I Tried the Hot Mozz at Dave’s Hot Chicken, Here’s What I Thought

It was 98 degrees in L.A. yesterday and instead of immediately going home after work to take off my pants and bra and lie on the couch directly in front of a fan, I made a detour to Koreatown—during rush hour, no less—to get the new Hot Mozz from Dave’s Hot Chicken. That’s how strongly I feel about fried cheese.

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In case you missed it, the ever-expanding hot chicken chain recently added planks of breaded, fried mozzarella to their menu. You can get a 3-piece order with fries and a drink, you can get them on a sandwich, or, for just $2.99, you can get a single plank of Hot Mozz to immediately scarf down in your car, which is what I did. I really like Dave’s Hot Chicken—but can they pull off hot cheese? Here are my thoughts on the matter.

New Product!

Dave’s Hot Chicken Hot Mozz

Dave’s Hot Chicken

Pros: I know it seems like fried cheese would be hard to screw up, but trust me, as a mozzarella stick enthusiast, I can assure you I’ve had some really sucky ones over the years. Most grocery store mozz sticks suck and fast food mozz sticks are hit-or-miss. Well, Dave’s are a hit. The breading is very well seasoned; it’s sturdy and crunchy but not too, too thick. It gives way to a really generous amount of melty, flavorful cheese with extreme cheese pull. It’s oily but not nauseating in the least. A pleasant surprise: When you order a single plank of the fried cheese, you don’t just get the cheese—you get a slice of white bread, a few pickle slices, and a packet of Dave’s Sauce. Make a little sandwich and you’ve got a damn nice snack for 3 bucks.

Cons: You can pick your heat level and I went with medium, which I thought was brave of me (I’m a mild kinda gal). It really wasn’t terribly spicy. If you’re a heat-seeker, get one of the more aggressive heat levels or you might be disappointed.

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.