Divine Society

Last week I was invited by the incomparable Chef Vicky V, The Queen of Yum, to a fried chicken sandwich competition hosted by Louisiana Fish Fry at Station #3 in Houston, TX.

In a genius marketing move the fish fry company created a campaign centered around fried chicken sandwich recipes. 5 chefs go head to head in competitions that take place all over the country, each location chooses a winner. Each city champion then competes for the top prize in NYC in September.

I arrived at the venue early and helped Chef Vicky with some content and pre contest prep, we talked a little about her sandwich, affectionately named “Le Dirty Bird” and I became increasingly interested in trying it every time she announced the ingredients. A brioche bun, a fried chicken thigh-stuffed with boudin, topped with shredded lettuce, red onion, tomato, and ETOUFFE aioli.

Have. Mercy. Lord.

I wanted to know more about what would inspire someone to stuff a fried chicken thigh with boudin, so I asked Chef Vicky for the tea. The Queen of Yum had this to say about her now famous sandwich recipe “recently, I have been working a lot in Louisiana, the home of my favorite city New Orleans. I have been on a food journey there, exploring all flavors. I found some great things to eat, and they inspired my sandwich. I’ve gone to several boudin and cracklin’ locations and I wanted to add some of those textures to my sandwich, from a flavor standpoint etouffe is a creole delicacy among Louisiana people. I needed a sauce, so it just seemed right to turn etouffe into a seasoned aoili.” Adding an etouffe aioli was the right thing to do, as the Le Dirty Bird was a hit among the crowd.

However, the competition was fierce, and the room was packed, yum crumbs traveled from every corner of the city to taste Le Dirty Bird and to give The Queen of Yum their eggs. Tasters voted for their favorite by dropping plastic eggs into a plastic chicken, almost everyone voted for Chef Vicky and when it was time to present, she wowed the crowd. Her charm was palpable as she assembled her recipe and when she finished, she issued her signature phrase “here’s to the yum, cheers to the crumb” before delivering to the judges for sampling.

Unfortunately, the judges chose another chef as the winner of the Houston challenge. Rashad Jiles with his Thai inspired savory spicy sandwich took the trophy, but never the crown. The Queen’s sandwich was dubbed crowd favorite and her “Le Dirty Bird” continues to live rent free in my head.

Rumor has it that the chicken sandwich contest will make another run in Houston as the chefs would like to give their friends and family another opportunity to taste their recipes.

In the meantime be sure to follow Chef Vicky on Instagram to stay up to date on all things yum – https://www.instagram.com/thequeenofyum?igsh=d3VhbzU0OTFvbWNl

Do you have an event coming up and you’d like me to cover it? Send an email to sheba@mscreativeaf.com or learn more about me and my business at www.mscreativeaf.com