Howlin’ Rays without a doubt serves the best Nashville-style hot chicken in all of Los Angeles. About five years ago, that wasn’t such a big deal — considering it was one of the only hot chicken joints in the city — but now in 2023, it’s a huge deal because while there are lots of imitators (Dave’s Hot Chicken, Main Chick, Crimson Coward, etc), no one is bringing the same level of craft to their chicken.
That’s why anytime Howlin’ Rays does something outside of what they usually do (hot chicken) we take notice. So we’re pretty hyped that, for a limited time, Howlin’ Rays is bringing back its chicken nuggets in collaboration with Offset (to commemorate the release of his new album Set It Off) and Postmates.
Dubbed the Howlin’ Ween Offset Shake Box, the Nugz are available exclusively through Postmates in the Los Angeles area from now until the 31st and come in a special Offset and Postmates-designed box with a new custom-made proprietary sauce. According to Howlin’ Rays, the special sauce was overseen by Offset and was inspired by a Carolina Dipped Chicken Sauce that originated in North Carolina in the 1920s.
The concept of the meal is simple: open up the box, pour the sauce all over the chicken, close it, and give it a shake to distribute the sauce all over the nuggets. So does the meal live up to Howlin’ Rays’ reputation? Let’s find out.
Howlin’ Ween Offset Shake Box
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The chicken is meaty, each nugget is a giant chunk of white meat chicken with a crunchy and well-seasoned breading, I’m tasting salt, black pepper, and maybe a hint of onion powder. The crunch is audible and snappy, which helps to make the chicken come across as a bit more appetizing. The crunch holds up even when the nugget is drenched in sauce.
Each nugget is surprisingly tender and juicy, and once mixed with the sauce takes on a deeper and richer flavor. The sauce brings a good amount of heat that grows with each bite and has a sweet brown sugar flavor and a tangy finish.
The sauce tastes has a slight cider vibe to it and a whole lot of heat. It conjures Louisiana sauces. I know the concept is to pour the sauce over the chicken and shake it up, but I’m going to be real with you — I didn’t do that. It didn’t seem necessary to me and instead, I used the sauce as a traditional dip, which allowed me to maximize the amount of sauce I was using.
Sorry to the concept, but it seems needlessly messy to me!
The Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of Howlin’ Rays, the Nugz are a must. I don’t think the nuggets are as essential as Howlin’ Rays’ hot chicken, but they are a nice change up and with this special sauce, they’re worth a pick-up for something a bit different from the brand. Especially if you’re a big Offset fan and like ordering food at home.
Pick up an order of Howlin’ Ween directly through Postmates.