With the pandemic dominating the news cycle last year, I frequently found myself wishing for happier,
simpler times. While it seems a distant memory, perhaps you recall the great Chicken Sandwich War
that started the summer of 2019. Popeyes fired the first shot with their crispy chicken sandwich, leading
to record sales, shortages, and lines to try to be among the privileged few who got their hands on one.
Sensing an opportunity, many other fast food chains followed suit with their own variation – KFC,
McDonald’s, Shake Shack, and more — all came out with a fried chicken sandwich on a soft bun with
pickles and a flavorful sauce or glaze (Shake Shack wins creativity points for going an international
direction with their Korean-style sandwich featuring gochujang, a delicious sauce made of fermented
red chili paste).

Yes, I watched as each of these were released on the American public and, yes, I devoured every one of
them. I’m not going to tell you which was the best, that’s not the point of this article (and, if you’re
going to get non-food truck chicken sandwiches in Utah, you shouldn’t be hitting up fast food anyway.
Go to Pretty Bird in SLC or Lovebirds in Provo.) What is the point, is that there’s a food truck right here
in Utah that does the fried chicken sandwich better than any of those large corporate behemoths. That
food truck is the Cluck Truck.

The Cluck Truck is run by husband and wife duo Phill and Gentry. Gentry worked as a real estate agent
and Phill worked for ten years in the restaurant business before deciding to buy a truck, hit the road,
and start slinging sinfully juicy fried chicken. Talking with Phill, his passion for good food is apparent, as
is his excitement to be sharing his chicken with the masses. Sales were initially impacted by the
pandemic, though business is booming again and they’re scheduled at various locations every day
through September.

The Cluck Truck’s menu is largely composed of wraps – all containing chicken, of course. They also have
a couple specials each day, as well as chicken tenders and fries. The magic is in how they prepare their
chicken. It’s brined for 24 hours, then dredged in a unique mix of cornflakes, sesame seeds, and secret
spices. The result is a crispy, heavily textured crust with steaming, juicy chicken on the inside. Of course,
I had to try their original wrap – the bedrock of their menu. In addition to chicken, the wrap contains
mango jalapeno slaw and a chipotle lime sauce.

The wrap was good, but what really wowed me was their crispy chicken sandwich. It’s not on their
standard menu but it’s a frequent addition to their daily specials. It’s made through the same brining,
dredging, and frying as the rest of their chicken, but this time they use the more flavorful chicken thigh,
slap it on a soft and buttery toasted brioche bun, and top it with mayo, pickles, and slaw. Their
ingredients are sourced locally – the chicken, the tortillas, the bun, even their Cajun seasoning. Every
bite of the sandwich was delicious – crisp, hot, juicy, and flavorful. I ordered it spicy and, while definitely
not Nashville chicken hot, which isn’t what they’re going for anyway, it left my lips pleasantly tingly. I
was tempted to buy a second. And the Cajun fries that accompanied it, dipped in fry sauce, were
perfect.

Know Before You Go: Like most food trucks, the Cluck Truck is mobile, so check online to see where
they’re at or where they’re going to be. Their truck advertises the website cluckingdelicious.com (and
they are clucking delicious), but their current website at the time of this writing is
www.clucktruckutah.com. They were named Best Food Truck in 2020 by City Weekly. Be sure to ask
about the specials and get the sandwich if you can – you won’t regret it!