Fried chicken, that trusty stalwart of the fast-food industry has got to be one of the most popular food choices in the world. Surely there isn’t enough room for more fried chicken? Well, there is, and it’s damn tasty.

Thunderbird chicken was born from the mind of a man named Matt, a former NASCAR racing driver living in the deep south of America. With a passion for American food, a focus on technical know-how and a penchant for speed and fire, the result is beautifully crafted chicken with a bang. We headed to the World Food Court in Stratford to sample some of this southern fried bird.

On the surface of it, the structure of the menu is exactly what you’d expect with a selection of burgers, wings, strips, fries and sides. Look a little closer however and you will find some rather exciting upgrades to the familiar setup. The burger range includes the classic Thunderbun with smokey burger sauce and pickles, a Sticky BBQ option and the Meltdown, oozing with jalapeño cheese sauce and red pepper aioli.

The wings have interesting options such as the award-winning Chipuffalo – you guessed it – chipotle-buffalo sauce-slathered mouthfuls of chicken with coriander and blue cheese. Other options include Garlic butter, sweet and sticky BBQ and if that isn’t sweet, or indeed sticky enough for you, how about a salted caramel umami sauce with orange, sesame and a touch of chipotle. For those who want to feel the burn to feel like they are really alive, the Habenero Wings don’t mess about. They are full-on three red pepper rated heat bombs with sriracha glaze and pepper cream.

Even the fries at thunderbird come packed with flavour and can be laced with the signature sauces; Meltdown, Chipuffalo, Garlic Butter. By now, however, you may want something a little plain to balance the flavour of the other dishes.

Aside from the flavour, what we liked about Thunderbird was the balance. The burgers had the flavour but weren’t overly fussy, the chicken was just crisp enough and still juicy. The wings were not only delicious, but they looked good, with interesting flavours presented with zigzagged sauces and scatterings of seeds and coriander. Thunderbird is a welcome and interesting addition to a market saturated with many bland alternatives.

Website: www.thunderbirdckn.co.uk

Written by Rick Hartley

Photography courtesy of Thunderbird Fried Chicken