CHiKN

Really good chicken shop. I can't comment too much about their spicy chicken varieties but I've heard those are very good. I did get to try their Southern chicken tenders with their in house sauce and their ranch as well as their chocolate chip cookies.The chicken itself was very good. Breaded nicely. Still a nice, tender texture on the inside and crispy on the outside. The Southern wasn't spicy at all, which is what I wanted.The two sauces were pretty good too. Ranch was relatively standard but tasty. I'm not sure if it's made in house but props to them if it is. The other sauce was also pretty solid, a bit sweeter, a bit strange, but still good.I had originally ordered the banana pudding, but they were out, so they gave me 2 chocolate chip cookies instead. Generous of them! The cookies were very good, a great size, and filled with plenty of chocolate. Great price, portion, and quality.All in all, I'd come back here. Very tasty chicken and nice desserts for a reasonable price. I believe they may even have milkshakes, which would be great to try.

We stopped by on a whim on a Saturday night around 8pm to get out of the cold and wait for our table at Stack'd. There was no line and not a lot of people at CHiKN so we ordered some hot fries to share between the four of us right away. The fries, although nothing special, really hit the spot for us and we enjoyed them.

Ordered the chicken and waffles, but with the syrup on the side as per my child's request. Was not a fan of the waffles they were very dense. Would not order again, but the chicken is very good and flavorful.Not much ambience to the place you order at the counter and there's a couple tables to sit and eat at the service was good and the person working the counter was very helpful. Oh and one small weird tidbit is they don't accept cash which I am not a fan of this cashless society , so that is why I'm giving it four stars instead of five!

I thought this place was delicious. Food came out super quick, mouth watering great spice level and juiciness. Size is great and the water is quenching. Lots of tables and I didn't feel nasty afterwards which sometimes oily fried chicken can make me feel. Banana pudding was solid, prices were good all around. Both kiosk order and person order. Great back pocket pick for quick and filling eats.

Located in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh just off the campus of University of Pittsburgh, CHiKN is a great fast casual option for cooked to order food. They advertise that they specialize in Nashville style hot chicken, but they have 5 spice levels ranging from Southern (no heat) to damn hot (described as "insane"), so it can be customized if you don't like things too spicy. I think 5 levels is just the right amount as some places go overboard with their range of sauces/rubs to vary tastes, so it keeps things simpler. What sets CHiKN apart is that they prepare your chicken item according to your requested spice level after you order, as they have a personal touch in preparation of the coating rather than just tossing sauce or rubs on it after the cooking process. Their menu consists of sandwiches, tenders, nuggets, chicken & waffles, sliders, salads, and a variety of sides & desserts.We went with the Nashville hot chicken sandwich and chicken & waffles, both with the medium heat level. I would give both a 4.5/5, as the recipes were high quality, with tender high quality chicken spiced just right. The waffles were not a consistency or texture I usually enjoy, but the unique recipe worked in tandem with the spiced chicken tenders to make for a delicious meal. Prices are a bit on the higher side, especially for a college area eatery, but quality is great and portion size more than ample to fill you up. Overall, I don't mind rounding up to 5 stars as CHiKN is probably one of the best fast casual restaurants I've been to in a while, and definitely one I'd frequent if they had a location near where I live.

--Location/Parking--Near downtown Pittsburgh there were street parking, but I saw a lot of the customers were walk into the location--Ambience--Ambience was a college town fast food joint that gets a lot of traffic and seems to be known for their inexpensive food choice. Plastic seating and regular cafeteria lighting. Nothing out of the ordinary.--Service/Staff--The staff was friendly and explained the level of "heat" you wanted on your chicken. I followed their advice and got the medium for the chicken.--Food/Products--After seeing their menu. I was so excited to try their chicken. What I got was a burnt chicken that was really over salted. I had to wash it down with several cups of coke because it was so salty. The chicken skin was really burned, I had to tear it apart to make sure I was not eating any small bones.--Capacity--Plenty of space to hold large parties if you don't mind the cafeteria space--Overall--I won't be back because the chicken was not meaty. It was overly spiced, and the fries and chicken were really salty. If I didn't just get off the plane I would have looked for other choices.

| Oakland- Pittsburgh, PA | CHiKN | @hotchikn Love when you can select your spice level to make sure your chicken is the perfect heat for you (and in my case, no heat at all). From SOUTHERN (no heat) to DAMN HOT (self explanatory). The chicken and waffles were sooo good. The waffles had a butter maple drizzle that made the waffles taste like a dessert but then paired with the savory juicy flavorful chicken it was a match made in heaven. The fries were seasoned to perfection and the sauce for the fries was like yum yum sauces successful cousin so my world was spinning. My portion was super filling and dare I say big enough to share. I left with a happy heart and full belly after clinical, so you can bet your bottom dollar it's #GOUDapproved CHiKN & WAFFLES Homemade Waffles served with Nashville Style Hand-Breaded Crispy Chicken Tenders, topped with Creamy Honey Butter & Maple Syrup Crinkle cut fries $13.25 (combo)

You want to try some delicious Nashville Hot Chicken in Pittsburgh, this is the place to get it! I've had the hot spice level before and that is no joke at all! I had to kick it back to medium spice and it still had me sweating a bit. The chicken tenders are cooked and coated with the perfect amount of spice and crispiness. When you dip that delectable chicken strip into the comeback sauce - the flavor is fantastic! The crinkle cut fries they coat with a dusting of seasoning (I ate a few fries in the picture, but they give you a good amount). I love pickles and the comeback sauce so I always order extra sauce and pickles. I have ordered the 3 and 5 piece chicken tenders and the 3 piece is more than enough for me. These chicken tenders are pretty big, so if you're hungry go with the 5 piece! I order through toast and when you do, you might as well start heading out as soon as you place your order. No lie I have received notification within 1-2 minutes that my order is ready. When I arrive and walk to the register I see my bag and it is ready to go! Whenever I am in the office in Oakland and I am craving some delicious chicken tenders, Chikn is my go-to place for Nashville hot chicken!

Food: Delicious chicken sandwiches, beware the spice as it is real. Service:I ordered the "damn hot" chicken and the woman working the counter warned me that it was extremely hot, which is normal to hear when you order something hot. So she let me try a nugget before ordering my sandwich... It was too hot for me, so she saved me there, thankful for her letting me try it. Ambiance: It's fine, nothing special. It was clean when I was there Overall: Pretty good. Something I will enjoy again when eating lunch in Oakland. Beware the spice levels as they are not kidding.

The chicken is fire, but the waffles taste like biscuit batter pressed in a waffle iron. I would recommend it more if they could change that one ingredient...make it like Belgian waffles (I think) the crispy ones that melt in your mouth!