Dave’s Hot Chicken Menu With Prices

This is our complete guide to the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu with prices for October 2026. Dave’s started in 2017 as a parking-lot pop-up in East Hollywood and has grown into one of the fastest-growing chicken chains in the US. The menu is famous for being small — almost everything is built from the same hand-breaded chicken tender — so the real choices are how many pieces you want, whether you want a slider or a tender, and how hot you can handle it. Below you will find every item with typical prices, official calories, the full spice level guide and money-saving tips.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Menu Prices at a Glance

Here is a quick overview of the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu with prices for the most popular orders:

Dave’s Hot Chicken Spice Levels

Every tender, slider and order of Bites on the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu is seasoned to the spice level you choose. Dave’s uses its own spice blends, and the heat climbs quickly after Medium:

If it is your first visit, most fans recommend Mild or Medium. You can also order a mixed meal — for example one Medium tender and one Hot tender — to compare levels.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Tenders

The tender is the core of the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu: a large, hand-breaded chicken breast tender fried and coated in your chosen spice. Tenders are served on white bread with pickles and a side of Dave’s Sauce.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Sliders

A Dave’s slider is a whole hot chicken tender on a toasted potato bun with kale slaw, pickles and Dave’s Sauce. It is the best-known item on the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu and a good choice if you want a sandwich instead of bread on the side.

Slider & tender combos

The most popular meals mix and match sliders and tenders and come with crinkle-cut fries. Common choices include 2 sliders with fries, 1 slider and 1 tender with fries, and 2 tenders with fries. Some locations also sell Mini Sliders — four small sliders on potato buns — which launched at about $7.49 alone or $10.49 with fries.

Dave’s Bites & Hot Box

Dave’s Bites are bite-size pieces of hot chicken, added to the menu in 2024. They come in a 10-piece order, on their own or with fries, and are a cheaper way to try Dave’s. For groups, the 40-piece Bites Hot Box is built for sharing.

Sides, Sauces & Extras

Sides at Dave’s are simple and designed to cool you down between bites of spicy chicken. Many fans add cheese fries or mac & cheese to a combo.

Top-Loaded Fries are fries topped with cheese sauce, pickles, kale slaw, pieces of Dave’s Bites and a drizzle of Dave’s Sauce. They come in small, regular and large sizes.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Shakes & Drinks

Shakes are the classic way to cool off after a Hot or Reaper tender. Dave’s typically offers vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and cookies-and-cream style shakes, with flavors varying by location. You can also order fountain drinks and bottled water.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Kids Menu

The Kids Meal typically costs about $6.99 and includes one tender (usually No Spice), a side and a small drink. Because the No Spice level has no chili heat, Dave’s works for families even if the adults order Hot.

Catering & Party Packs

Dave’s offers catering and large-order packs at many locations, including tender and slider packs and the 40-piece Bites Hot Box. Spice levels can be mixed so everyone gets the heat they like. Catering prices are set by each location, so check the Dave’s Hot Chicken app or website for your nearest restaurant.

What Is Nashville Hot Chicken?

Nashville hot chicken is fried chicken that is coated in a spicy paste or oil made with cayenne pepper and other spices right after frying. It is traditionally served on white bread with pickles, which soak up the spicy oil and cool the heat. The style comes from Nashville, Tennessee, where it has been served for decades. Dave’s follows the same idea but uses chicken tenders instead of bone-in pieces, which makes the food easier to eat on the go and keeps the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu short and fast.

Tips for Handling the Heat

• Start one level lower than you think you need – Dave’s levels are hotter than many chains’.
• Order a shake or mac & cheese; dairy helps cool chili heat better than soda or water.
• Eat the pickles and bread with each bite – they are there to balance the spice.
• Use kale slaw as a cooling side between bites.
• Avoid touching your eyes after eating Hot, Extra Hot or Reaper chicken, and wash your hands well.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Deals & Rewards

Dave’s does not run a big national value menu, but there are still ways to save:

• Join the Dave’s Hot Chicken rewards program in the app to earn points on every order and unlock free items.
• Choose a combo instead of ordering chicken, fries and a drink separately – it is usually cheaper.
• Try Dave’s Bites with fries (about $9.99) for a lower-cost meal.
• Look for local app offers and limited-time promotions, which vary by restaurant.
• Order pickup instead of delivery to avoid higher prices and fees.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Menu Compared With Other Chicken Chains

Compared with big chicken chains, the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu is much smaller and more focused on spice. Chains such as KFC or Popeyes sell bone-in chicken, sandwiches and many sides, and Raising Cane’s focuses on plain chicken fingers with one signature sauce. Dave’s, by contrast, builds almost everything from one spicy tender and lets you control the heat with seven spice levels.

Prices at Dave’s are a little higher than at many fast-food chicken chains because each tender is large and made to order. A 2-tender combo with fries and a drink typically costs $12.99 to $13.49, which is closer to fast-casual prices than to a traditional value meal. Many customers find one slider and one tender with fries is enough for a full meal.

When you order for a group, it helps to mix spice levels: get most of the chicken at No Spice or Mild so everyone can eat it, and add a smaller tray of Hot or Extra Hot for the spice lovers. Ask for extra Dave’s Sauce, pickles and bread on the side, and plan on roughly two pieces of chicken per adult. Large orders can take longer to prepare, so place catering and Hot Box orders ahead of time through the app or by calling your local restaurant, especially for game days and weekends when the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu is busiest.

Sample Orders by Budget

Not sure how much to spend? These sample orders from the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu show what a typical meal costs at different budgets (before tax and tip):

Is Dave’s Hot Chicken Worth It?

For most hot chicken fans, yes. Each tender is large, juicy and freshly fried, and the spice blends have real flavor rather than just heat. The trade-off is price: Dave’s costs more than traditional fast-food chicken, and the menu has few non-chicken options. If you want the best value, share a larger combo, add one side for the table, or try Dave’s Bites with fries for a smaller meal. If you are sensitive to spice, stay at No Spice, Lite Mild or Mild — the chicken is still well seasoned and crispy.

Best Items to Try on the Dave’s Hot Chicken Menu

• 1 slider and 1 tender with fries – the easiest way to try both signature items.
• 2 sliders at Medium – the classic order for first-timers who like some heat.
• Cheese fries – a popular upgrade over regular fries.
• Dave’s Bites with fries – the best-value way to try Dave’s for under $10.
• A shake – strongly recommended if you go Hot, Extra Hot or Reaper.

How to Order From the Dave’s Hot Chicken Menu

• Choose your item: sliders, tenders, a mix of both, or Dave’s Bites.
• Pick your spice level for each piece – from No Spice up to Reaper.
• Add fries, cheese fries, mac & cheese or kale slaw, or make it a combo with a drink.
• Order in store, through the Dave’s Hot Chicken app, or on a delivery app.

Ordering in the app lets you see the exact Dave’s Hot Chicken menu prices for your local restaurant and collect rewards on every order. Delivery apps usually charge higher prices plus service and delivery fees.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Nutrition & Allergens

Calories for every item are listed in the tables above. Spice level changes the calories slightly: choosing Mild to Reaper adds around 60 calories per tender or slider compared with No Spice or Lite Mild, because of the extra spiced oil. For full nutrition and allergen details, see the official Dave’s Hot Chicken nutrition information. The lightest meal is a single No Spice tender with kale slaw (about 760 calories).

About Dave’s Hot Chicken

Dave’s Hot Chicken was founded in 2017 by four childhood friends who started selling Nashville hot chicken from a parking lot in East Hollywood, California, with about $900, portable fryers and folding tables. Long lines and social media buzz turned it into a franchise brand with hundreds of locations across the US and abroad. In 2025, private equity firm Roark Capital agreed to buy a majority stake in the company.

Even as the brand has grown, the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu has stayed almost the same as it was in the parking-lot days: tenders, sliders, fries, mac & cheese, kale slaw and shakes. New items such as Dave’s Bites, Top-Loaded Fries and Hot Mozz are built on the same recipes, so the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu still feels focused. That simple approach is a big reason the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu is easy to order from, even on your first visit.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Hours, Delivery & Locations

Many Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants stay open late, especially on weekends, but hours vary by location. You can order pickup in the Dave’s app and get delivery through third-party apps. Prices change by city and state — read more about why restaurant menu prices vary by location.

Dave’s Hot Chicken Menu FAQs

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