I was introduced to hot fried chicken when I vacationed in Nashville, Tennessee. While Prince’s Hot Fried Chicken was the standard for fried chicken there, I selected a nearby competitor. When I tried hot chicken, I experienced an immediate endorphin rush and quickly became a fan.
Kim Prince is the niece of André Prince Jeffries, the matriarch behind Prince’s Hot Chicken in Nashville. Prince started pop-ups featuring genuine Nashville hot chicken and caught my attention. I visited them in their Chinatown pop-up and relived my Nashville experience.
I began following Hotville Chicken through social media. Prince did pop-ups at various breweries and food festivals. Either the dates didn’t work for me or the distance was too far. I was thrilled when Kim Prince’s cooking demo featured her in the annual LA Times foodie event, The Taste.
Greg Dulan (Dulan’s Soul Food) waited 90 minutes in line at Prince’s pop up and eventually gave up. After finally trying her chicken and meeting her, they immediately connected. They teamed up and opened a brick and mortar in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The partnership is useful because Prince is able to request surge help from nearby Dulan’s Soul Food.
Hotville Chicken is located on the northern edge of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza next to the Marlton Ave. entrance. The interior is bright and beautifully decorated like a classic southern plantation with wrought iron chandeliers. Whimsical signs provide a sense of their personality and customer service.
Hotville’s Hot Chicken is available in four heat levels: West Coast Plain, Cali Mild, Music City Medium, and Nashville Hot. I selected my leg quarter Nashville Hot and for everything to share with my wife and daughter, I chose Cali Mild seasoning.
I had a flashback as I ate my Nashville Hot leg quarter selection. The familiar crunch was there as I bit into the chicken, the heat was just as I remembered, the cayenne seasoning was delicious, and I enjoyed how moist and juicy the chicken was. I was amazed that the chicken was spicy down to the bone. Fortunately, I had some sweet tea to address the heat.
To assess the heat levels, I ordered the wings “Cali Mild”. The wings are plump and meaty with a nice amount of heat. It did not cause that same endorphin rush I experience with “Nashville Hot. This is certainly a seasoning for LA peeps and not for the Nashville devoted.
Both of our sides were delicious and focused on taste. The Mac and Smokin’ Cheese includes four different kinds of cheese mixed with butter and herbs. The Baked Beans includes baked, kidney and black beans marinated in syrup and served with a tangy BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and hickory smoked bacon.
I found the service to be quite attentive and friendly. One of the staff caught my eye and said that my order would be out in a few minutes. Hotville Chicken is delicious and best of all, you don’t have to stand in line like some other hot chicken establishments.
Hotville Chicken, 4070 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008; 323.792.4835
hotvillechicken.com