Oh Cluck!: While the side dishes at Mother Clucker don’t match those of Chick-fil-A or Raising Canes, its spicy tenders are worth the drive

This month, I’ve spent $52 on chicken tenders and fries alone. But it’s not my fault — I blame Chick-fil-A and Raising Canes conveniently being five minutes from my house.

While I don’t regret funding my addiction, my taste buds hardly salivate anymore when I’m biting the same old waffle fries or Texas toast from these chains. I need a change. Mother Clucker, a new Nashville-born chicken restaurant located on 5930 Nieman Rd., offers a twist from the classic chains. 

If you’re bored of the everyday fast-food restaurants, thankfully Mother Clucker doesn’t sell just a traditional battered and crusted chicken tender. They offer Nashville hot chicken — fried chicken dunked in seasoned hot oil and dusted with their signature spice blends. 

When I entered the restaurant, I wasn’t initially impressed. The quaint interior was crammed with around 15 tables — a small amount of seating space considering it was packed with hungry customers. Thankfully, I snagged one of the last tables.

I ordered a two-count chicken tender with mild spice, along with a vanilla milkshake, an Oreo milkshake and a side of fries. Keep in mind, I can’t stomach one Taki without downing a glass of milk, so just reading the spice options on the menu labeled “CLUCK YEAH” and “WHAT THE CLUCK?!” made my palms sweat. Still, I yearned for the Nashville hot chicken experience, so I settled for the “WEAK STUFF,” the second lowest spice level on the menu.

The food took 25 minutes, a whopping 20 minutes longer than my average Chick-Fil-A order — even during a rush.

But holy cluck, this chicken was worth the wait. My tenders, fries and two milkshakes cost $28.68 — even if I didn’t order an extra shake, it still would’ve cost $15 more than tenders, fries and a shake at Chick-fil-A. But it was worth the extra cash considering the size of these tenders.

Packed with savory and tangy flavors, the mild spice was just enough to get my eyes watering without forcing me to regret my meal choice. And Mother Clucker’s unique sweet and citrusy Cluck sauce was a refreshing change from Chick-fil-A sauce, pairing well with the tenders. 

The tenders also came with a piece of toasted and buttered bread. While I appreciated the initial crispiness, it was practically drenched in olive oil and butter that overpowered the toast. I couldn’t taste the bread at all and set it aside immediately. 

Then I tried the $3 crinkle-cut fries. I expected these thick fries to also pack a spicy punch, but I’m sorry to say they’re exceptionally bland. Dipping the fries in the Cluck sauce helped, since there wasn’t even salt and pepper on the fries, but I wish the fries weren’t so boring on their own. 

I thought the side dishes couldn’t get worse after that, but my $7 vanilla milkshake was even more of a letdown. Taking my first sip, I gagged when this so-called vanilla shake tasted like lukewarm water. I couldn’t look at the drink after that — if only it had as much flavor as their chicken. 

Thankfully, Mother Clucker redeemed themselves with their shake — even though that’s hard to mess up. The chocolate and vanilla flavors paired well with the Oreo chunks mixed in the shake. I don’t usually like chocolate, but the chocolate ice cream wasn’t too rich so I could still enjoy the cookies and cream.

While the side dishes were subpar, if you’re looking for chicken from somewhere other than Chick-Fil-A or Raising Cane’s, Mother Clucker is certainly worth the title of Nashville hot chicken heaven. Just stick to the tenders if you plan on dining here.