Chicken Heat to bring spicy Nashville fried chicken sandwiches to Des Moines

Chicken Heat is Des Moines' newest food truck dedicated to bringing an actually spicy chicken sandwich to the metro.

The inspiration: Peter Cooper's first bite of a Nashville hot chicken sandwich in Austin.

• The crispy, spicy fillet and pillowy buns moved him enough to make his own version for Des Moines.
• "I understand that you have your Popeyes and your McDonald's, but those are regular chicken sandwiches," Cooper said.

How it works: What makes a Nashville hot so tasty are the seasonings and the extremely important "dunk."

• Cooper's truck will offer four spice-dunk levels, ranging from mild to ghost-pepper.
• He combines his special blend of seasonings, pours in a bit of hot grease and then dunks his floured chicken into the bowl.
• Fries are available with the same spice-dunk options too.

Open April 1: 11am to 10:30pm; Monday-Saturday and every other Sunday; 3301 E. 14th Street, Des Moines.

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