Big Chicken, Las Vegas NV

Big Chicken

Double Dribble Cocktail – Gin, Apricot Liqueur, Blood Orange Soda

Root Beer Float – Big Dog’s Root Beer, Vanilla Ice Cream

Shaq Fu BBQ – Naked Truth Fried Chicken, House Kimchi, Pork Belly, Korean BBQ Sauce w/ Sweet Potato Waffle Fries

Big Aristotle – Naked Truth Fried Chicken, Muenster Cheese, Crispy Fried Onions, Bacon, Memphis BBQ Sauce w/ BC Fries

Chicken Strips – Shaq Sauce, Spicy Chipotle BBQ, Sweet & Smokey Memphis BBQ, Buffalo Style Hot Sauce

Lucille’s Mac n’ Cheese – Cheez-It Crust

El Padrino Negro – Chocolate Ice Cream, Peanut Butter Caramel, Whipped Cream / Big Conductor – Vanilla Ice Cream, Salted Caramel, Whipped Cream

Shaq Diesel – Oreo Cookies, Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream / Big Shamrock – Chocolate Ice Cream, Mint Chocolate Cookies, Whipped Cream

Chocolate Chip Cookie – Baked by Insomnia Cookies and the Diameter of a Basketball

Grandma’s Banana Pudding Ice Cream Sandwich – Banana Pudding Ice Cream, Vanilla Wafer Cookie

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich – Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Chip Cookie

Rocky Road Ice Cream Sandwich – Chocolate Ice Cream, Roasted Almonds, Marshmallow Swirl, Double Chocolate Cookie

Always weary of Celebrity endorsed Restaurants, though perhaps a little less than those of Gordon Ramsay and other globetrotting Chefs, it is after two visits including a star-studded Grand Opening that Big Chicken earns credit for doing things the right way and letting Dr. Shaquille O’Neal be the face while Matt Piekarski and Silverman take care of the cooking.

Newly opened on October 23rd in the plaza also harboring Ferraro’s, a location proximate to The Strip but not actually in a Casino allowing for lower prices than many recent *Big* names, it is immediately upon entry that guests will notice the clean layout ideal for all-ages, a Bar to the right offering Beer, Wine and house Cocktails such as the fizzy Double Dribble while games such as Foosball and Darts fill an alcove to the left.

Offering no shortage of televisions or seating options including tables, booths, tall-boys and bar, the chairs wide and comfy as though Shaq may have selected them himself, a look at Big Chicken’s menu shows a concise collection of options rooted in Organic Cage-Free Birds plus hormone-free Dairy out of California, the willingness to avoid “everything-to-everyone” items a welcome sight in 2018.

Centered on Chicken Sandwiches, a total of six plus Sliders, Salads and Strips joined by “sidekicks,” it was while sipping a Float made from locally made Root Beer that first bites of Shaq Fu BBQ occurred, the addition of housemade Kimchi and Pork Belly plus lightly sweet Sauce still allowing Chicken to show while a Sandwich known as Big Aristotle triple teams with textures crispy, creamy and supple beneath tangy Memphis Barbecue.

Pleased by fluffy Brioche Buns capable of standing up to toppings, the extra thin and crunchy BC Fries also a treat, it was passing on greasy waffled Sweet Potatoes that attention instead turned to Lucille’s Mac n’ Cheese, a blend from Applegate Naturals coating Noodles generously while crushed Cheez-Its offered salt and heterogeneity.

Doubling back to taste Naked Truth’s Chicken unadorned, each Big Chicken Strip nicely brined and fried golden with plenty of Pepper in the mix, a quartet of Sauces showed all to be well composed with the Spicy Chipotle particularly enjoyable and Buffalo Style likely to leave most in need of some Stubborn Soda or one of the Restaurant’s four Milk Shakes.

Charging just $5.49 per Shake, the actual size overflowing a Mason Jar, one would be hard-pressed to decide which was best between the thick Peanut Butter Cup called El Padrino Negro and Oreo-studded Shaq Diesel, but no matter which one is selected the most important thing to do is make sure room is leftover for a $3.99 Ice Cream Sandwich, though here too making a choice between gooey Rocky Road and Grandma’s Banana Pudding is not simple…though probably easier than finishing one of Big Chicken’s Chocolate Chip Cookies that are the diameter of a Basketball.

FOUR STARS: Off to a good start, though a visit after the grand opening indicates that if the Restaurant remains busy they’ll need to find a way to expedite more efficiently, it is great news for fans of fried Chicken that Shaq decided to set up shop here in Las Vegas, the price and quality already far better than Blue Ribbon while ingredients outpace any of the chains by miles.

RECOMMENDED: Double Dribble Cocktail, Big Aristotle, Chicken Strips, BC Fries, El Padrino Negro, Shaq Diesel, Grandma’s Banana Pudding Ice Cream Sandwich, Rocky Road Ice Cream Sandwich.

AVOID: Waffle Fries were a bit greasy, Big Conductor Shake was thin and the Caramel flavor was lacking.

TIP: Open 11a through 2a Sunday through Thursday, until 4am on Fridays and Saturday.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.

www.bigchicken.com