money Super Chix Chicken & Custard exceeds expectations but Crumbl Cookies doesn't | Grub Scout
The Grub Spouse and I headed out Clinton Highway way last week to investigate a newish fast-casual eatery called Super Chix Chicken & Custard. Its specialties are revealed in the name. And while researching that place, I learned that one of Knoxville’s Crumbl Cookies locations was next door. This was shaping up to be a dessert-heavy evening, but it made sense for us to hit both birds with our proverbial one Grubby stone.
We started out at Super Chix, where chicken sandwiches comprise the bulk of the menu. Options range from The Simple and the Nashville Hot to the Cheesy BBQ and Blackened Cajun. They even have a Chicken Slider, which is served on a King’s Hawaiian roll. Otherwise, sandwiches are made using their potato rolls, which incorporate dehydrated potatoes into the flour.
Also look for the Crispy Avocado, made with a breaded and stuffed avocado, and the Cordon Bleu, topped with ham and Swiss cheese. I got the Buffalo Ranch ($8.99), which is a chicken fillet tossed in Buffalo sauce, layered with pickles and topped with buttermilk ranch sauce. All sandwiches can be prepared grilled or breaded, and I chose grilled.
Super Chix also makes six different salads — each topped with a chicken fillet — and jumbo chicken tenders, also offered either hand-breaded or grilled. The Spouse ordered three tenders (you can order from two to six), breaded, for $6.49.
Side dishes include three different kinds of fries as well as fried pickles and coleslaw. We got the basic hand-cut fries, going with a small order ($3.99), which takes up only half a tray instead of a full tray. That’s still a lot of fries. The hand-cut fries come with a choice of seasoning, and we stuck with good ol’ salt. The other fries are topped with queso and other goodies.
Finally, we had to take advantage of Super Chix serving house-churned frozen custard, which is available in cups or cones, in shakes and in Cold Fusions, which are like Dairy Queen Blizzards and Sonic Blasts. We split a vanilla Cold Fusion mixed with Reese’s (not Reecy’s) peanut butter cups ($5.99).
We sat in a booth, and a few minutes later, an employee delivered our order to our table. I have to say that Super Chix exceeded my expectations. I’m not a big chicken sandwich lover overall (I’m one of the few people who’s not crazy about Chick-fil-A), but I thought SC’s Buffalo Ranch sandwich was pretty danged good.
The fresh, soft roll embraced a thin but flavorful and juicy chicken fillet slathered in Buffalo and ranch sauces. Patrons who typically avoid spicy sauces need not worry; this Buffalo coating could actually have been much fierier, in my opinion. I also need to talk about the pickles. Super Chix’s pickles are cut in house and liberally added to each sandwich. I encountered a solid layer of thickly cut pickles on my sandwich, and not being much of a pickle fan either, I thinned that down to just two or three slices. But you pickle fans will be in heaven with these sandwiches.
The breaded tenders were really good, too, and embodied what my sensibilities deem to be classic fried-chicken flavor. The peppery seasoning really shone through, from crispy skin to juicy meat. The fries were also extraordinary, served in a quantity so massive, we took half of them home.
Now let’s talk custard. Frozen custard is probably my favorite dessert item these days, and until now, I’ve been partial to Culver’s custard concretes, with Freddy’s Frozen Custard coming in a distant second. However, Super Chix’s custard now occupies my No. 1 spot. The vanilla base of our Reese’s Cold Fusion was creamy and super-rich and seemed to have a little more egg in the recipe than the others. The Spouse and I relished every custardy, peanut-buttery spoonful.
After Super Chix, we slipped next door to get a chocolate chip cookie ($4.82) from Crumbl Cookies, placing our order on one of two self-service kiosks. Our boxed cookie was ready by the time our payment was done processing. Other flavors that week included salted caramel cheesecake, pumpkin pie, cranberry white chip, maple cinnamon roll, chocolate sprinkle and banana cream pie.
Our sample bites of the cookie were decent; I might have liked this treat better had the interior of the cookie not struck me as undercooked. But overall, I’ll take a Myrtle’s Bakehouse cookie over a Crumbl any day of the week, even when factoring in their respective prices.
Super Chix Chicken & Custard
Food: 4.25 out of 5
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 3.75
Overall: 4.25
Address: 6672 Clinton Highway, Suite 102
Phone: 865-512-9068
Kids’ menu
No alcohol service
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Crumbl Cookies
Food: 3.75 out of 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: NA
Overall: 3.75
Address: 6672 Clinton Highway, Suite 102
Phone: 865-512-6162
No alcohol service
Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 8 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday
These two Clinton Highway eateries offer savory and sweet dining experiences, from delicious chicken sandwiches, tenders and custard treats to a variety of weekly cookie flavors.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville restaurant review: Super Chix Chicken tops expectations
