Crimson Coward

California mini-chain Crimson Coward has four locations in the Golden State, but the spot on Preston Road in Frisco is their first foray into Texas.

At Crimson Coward, the chicken and fried sides are all made to order; there are no warming lamps or trays, so everything we ordered was piping hot and fresh. The chicken is also 100% Halal, which is a novel upgrade to most hot chicken joints in the area (Invasion in East Dallas being the only other spot we know using Halal proteins in their spicy bird.) The chicken is also non-GMO, never frozen and raised without hormones or antibiotics.

Crimson Coward’s spice levels start at country, which is no spice at all, then more levels ranging from mild to “BURRRRN, BABY BURN”

The chicken is a star, and the combination of never frozen organic chicken, fried fresh to order, pays immediate dividends. And dressed in the medium spice level, the noticeable at first bite, then escalated into full mouth sizzle with just a few chews. Almost immediately, my nose was running and my brow was sweating. The Crimson sauce offers a modicum of cooling relief.

The Crimson Onion is everything one remembers from the Outback Steakhouse days of our youth, without actually having to go to an Outback Steakhouse. The giant onion is fried to order and served up with ranch and more Crimson sauce.