Birdcode opened its first restaurant offering hot chicken tenders and sandwiches to Connecticut in 2021 and opened a handful of locations to satisfy customers. Friday its fiery offerings come to Cheshire.
Birdcode owner Phil Killoran announced the restaurant’s opening, at 11 a.m. Friday, on Facebook to coincide with the new year.
The menu hinges on large crispy chicken breasts fried in peanut oil at a customizable heat rating, either on a bun with sauce and pickles, or as tenders. Birdcode also serves crinkle cut fries (plain, with spice or sauce), milkshakes and mac and cheese.
Birdcode offers five heat levels of increasing intensity. “Country” is available for diners who shy away from anything hot, and the mild level offers “a touch of heat,” with a cayenne-based spice blend. Medium, “starting to feel the burn,” is also cayenne-based, Brandi said, but with more concentration of spice.
The highest spice levels start to incorporate much hotter peppers. “Hot” features habanero and ghost pepper powders in the mix, Brandi said, and “Code Breaker” (which carries a “Do you really want to do this?” warning on the menu) uses two of the world’s most fiery peppers: Carolina reapers and Trinidad scorpions.
Birdcode’s team helps advise customers on spice levels, often directing people to the medium level to start, Brandi said, but some brave diners haven’t been afraid to taste the fire.
The Cheshire location joins restaurants in West Hartford, Vernon, Darien and New Britain. According to the company’s website, Canton and Brookfield locations are coming soon.
