Raging Hot Chicken Pop-Up in NoHo

While we aren’t in the business of pointing readers to pop-ups in parking lots, Raging Hot Chicken is worth checking out. RHC gives new meaning to fast-casual; it is located in a parking lot behind a Taco Bell in NoHo. 

Every night, chef Gabriel Killian and business partner Jack Daglian set up a stand in an auto repair shop parking lot from 7 p.m. until midnight and sell hot chicken (traditionally seasoned with cayenne) in numerous forms. Gabriel attended John Marshall High School with Howlin’ Ray’s chef Johnny Zone, L.A.’s most famous Nashville-style hot chicken practitioner. He says he developed his own recipe since he didn’t have time to stand in line at Johnny’s eatery in Chinatown anymore.

Gabriel spent several months working on the recipe, followed by seven nights eating hot chicken in Nashville. He says, “I paid the price, but it was worth it.” The mixed martial arts writer and stand-up comedian soon decided to go pro with chicken.

Gabriel’s recipe includes traditional cayenne (a Nashville hallmark), plus several spices that he prefers to keep secret. “I tried spices from all over the world and kept the spiciest and tastiest,” he says. Breast meat’s lightly battered, fried until crispy in peanut oil and doused with Mississippi sauce—a mildly spicy tomato-based concoction that includes mayo.

Raging Hot Chicken sells tenders, sliders and nuggets (white meat chunks, not processed). Sides include slaw, mac salad, French fries, pickles and, if Gabriel’s in the mood, bacon baked beans. Still, their hot chicken sandwich is the main star.

The sandwich ($10) comes topped with crunchy purple cabbage slaw, bread-and-butter pickles and Mississippi sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun. Add American cheese ($1) to help cool the spice. It’s a good sandwich—not as tasty as the current standard bearer, Howlin’ Ray’s, but definitely worth a try.

11510 Oxnard St., North Hollywood, 323-810-6809