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Deccan Bites upgrades fast food chicken in Scripps Ranch
Bone-in bird, Indian sauces, and a pressure fryer makes the place crispier and tastier
The all day combo, with one leg, one thigh, a side of fries and a drink
As I pulled into the parking lot of the new fried chicken spot Deccan Bites, I started kicking myself. Because I was realizing that it hadn't even been a year and a half since I pulled into this same Scripps Ranch parking lot, to walk into this same cube of a storefront, to try...a new fast-food chicken spot. Did I really forget I've already written about this place?
Nope. More like the restaurant business really is that brutal. Back in late '23, this was an outpost of the still-new chicken and waffle concept: Big Cheech’s Chicken N’ Waffles. But Big Cheech didn't even make it two years.
Still a fast food fried chicken spot, but now with an Indian twist
So what are the odds a different fried chicken spot will survive in the same location?
Well, if quality has anything to do with anything, they're pretty good. Because Deccan Bites definitely fries a better chicken. As I noted back in 2023, Big Cheech's focused on boneless tenders, rather than bone-in chicken, serving its bird on small sliders, with waffles, or as sliders made with waffles instead of buns.
A locally-owned fast food joint in Scripps Ranch
Deccan Bites also serves boneless tenders, as well as the style of fried chicken sandwiches known as zinger burgers (more on that later). However, its signature offerings are fried chicken legs and thighs. Or technically, what it advertises as "broast chicken."
Broast chicken clearly gets its name from a portmanteau of broil and roast, but what the goofy name really means is that it was made in a Broaster, which is a pressure fryer invented in the 1950s. In fact, it's the very chicken frying technology that makes both KFC and Chik-Fil-A possible. Like home pressure cookers, it speeds up the cooking process, resulting in less oily — and therefore crispier — fried chicken.
Fried chicken take-out served in a box (large buckets also available)
Juicier, too. Anyone who cooks chicken regularly knows that bone-in cuts are less likely to dry out, and that dark meat stays juicier and more flavorful than chicken breasts. Which is to say, Deccan Bites' decision to offer boxes ($17) and buckets ($35) of broasted legs and thighs (and not breasts) demonstrates a commitment to fast food fried chicken excellence.
Now, anyone who's studied geography might know that the name Deccan refers to the Deccan Plateau, the humungous landmass that makes up the entire inland portion of the Indian peninsula—a big, upside-down triangle on the world map. Apparently, broasted chicken is quite popular in India and Pakistan — and yes, this is a South Asian fried chicken restaurant. (The bird's even Halal.)
You might not guess it from trying the restaurant's Original Broaster Chicken ($17), which is not heavily seasoned, and is instead served with a garlic dipping sauce. However, it becomes apparent if you opt for Hot Masala version, or bypass the garlic in favor of the tandoori spiced dipping sauce.
The "zinger burger" is really a fried chicken sandwich that became popular in South Asia and the Middle East before KFC introduced it here.
You'll see similar options at play with Deccan's Zinger Burgers ($11). As mentioned earlier, these aren't burgers as we think of them, but rather, fried chicken breast sandwiches. Some of you may be thinking: isn't the Zinger a KFC chicken sandwich? The answer is yes — but apparently, this sandwich was served for years in South Asia before it was introduced to the American market. And according to several internet sources I've found, it became so popular over there that in Pakistan, the word "burger" is synonymous with "zinger."
All I can tell you from my own experience is that the fried leg and thigh in my all-day combo (two pieces of chicken with a side and drink, $14) tasted better than the fried breast on my sandwich. And that all of the above tasted better than the fare from the fast-food predecessor at this address, even if you don't embrace the shop's Indian flavors.
Whether Deccan Bites makes it past the two-year mark will probably be up to the hungry people who live in and around Scripps Ranch. But if you're reading this and you live elsewhere, you could do worse than to take a trip and do your part to help keep a small business alive.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Deccan Bites upgrades fast food chicken in Scripps Ranch
Bone-in bird, Indian sauces, and a pressure fryer makes the place crispier and tastier
Deccan Bites upgrades fast food chicken in Scripps Ranch
Bone-in bird, Indian sauces, and a pressure fryer makes the place crispier and tastier
The all day combo, with one leg, one thigh, a side of fries and a drink
As I pulled into the parking lot of the new fried chicken spot Deccan Bites, I started kicking myself. Because I was realizing that it hadn't even been a year and a half since I pulled into this same Scripps Ranch parking lot, to walk into this same cube of a storefront, to try...a new fast-food chicken spot. Did I really forget I've already written about this place?
Nope. More like the restaurant business really is that brutal. Back in late '23, this was an outpost of the still-new chicken and waffle concept: Big Cheech’s Chicken N’ Waffles. But Big Cheech didn't even make it two years.
Still a fast food fried chicken spot, but now with an Indian twist
So what are the odds a different fried chicken spot will survive in the same location?
Well, if quality has anything to do with anything, they're pretty good. Because Deccan Bites definitely fries a better chicken. As I noted back in 2023, Big Cheech's focused on boneless tenders, rather than bone-in chicken, serving its bird on small sliders, with waffles, or as sliders made with waffles instead of buns.
A locally-owned fast food joint in Scripps Ranch
Deccan Bites also serves boneless tenders, as well as the style of fried chicken sandwiches known as zinger burgers (more on that later). However, its signature offerings are fried chicken legs and thighs. Or technically, what it advertises as "broast chicken."
Broast chicken clearly gets its name from a portmanteau of broil and roast, but what the goofy name really means is that it was made in a Broaster, which is a pressure fryer invented in the 1950s. In fact, it's the very chicken frying technology that makes both KFC and Chik-Fil-A possible. Like home pressure cookers, it speeds up the cooking process, resulting in less oily — and therefore crispier — fried chicken.
Fried chicken take-out served in a box (large buckets also available)
Juicier, too. Anyone who cooks chicken regularly knows that bone-in cuts are less likely to dry out, and that dark meat stays juicier and more flavorful than chicken breasts. Which is to say, Deccan Bites' decision to offer boxes ($17) and buckets ($35) of broasted legs and thighs (and not breasts) demonstrates a commitment to fast food fried chicken excellence.
Now, anyone who's studied geography might know that the name Deccan refers to the Deccan Plateau, the humungous landmass that makes up the entire inland portion of the Indian peninsula—a big, upside-down triangle on the world map. Apparently, broasted chicken is quite popular in India and Pakistan — and yes, this is a South Asian fried chicken restaurant. (The bird's even Halal.)
You might not guess it from trying the restaurant's Original Broaster Chicken ($17), which is not heavily seasoned, and is instead served with a garlic dipping sauce. However, it becomes apparent if you opt for Hot Masala version, or bypass the garlic in favor of the tandoori spiced dipping sauce.
The "zinger burger" is really a fried chicken sandwich that became popular in South Asia and the Middle East before KFC introduced it here.
You'll see similar options at play with Deccan's Zinger Burgers ($11). As mentioned earlier, these aren't burgers as we think of them, but rather, fried chicken breast sandwiches. Some of you may be thinking: isn't the Zinger a KFC chicken sandwich? The answer is yes — but apparently, this sandwich was served for years in South Asia before it was introduced to the American market. And according to several internet sources I've found, it became so popular over there that in Pakistan, the word "burger" is synonymous with "zinger."
All I can tell you from my own experience is that the fried leg and thigh in my all-day combo (two pieces of chicken with a side and drink, $14) tasted better than the fried breast on my sandwich. And that all of the above tasted better than the fare from the fast-food predecessor at this address, even if you don't embrace the shop's Indian flavors.
Whether Deccan Bites makes it past the two-year mark will probably be up to the hungry people who live in and around Scripps Ranch. But if you're reading this and you live elsewhere, you could do worse than to take a trip and do your part to help keep a small business alive.