Slim Chickens

Slim Chickens is a relatively new chain--it's been around for a decade, so one could say it has been pretty successful.  Our location across from Spring Crossing shopping center has been open for about a year but I had not been in yet, so I stopped to give it a try.  In my opinion it's pretty hard to cook white meat chicken tenders so that they are really enjoyable, but I wanted to see if they were up to the challenge.  I stopped in for lunch on a moderately busy Saturday.

The restaurant itself is pretty basic on the inside.  Plenty of seating indoors and out.  They have four TVs that were showing sports when I was there, but all have the sound off so it isn't obtrusive.

Slim Chickens' menu is very basic, all chicken.  You can get it in wing, tender, sandwich, or grilled in salad form.  They have a chicken and waffles plate on offer, and I am looking for good chicken and waffles, so I went for that with a side of Ranch Chips - homemade potato chips.

Slim Chickens brings the food to your table, so I sat and watched the games while my order was prepared.  This took some time, close to 20 minutes, which is no so "quick", as their website states is a goal - quick, good chicken.

The chips were my favorite part of the meal.  Most were crispy, some were not, but the variation in texture made them more interesting.  They had a tasty ranch dressing seasoning.  I would take them over french fries any day.  The waffle was fluffy and tasted very freshly prepared, which might have accounted for the wait and made it somewhat worthwhile.  They put the syrup on for you--I think I'd like it better if I had a pitcher or packets and could do that for myself.

The disappointing part was the chicken.  Definitely dry and overcooked, which is how I find most chicken fingers to be.  Every once in awhile I get good ones, which is how I know it's possible.  For chicken to work well with chicken and waffles, the batter has to be pretty crisp, and fairly salty to hold up to the sweetness of the syrup.  This batter was neither--it was close to crisp enough, but not much seasoning so all I tasted was breaded chicken with syrup.

The restrooms were so-so.  OK clean but no soap in the dispenser.  Don't make us tell you the restroom is not OK--check on it!

Overall it didn't change my mind about chicken fingers, I still won't order them from Slim Chickens or most places.

My gold plate special - all food in the same color range!