Leghorn - chicken sandwiches w/an agenda in Humboldt Park

My only request is that you read my thoughts aloud in your best Foghorn Leghorn voice. Please add in "I say" and "boy" frequently.

Boy, I made it, I say I made it to Leghorn today for a late lunch (around 2pm, Saturday) and this turned out to be a pretty good time to go as there was seating open and only a couple of people in line ahead of us. You order at the counter and they bring your food to you, and then you bus your own tables. There's a bucket of water where you can help yourself.

I had the chicken thigh sandwich, pickled brined, on a bun. For sides, I ordered a biscuit and hushpuppies. The hushpuppies were my favorite item. Piping hot, crisp coating, moist and fluffy green chili-speckled interior, and absolutely delicious. The day it opened, I read a review from Zagat complaining about dry, bland hushpuppies. The moral of this story is that Leghorn is new, there will be inconsistencies, but the hushpuppies I tasted today were about as perfect as you would want them. Check 'em out:


Leghorn's green chili hushpuppies


Leghorn's biscuits are pretty close to being outstanding. They're big, they're beautiful, they're flaky with a crisp exterior and they're plenty moist. My lone complaint is that they're just too sweet for my liking. Not dramatically sweet, but after several bites the sweetness starts to take over just a bit much. Take out a little of that sugar, and I'll be willing to consider these in the top echelon of Chicago biscuitry. But hey, look at these beauts:


Leghorn's biscuits



Surprisingly, the chicken was my least favorite item. But again, these guys have been open for a handful of days, they're probably at capacity, who knows how long they're brining the chicken and what kind of adjustments they're making, etc . . . So I'll cut them some slack and return to try it again. But my thigh just didn't pack the flavor I expected from the brine, I thought the crust could have also packed some more seasoning, and it could have been a little more moist. It wasn't bad at all - perhaps I just built up expectations so high. My dining companion was much more pleased with his breast. So perhaps some small inconsistencies that can be attributed to Leghorn being so new.

But I know I'll be back to try the chicken again - it looked beautiful. And they've got the bun down right out of the gate. It's a dryer, denser brioche-type bun and a pretty fantastic one at that. In fact, I'd say about the perfect bun for any burger or chicken sandwich. There are some thinly sliced pickles too, and then the fried chicken, thigh in my case. They serve the chicken with your choice of sauces, and I chose rancho verde. But I didn't add any until I had first tried the sandwich on its own. I wish I could have taken the fried chicken breast from Analogue and put it on this bun. Unfortunately, no pictures of the chicken sandwich. I had already taken a couple bites and knew I couldn't get a good pic - sorry.