Cluck Kitchen

Located in The Square, a plaza next to John Wayne Airport, Cluck Kitchen is the only Orange County location of a small restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken sandwiches. Cluck opened in 2020 as one of many new competitors in the Nashville Hot Chicken market, and though it’s not as well-known or widely franchised as Dave’s Hot Chicken, it produces decidedly better (and hotter) items across the board.

Guests can choose from regular and Nashville Hot sandwiches, wings, and tenders, as well as fried pickles and crisscut fries, all of which we’d describe as excellent. The chicken here is ABF NE 3 chicken – described by Cluck as one step below “organic” – but the more obvious difference is that it’s never frozen and properly battered before frying, leading to particularly juicy, flavorful meat below the crispy surface.

While all of the hot chicken places tend to be really similar to one another, and could stand to offer deeper flavors rather than just raw heat, Cluck’s normal sandwiches and wings are worth trying any day, and its spicy versions are powerful enough for heat tolerance competitions.