Dave’s Hot Chicken, an off-campus favorite that opened this past fall, recently unveiled a surprise for all of its herbivorous patrons. Dave’s NOT Chicken, a line of cauliflower-based faux-chicken dishes, is now available at the chain’s franchises nationwide.
The new cauliflower bites, tenders and sliders come dry-rubbed in all of the chain’s existing flavors, with spice levels ranging from “No Spice” to “Reaper.”
As a vegetarian who had never previously been able to experience the restaurant’s Nashville-style signature flavors, I was eager to give the new option a try. In order to get a complete picture of the new line, I opted for the one tender and slider combo.
A Dave’s NOT Chicken cauliflower tender is constructed out of multiple chunks of the vegetable, which are dredged, breaded and fried together until crispy.
On the surface, the vegetarian tenders and sliders look almost identical to their poultry counterparts. The tender was a substantial size, and the slider was much larger than expected. I requested a medium spice level on the slider and a hot spice level on the tender.
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The hot flavor came with a complex spice that featured notes of black pepper, cayenne, garlic and almost a lemon-reminiscent tanginess. Medium was notably milder in both spice and taste, featuring a completely different backdrop of flavor notes.
The slider came topped with Dave’s sauce, pickles and a savory red cabbage slaw, while the tender sat atop a slice of standard white bread.
Dave’s sauce — a pale orange, creamy condiment flecked with spices — is a zingy, sweet and savory relief from the complex notes of Dave’s dry rubbed flavors.
Accompanying the meal was a sizable portion of crinkle cut fries, a cup of Dave’s sauce, an impressive quantity of pickles and any other extras requested at the front. Notably, the chain provides crunchy nugget ice for its soft drinks — colloquially known in many circles as “the good ice.”
Dave’s fries are sprinkled with a vaguely Cajun spice blend. This side is the ideal accompaniment for the spice of Dave’s dry rub, with non-spicy flavor and a satisfying crunch. Although these are not the most impressive fries on the market, they hold their own and provide the best possible support for the main course.
For me, the slider and about half of the fries were enough food for a standard dinner. The greasy quality of fried chicken carried over into this cauliflower iteration, contributing to a heaviness that felt unexpected in a veggie sandwich.
The meal did not taste like a chicken substitute, but rather like large, unwieldy pieces of cauliflower, deep-fried and seasoned.
In spite of the heaviness of the batter, cauliflower was front and center in both the slider and the tender. For fans of cauliflower wings, it would be wise to opt for the cauliflower bites rather than a tender combo, because the latter is rather tough and dense.
At a price point of just over $20 for the tender and slider combo with a small drink, Dave’s NOT Chicken is a pricey way to satisfy the vegetarian itch for fried food. If you do choose to pay Dave’s a chicken-free visit, make sure to arrive with a craving for cauliflower and an open mind.
