All-Halal Sal’s Nashville Hot Chicken: Heat and Flavor Merge in a Beautiful Union

Competition is stiff these days on the local Nashville hot chicken scene. From 2 Neighbors to Palmer’s to Hattie B’s, and all in between, standing out is no easy feat. And now we have another worthy contender to add to the league of North Texas hot chicken pushers: Sal’s Nashville Hot Chicken.

In the corner of a shopping plaza at the intersection of Coit Road and Spring Creek Parkway, Sal’s specializes in Nashville-style spiced birds in the form of chicken sandwiches, jumbo tenders and traditional fried chicken. Everything on the menu is halal, and there are zero hormones or antibiotics. All the chicken at Sal’s is hand-breaded in-house.

There are five heat levels: level one (no heat) to five (tread carefully).
We started with the Nashville sandwich ($9.99), a thinly battered juicy chicken breast on a pillowy buttered bun with pickles, snappy vinegar slaw and comeback sauce.

An intelligent person would judiciously work their way up the spice ladder. We, however, apparently aren't that. Haphazardly, we jumped straight to level five on the Nashville sandwich. Because why not?

We were feeling cocky.

Initially, the heat didn’t seem all that daunting. But have you ever seen a boxer take a decent shot on the chin, shrug it off and then taunt their opponent, “That all you got?” Only to be stunned and staggered by a mean right hook later that same round? That was us.

The spice creeps up on you. And once that heat turns up and crescendos, it possesses steady staying power. Yeah, that level-five fire isn't burning itself out anytime soon. Because of that, we found ourselves on shaky legs for the remainder of the round. But we survived to the bell and continued because, well, we had a job to do, after all. Next, we went with the Waff-Wich ($13.99). This spirited waffle sandwich is spicy chicken on two fluffy cheddar jalapeño Belgian waffles topped with vinegar slaw, pickles and comeback sauce, then finished with a subtle touch of maple syrup.

Still recovering from the punch we took from the Nashville Sandwich, we went medium heat (third level) this time, which toes the line adeptly between showcasing the flavor and still generating an obvious kick.

The traditional fried chicken at Sal’s is excellent — the breading isn’t overdone, and the birds are cooked just right. There’s a tinge of sweetness to the breading, which we were high on, and the dry rub spice is bold without being brash. The chicken was also virtually greaseless, thanks to the dry rub. That's a big plus.  We suggest adding Sal’s to your list if you're into hot chicken. They do hot chicken well here. And if you hurry, Ramadan specials are ongoing through April 20. Example: a 10-piece chicken bucket with fries, chana chaat and dates for $26.99.

Sal’s Nashville Hot Chicken, 6205 Coit Road, No. 352, Plano. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon – 10 p.m.; Sunday noon – 9 p.m.