Juke Chicken, summer menu 2024

Today we were at one of my favourite spots to recommend for fried chicken: Juke Chicken. Especially great for those with dietary restrictions. Juke uses a gluten-free batter so you need not miss out on crispy friend chicken.

We sadly missed their International Fried Chicken Day special (on July 6th, 2024), where they were offering 50% off their classic fried chicken sandwiches while quantities last, and throwing in bottles of their new collaborative Zaklan x Juke Hot Sauce for the first 30 guests.

Having tried the sauce today, I can confirm that it was well worth coming out early for. Especially to have on hand and pair with any of their sandwiches. Made with various peppers from Zaklan farms, it is the right amount of stinging heat without being intolerable or masking what it is meant to accent.

We had it with the Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sando, this month’s seasonal feature burger with Buffalo fried chicken thigh, ranch slaw, parm, fried onion, bread and butter pickles; all between a brioche bun. This is their classic fried chicken coated in a tangy Buffalo sauce and paired with the tempering cooling of ranch, coupled with a creamy and crunchy slaw for texture and substance. A well crafted sandwich I would order again if it didn’t have a limited run.

Other new menu items include their Box Combos & Summer Slushies, both perfect for grab and go picnics and patio meals; or if you want a taste, but don’t know what to get. Options include a preset meal for either two or four. The latter has 3 more pieces of chicken, 10 wings, large fries and gravy, and your choice of slaw or corn with two sauces.

As a couple, we got the meal for 2 with 5 pieces of fried chicken, Mac n cheese, hush puppies, and the corn over the East Asian peanut slaw. This was plenty and the right choice because I love Mac and cheese and my partner was a huge fan of the hush puppies.

Honestly, this is such an easy solution for a meal to enjoy outdoors, or to bring as your “dish” to a potluck. For us, this was breakfast, so we dined in and dug in.

Their chicken was and is always delicious. A lighter fried feel with a thinner breaded crust, without any greasiness, and just as crispy.

I was very excited for the Mac and cheese side. However, the noodles were under cooked and hard and therefore the desirable gooey texture with stringy cheese was not there.

The corn we liked as a fresh side. Corn on the cob cut into sections to make them easier to eat, heavily seasoned in cheese, spices, and herbs. Wonderous.

Instead of corn bread they have hush puppies. These are small and savoury cornmeal and vegetables rounds, deep fried crispy. We both preferred these moist bites to any hard and dry corn bread we have ever had. Flavourful on their own, but best with their chipotle maple sauce.

One of the two best selling sauces, as recommended by the clerk. The mild zest of chipotle, given a sweet undertone with fragrant maple. Familiar, yet different.

Our other dipping sauce was a Sirarcha honey. It has the same profile of spicy meets sweet, but with a runnier consistency and a more sweet chilli flavour. This I liked with both the fried chicken and chicken nuggets.

This is actually my first time trying their nuggets, if given a choice I always gravitate towards the fried chicken. Their nuggets have the texture of a crispy chicken patty, condense into two bites. They proved to be the perfect vessel for all our sauce taste testing. Especially their second collaboration and the main reason why I was was visiting today.

Juke Chicken has been working with condiment king Heinz to come up with a series of sauces to pair with their food. A rotation of flavours to be featured each month, or until supplies run out. This month is a Cherriyaki, and like its name suggests, it is a mix of cherry and teriyaki and was spot on. It was nostalgic, it reminded me of sweet cherry cola, slightly effervescent against the saltiness of soy and the sweetness of brown sugar. What ever you have this with, it plays second fiddle to, the sauce is the star and it deserves your attention, not to mention it comes it the cutest Heinz branded container. Come in to try this quick, because it leaves their menu, in place of another on July 20th, 2024.

They also have their regular in-house, table hot sauce, but honestly after dipping and tasting the above this could not compare. It was flat and one toned by comparison.

And to help hydrate and refresh the palate Juke has two refreshing summer slushies to choose from. Either the return of their popular Coupe DeVille-Cadillac Margarita Slushie and/or their Summer Lemonade with fresh, rotating berry flavours.

Unfortunately they were out of the latter, so we tried their sweet tea instead. The tea was lovely, a cooling, non-alcoholic beverage sweetened with floral honey, offering a southern feel complimentary to the meal.

As for the margarita it is one of the better ones I have had. Blended like a daiquiri in the classic salted lime flavour, but not too sharp, tart, or salty as I know many other margaritas to be.

It is always a good time at Juke and I am glad they keep churning out new and interesting reasons for you to visit and return. And now you have more time to swing by with extended late night hours. Juke is now open from 11am to midnight, seven days a week. And their conjoined bar, the Chickadee Room will also be serving until midnight, offering the perfect spot for evening cocktails and bites.

The Chickadee Room has recently been voted Vancouver’s Best Happy Hour. From 4 to 6pm guests can enjoy two free pieces of Juke’s classic fried chicken with the purchase of your first Happy Hour beverage. And they also have monthly Jeopardee nights hosted by Mike Ward on the second Tuesday of every month. This event does sell out quickly, so you are advised to book early.

Juke Fried Chicken
182 Keefer St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1X4
(604) 336-5853
jukefriedchicken.com