Shaq's Big Chicken To Open in North Texas Soon

After two years, we finally found an update on Shaq's Big Chicken.

May 23, 2024

Shaquille O'Neal will sell you chicken, big chicken. Courtesy of Big Chicken

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In April 2022 we reported that Shaquille O'Neal's Las Vegas-based casual chicken joint was landing in Dallas. At the time we told you that there was a multi-unit development plan to bring Big Chicken to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.

Then, we waited.

Today while poking around on the restaurant's website we finally got some news: some good, some just OK.

The good news is that the restaurant is expected to open in mid-2024, which is arguably now, and is even taking job applications. The OK news is that the restaurant is in Fort Worth, which isn't really Dallas.

Big Chicken's menu fuses down-home cooking with over-the-top flare. Like The Ultimate, a fried chicken sandwich with mac and cheese, crispy fried onions and a roasted garlic barbecue aioli. There's an Uncle Jerome's Nashville Hot chicken sandwich along with chicken tenders and popcorn chicken. Sides include fries, a jalapeno slaw and a mac and cheese with a Cheez-It crust.

The new restaurant is located in bustling North Fort Worth near Alliance Airport. A shiny new H-E-B has opened in the area, and we recently reported that two splashy restaurants from Arizona, Hash Kitchen and The Sicilian Butcher, are expanding to the area as well.

We weren't able to reach anyone with Big Chicken to confirm details, but the internet and Google Maps never lie. If we get an update, we'll pass it along, including whether there is a Dallas-area location in the works.

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Lauren Drewes Daniels is the food editor of the Dallas Observer. She started working as a freelance writer in 2013 and became editor in 2021. She covers Dallas' evolving dining scene, the many openings and closings as well as trends and breaking news. She oversees annual lists including Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants and contributes to the Best of Dallas. If you have a tip about an amazing pastry, pie or taco, let her know.

Contact: Lauren Drewes Daniels

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