner-desires to eat some "bad-food"-
that's spozed-ta-be-good.
First of all- wasn't the original owner inspired by her Belizean Roots?
I thought I'd read that somewhere along the way....and yet- the Chinese woman running the Register-simply said- when I asked about "The Owner" being present-
replied-"You-Can-Email".
OK- then.....so much for a chat about British Honduras/aka Belize.

The $8.00 Chicken Sandwich I ordered looked really amazing in their online photo-shoot-menu page.
I get- that some-Fast-Food-Establishments don't really pay a lot of mind- to the "To-Go"
part of their business.....meaning that once a fried dish, like a Chicken Sandwich on a buttered bun-are married together- the mechanics of heat-cause a hella-mess-
once taken home.
Sad to say- the "beauty" of a sandwich I saw in the picture- looked nothing like what I unpacked when I got home.
Kinda a sloppy mess-needing a fork and a knife to ingest, and- it was- OK.
Now- if I ordered the SUPER-HOT, maybe my experience may have been altered by the heat, but although flavorful- it was not a pretty thing, nor,
were there any contrast between "Crispy/Crunchy" texture and the bun and toppings.
A HOT-Mess, ya could say.
The $5.00 Sweet Potato fries,
were more-like a boat-shaped-patty-then a traditional "fry" shape, and not really crispy-either.
I wonder also-if- the Original-Owner has sold her place to a Chinese Owner?
The reason I wonder- is my printed receipt- has Chinese Characters- in parenthesis- following each English word.
Strange Chinese Characters on my Belizean Chicken Sandwich receipt. by R. Kramer, on Flickr

Maybe- the menu offering of a Fried Chicken Salad is more of a "healthier" as well a textural contrast, or- perhaps, the plate of Fried Chicken parts is a better selection? Dunno-
but- I can say- I wasn't impressed (enough) by my 1st visit, to go again.

My apologies that you found the sandwich lacking--perhaps something was lost in your commute. We live a few blocks away and haven't found the sandwiches to ever lack heat or crispiness, and I typically only order the middle of the five levels. Indeed, they're so consistent that we order them pretty regularly, and guests are always shocked at just how large and juicy the de-boned thigh meat sandwich is. I've also never dined in, and find the sandwiches to be pretty composed when we get them home.

A few comments--

--I find the salad to be the underwhelming menu item.
--You didn't order Sweet Potato Fries, you ordered a Fried Sweet Potato. One of several slightly Asian touches I love about this place. The pickles and the potato salad come to mind, in particular.
--The owner is Chinese & Belizean. Shocker! Same owner, same product.
--There's nothing 'strange' about Chinese characters. Indeed, they are rather less strange than your unorthodox use of punctuation and spacing, particularly given the neighborhood demographics. I suppose change might be difficult for someone still referring to a country by its colonial name, however.

We find the food to be totally worth it. For 8 dollars, not much more than a Subway footlong, I get infinitely better food. We generally do have to use knife/fork on the cantilevered part, but I have no qualms with that. Were this a pork tenderloin, people would gasp at its size and then do precisely that--lay into it with a knife and fork.

Big Boss, count me a Big Fan!

I agree with mtgl on pretty much everything. I love this place and it's main detriment is that so many good Chinese restaurants are just down the street.

I do like the fried chicken salad though...

There's nothing 'strange' about Chinese characters. Indeed, they are rather less strange than your unorthodox use of punctuation and spacing, particularly given the neighborhood demographics. I suppose change might be difficult for someone still referring to a country by its colonial name, however.

I would like to vehemently object mtgl,
to your weak attempt to characterize me as a racist or Neo-Colonialist.
Belize- is the Nation in Central America that I referred to- in a historical way that
people like you appear to be irked by, as opposed to being amused.

Having one's National language on a Food Ticket/Receipt-
or- any language other than English-
in the States is rather odd....
&-I think- most would agree.

If I go to a Palestinian Restaurant- there are no "crib-notes"-
in Arabic.
The 100's of times I've eaten from Sticky Rice-
nary a phrase in Thai- is written upon my order and receipt.
Not sure what your agenda is- in your comment- but,
don't try to fit me in any of your "boxes".
As to demographics- I'm well aware that Bridgeport has changed- from
Irish-White-to-some Chinese, quite a few Hipsters/faux-Artists, and others who
wanted to live in Logan Square but couldn't afford to-
I get all that- AND- Bridgeport-
is not CHINATOWN.
And speaking of Chinatown- for all the times I've eaten at JMC Szechwan-
my Receipt- is in one language only.

But- if I may refocus on the food for a minute.
There's a food dude- a S. Indian fellow from the IT world-
who decided to start a business selling Dosa's.
"The Art of Dosa"- made their debut- at Vegetarian Food events with a table.
Eventually he progressed to a Food Truck,
then to a bricks/& mortar facility on
Hubbard for Food Delivery/pick-up only.
The American Dream- kinda .

He researched the hell out of Food Containers that were "Green"-
that were properly vented- and tested the hell out of many prototype packages-
to ensure that each and every Dosa-sold to his most esteemed customers
was as Crisp- and not soggy- as he would like to eat them.
He even- once had an Uber-Eats driver- return to The Art of Dosa,
to get a newly made Dosa order for
myself and the S.Indian member of our household,
just because he wanted me- an esteemed Customer- to have the "proper"-
"thonk"-sound- when a DOSA is made well.

That's my kinda guy.

Now- what ever plastic-lined cardboard-box- Ms. Big Boss selected-
for her To-Go,
is not- ever- going to be as perfect a vehicle for transporting her once-crispy-Breaded-Chicken-Hot-Mess, as The Art of Dosa's container is.
Clearly- a point that you failed to discern from my comment about how the said
sandwich wound up in the 15 minute drive to my Casa.

I am very happy for your mtgl- to have so impressed your guests with your carry-out-ordering skills, and may you continue to enjoy BIG BOSS Sandwiches.
Bye.