Crimson Coward Serves Up Nashville Hot Chicken With A Couple Of Twists

We talk a lot about food trends having their moment, but when it comes to Nashville-style hot chicken, that moment has been going on for years. Dallas diners who yearn to have their tastebuds set ablaze have many options, from restaurants solely focused on hot chicken to spots that have added their own hot chicken interpretations to the menu to seize on the trend.

In Frisco, the new restaurant Crimson Coward falls into the former category. The California mini-chain counts four locations in the Golden State, but the new spot on Preston Road in Frisco is its first foray into Texas. Besides the unique name, Crimson Coward has a couple of tricks up its sleeve to separate it from the crowd. We dropped in recently to see how it measures up against our local hot chicken favorites.

Crimson Coward is the middle tenant of a small strip mall; inside, the space is almost antiseptically bright, with white tables, floors and walls gleaming under fluorescent lights, punctuated with splashes of red and yellow. A counter bar with seating separates the dining area from the kitchen, so you can watch your meal come together if you like.

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 is the only other spot we know using halal proteins in its 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 ramps up to levels ranging from mild to “BURRRRN, BABY BURN” (yes, the all-caps and four R’s are Crimson Coward’s doing). On our first visit, we opted for three tenders at the medium spice level, a scoop of fries and a drink for $17. Our order taker made sure to let us know that everything would be fried to order, and told us to expect about a 10-minute wait.

Before balking at the price tag, know that our order was more than enough food to satiate almost any appetite. Crimson Coward serves up orders in cardboard boxes, and ours was stuffed with three hefty tenders, two handfuls of seasoned french fries, a slice of white bread, dill pickle and two containers of Crimson Coward’s secret sauce.

The chicken is a star, and the combination of never frozen organic chicken, fried fresh to order, pays immediate dividends. The medium spice level was 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, but if the secret component of the recipe is that it’s based on Raising Cane’s Cane Sauce, we wouldn’t be surprised. Ranch is an option for more cooling power. Fries were also fresh and hot, and lightly seasoned with some of Crimson’s spice blend, but the box does them no favors in terms of keeping them from going limp after a few minutes.

While we ate, we glanced up at the menu and a picture caught our eye. At first, we thought it might have been a tray of tenders, but it’s actually a Crimson Onion. If you ever ate at a Chili’s around the turn of the century or an Outback Steakhouse around, say, yesterday, you know of their Awesome Blossom and Bloomin’ Onion, respectively. The Crimson Onion ($9) is the local version. We already had a pile of food in front of us, so we came back two days later to order one, and tossed on a single hot tender ($4) for good measure.

The Crimson Onion is everything one remembers from the Outback Steakhouse days of our youth, with the bonus of avoiding going to an Outback Steakhouse. It’s fried to order and served up with ranch and more Crimson sauce. Unfortunately, for photo purposes, it also comes in a box, but to keep it from getting too soggy too quickly, we tore down the sides of our box, which should probably be standard procedure. It’s also best to bring a friend; between the onion and the hot tender, it’s a lot of fried food in one sitting.

And that lone “hot” tender? Yeah, it’s hot. Our order taker confirmed that the hot tender gets its heat from habanero peppers, and we’re inclined to believe it. While the medium tender felt like the spiciness built up with each bite, the hot tender is an immediate slap in the mouth, like you mentioned Will Smith’s wife in front of his friends and colleagues. Those in the know say the hottest level adds ghost pepper to dial up the heat to truly incendiary levels.

While North Texas is crowded with hot chicken options, we like that Crimson Coward throws a couple of unique twists at the concept. We’re told that a second location is in the works, in case the thought of traipsing to Frisco is too much to bear. But if you enjoy fanning the flames of spiciness with hot chicken in your mouth, it’s definitely worth the trip.

Crimson Coward, 3246 Preston Road, No. 510A, Frisco. Monday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.