Dave’s Hot Chicken brings mouthwatering munchies to East Lansing

While driving to Crunchy’s in East Lansing to meet up with my family for a holiday gift exchange that was postponed by a COVID outbreak, I noticed that Dave’s Hot Chicken had opened its doors on Albert Avenue. Though I was already on my way to chow down on a bacon cheeseburger, I made a mental note to return the next time I was feeling too lazy to cook.

I wasn’t a fan of fried chicken sandwiches until about a year and a half ago, when I started dating a vegan. I’ve since found that vegan fried chicken is one of the best meat replacements — it’s cheap, easy to throw in the air fryer and has an almost identical taste and texture to real chicken. In a strange turn of events, my love for vegan chicken sandwiches has evolved into a love for all fried chicken sandwiches. No longer do I picture the cold, unseasoned chicken patties that were served at my middle and high school when I take a bite, though it would be hard to use the terms “unseasoned” and “Dave’s Hot Chicken” in the same sentence, unless that sentence is “the food at Dave’s Hot Chicken is completely and totally not unseasoned in any way.”

I tried the #1 combo, which comes with two sliders and a side of fries. Both of the sliders — which were much larger than I expected and could have stood on their own as single sandwiches — were topped with a kale-and-cabbage slaw, pickles and a heaping drizzle of Dave’s sauce, which was creamy and tangy and the only condiment I needed. The chicken itself was perfectly cooked, with crispy, well-seasoned exteriors and juicy, tender interiors.

There are seven levels of spice to choose from, and I ordered one mild and one medium. Honestly, it was hard to tell the two apart, but I probably could have chosen heat levels that weren’t next to each other on the scale. Both were mildly spicy, good for a kick that didn’t make my nose run or my tongue burn, but I think next time I’ll venture to try the true hot sandwich.

I’m typically not a fan of crinkle-cut fries, which I often find to be bland and undercooked at most restaurants, again reminding me of school lunches, but my fries from Dave’s were perfect. Crunchy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside and coated with a generous dusting of savory seasoning, I almost didn’t need to dip them into the side of Dave’s sauce. Almost — I couldn’t stand letting the luscious, mouthwatering sauce go to waste, after all.

I haven’t gotten to try many of East Lansing’s other chicken establishments, like Cane’s or Detroit Wing Co., but I think Dave’s has something special. The food, though deep fried into oblivion, tastes fresh and high-quality, and the amount you get for the price is unbeatable. Maybe next year I can convince my family to go to Dave’s for holiday dinner.

Two sliders with fries

$13.99

Dave’s Hot Chicken

194 Albert Ave., East Lansing

11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday

11 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday

517-853-7077

daveshotchicken.com