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When you are traveling in Italy, you eat pasta. When in Mexico, tacos. When in Japan, sushi. You’re dining in a land that houses the finest the world has to offer, there’s really no reason or excuse to do otherwise.

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When you are at Big Orange, you eat burgers. Or at least that was my general attitude about the place until only recently. Sure, you accent your beef-and-bun with their exemplary fries, sweet shakes, creative cocktails, etc.—but it always comes back to burgers.

Well that’s not exactly true, it turns out, as I recently discovered on a recent return visit to one of Arkansas’s most acclaimed restaurants. My colleague, Michael Roberts, once touted the merits of Big Orange’s “Southern Chicken Sandwich,” but I brushed that little tip away to back of my mind. “Who in their right mind passes up an all-natural burger of Creekstone Premium Black Angus beef?” Not I. It had been done before, I assumed, but not by this burger boy. I stuck with what I trusted and loved.

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That is, until I recently ventured out and braved the perilous poultry. Quickly, I realized what I had been missing, and I humbly, silently repented of my misgivings.

The Southern Chicken sandwich is a behemoth of beautiful, boneless, breaded chicken. It starts with a few of their plump, juicy, white meat chicken strips—some of the most sizable strips I’ve ever seen. They come out crispy and blisteringly hot…so fresh-from-the-fryer they should probably come with a disclaimer addressing their excessive temperature. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but perhaps you should preceed cautiously when digging in to avoid scalding the roof of your mouth.

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They utilize their signature bun, which I’ve always approved of, but it is rather soft and is best eaten quickly to avoid excessive sogginess and fall-apart. Dill pickle, butter leaf lettuce, and sliced tomato join the party. Dill pickle, I’ve always felt, is essential to any fried chicken sandwich, offering a nice sharp briny counterpoint to the salty, meaty chicken. They finish with their signature “BOB sauce,” a creamy concotion that offers a bit more spice and tang than your average mayo. It complements each of the inner components perfectly.

Now that I realize what I’ve been missing by venturing outside of my personal fortress of beef, I may have to go completely bonkers and sample some of their other non-cow combinations. Turkey? Or (gasp!) veggie burger? My future is full of exciting opportunites. Thank you, once again, Big Orange.

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