OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Dirty Birds opened at The Switch Food Hall two years ago. It didn't take long for the word to get out about their fried chicken.
This year the restaurant was voted "Best Fried Chicken Experience" in Omaha. As 3 News Now Anchor Serese Cole reports in this week's Cheap Eats, the owners are now serving up the same bird in a new home.
Chicken is what's for brunch, lunch and dinner at Dirty Birds.
"Fried chicken brings people to the table," said owner Moses Moseley.
Over the years, Chef Moseley has fine-tuned his recipe.
Now his finger-lickin' fried chicken can be found at the Flatiron in downtown Omaha.
"It feels like our space. This is definitely a reflection of who we are," said owner Dan Whalen.
"You see a lot of our vibe here," Moseley added.
Dirty Birds' new location has the same signature chicken.
"We kept the classic," Moseley said.
Speaking of classic, Whalen showed Serese how he makes The "OG"—their original fried chicken sandwich.
"How good is this chicken?" asked Serese.
"It is my favorite. I love fried chicken... I mean, obviously," said Whalen.
The chicken is dipped in fry flour and buttermilk, fried, seasoned and served with their house-made pickles.
"It's the best," Whalen smiled.
"In Omaha?" asked Serese.
"Yeah. The Midwest. We're going for that now," said Whalen.
The masterpiece is a super-sized sandwich so popular they make about 500 of them a week.
"When people see this what do they say? That's a lot of chicken sandwich," said Serese.
"Wow or holy cow. I'm like, 'that's chicken'," said Whalen with a grin.
"I see what you did there," Serese said.
There are a few additions to the menu like the catfish sandwich and grilled chicken sandwich the chopped achiote chicken.
And...
"Some of our best reviews in the new spot since our reopening have been about the chicken and pancakes," Moseley shared.
"So many people have chicken and waffles—what made you guys do pancakes?" asked Serese.
"These pancakes come from a spot where I used to work in Sacramento and people couldn't get enough of them, and I loved them so much," said Moseley.
They're not your typical short stack.
They're blackberry and brie cakes.
They are served with sweet tea brined chicken tenders—original or spicy—or as they like to say...
"You gotta say it Omahahawt," Moseley chuckled.
He ties it all together with their homemade sassafras syrup.
It's all topped with a little green onion, pickled red onions and a scoop of butter.
"So many flavors and they all work very well together," Moseley added.
Dirty Birds also features a sweet bread of the week now.
Last week, it was their blue cornbread.
"It's falling apart it's so tender," Moseley demonstrated.
"Do you watch people as they taste your food—their facial expressions? What are they?" asked Serese.
"We first get a lot of wow and amazement. Then we get clean plates, so that's great!" Moseley said.
A great sign for these birds of a feather who know a thing or two about chicken.
"When we opened the restaurant, we had all these ideas of course. We wanted to do this and wanted to do that. But our heart belonged to chicken, so we made it really simple. We made a place for the community to come to eat fried chicken and cold beer and have this great vibe," Moseley smiled.
Dirty Birds is at the Flatiron at 17th and St. Marys Avenue. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
On Friday and Saturdays, it stays open until 2:00 a.m. and now they have a Sunday brunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
For more details, follow them on Facebook, Instagram or their website.
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