Welcome to The Budlong, a Nashville Hot Chicken Joint. Our Hot Fried Chicken is enjoyably spicy, deliciously crispy & firmly Southern-rooted. The Budlong crew use locally sourced, anti-biotic & hormone free chickens – hand-breaded and fried-to-order from our own top-secret recipe. Each Budlong plate is served atop buttered Texas toast, with house-made Budlong pickles. The Budlong serves a variety of made-to-order (and plentiful) chicken sandwiches, available in both breast and thigh (our personal favorite, trust us..), 5 hot sauces ranging from mild to berserk!!!, tenders and salads. Sides are made-from-scratch daily – including buttermilk biscuits, creamy mac ‘n’ cheese and scratch-made farm slaw – better than your Southern mother’s recipe, we get told a lot. And save room for some homemade banana pudding for dessert.
The Budlong, a fast-casual concept, originated in the Chicagoland area in 2016 with one purpose: serving the best hot chicken you’ve ever tasted, and Craveworthy Brands now operate 5 locations, with Franchising opportunities available starting in 2023.
If you like spicy, then Nashville hot is for you. Based on recipes from places like "Prince's Hot Chicken" and "Hattie B's" in Nashville, The Budlong has taken some of those ideas, made them their own, and have, in the process, created a wonderful little fried chicken joint.
Named for an old farm that used to exist in Lincoln Square in Illinois, The Budlong is proud to introduce Chicago to "Nashville Hot.“ "Nashville hot chicken is a fried chicken that has a cayenne pepper paste applied to it after it comes out of the fryer," said original Budlong creator Jared Leonard. But before the fryer, the chicken is dry-brined in salt and pepper, then dragged through a wet slurry, and finally, dredged in seasoned flour. It sits for up to a day, then gets fried in peanut oil, which has a high smoking point. The chicken has a beautiful, crisp outer shell, and maintains quite a bit of juiciness. Mild is just fried chicken, nothing added to it. Classic is the entry level spice, a good intro to the Nashville style, then Hot, which is quite a bit spicier.
"It's spicy, it's got a well-rounded flavor. It's not ever meant to burn your tongue it's just meant to make you sweat, your nose will run a little bit," he said.
Craveworthy Brands acquired the brand in 2022 and intends to refresh, grow and begin franchising beyond Chicago starting in 2023.
