Sweet Radish: They’ve Mastered the Chicken and The Sauce

There are a few things I wish Everett had more of, one of them is good fried chicken. We’ve tried a few places but have not been overwhelmed with the available choices. Fried chicken can’t have more breading than meat, it can’t be overly greasy, and it must have good flavor. Additionally, it can’t be fried in oil that is dirty or that is also used to fry fish. I want my fried chicken to taste like chicken, not fisken. (Yeah, I just made that up.)

So when I stumbled across a place in south Everett called Sweet Radish Hand Breaded Chicken, I knew I had to try it. Nestled at the west end of the Safeway shopping complex on 128th, it is easy to miss this tiny eatery. Formerly known as 9 Delicacies, the restaurant was recently rebranded to narrow the focus to hand-breaded fried chicken.

It’s way back in the corner // Rachel Weatherholt

The menu is simple: a handful of fried chicken sandwiches, two Bulgogi burgers, another handful of fried chicken combos, affordable family combos, kid's meals, sides, platters, and a few drinks. All at very affordable prices.

The boyfriend and I decided to try two of their chicken sandwiches and, being the spice lovers that we are, he ordered the Sweet N’ Spicy and I ordered the Hotlapeno. The combos come with a side of waffle fries and their signature Sweet Radish sauce for dipping. No beverage. They do offer canned soda, sweet iced tea, and Watermelonade, which I am kicking myself for not ordering. I’m gonna use that as my excuse to go back for more.

Seating in the small restaurant is meager: one small 4-top and one much larger table that was occupied at the time we visited. It is definitely more suited to take-out. We got our order and skedaddled home to north Everett, excited to dig in, being tormented by the delicious smells the entire drive home.

I’ll start tempting you with the boyfriend’s Sweet N’ Spicy sandwich. It comes topped with radish chips, cabbage slaw, sweet n’ spicy sauce, and that nearly indescribable Sweet Radish sauce. The fried chicken was not too thick or large and fit the bun well, it was ultra-crispy but not greasy. The slaw lent a different type of crunch than the chicken itself and the sweet n’ spicy sauce was similar in texture to a sweet and sour sauce but darker and bursting with flavor. The radish chips were an interesting addition but while there wasn’t much to them, they didn’t detract from the overall experience and flavor of the sandwich. Or maybe I just didn’t get a lot of them in the one bite the boyfriend allowed me.

The Sweet N’ Spicy // Rachel Weatherholt

Moving on to the Hotlapeno. Holy wowzers, this sandwich lives up to its name! It comes topped with a hot Seoul sauce, pickled jalapeños, cabbage slaw, and honey mayo. I’m not too proud to let y’all know that I picked the jalapenos off after the first few bites made my eyelids sweat. Even without the jalapenos, there was tons of heat and flavor. The Seoul hot sauce is similar to a buffalo sauce but worlds better and far less vinegary, I would probably buy this by the bottle. I think the honey mayo was intended to help tame the heat but it didn’t work. It did help round out the flavor of the sandwich though, making it one that I didn’t want to put down.

The Hotlapeno is no joke hot // Rachel Weatherholt

I will also throw out there that these were messy. I had Seoul sauce mixed with slaw sauce mixed with mayo running down my arms, but ohhh it was a tasty mess. Just make sure to have lots of napkins and maybe a few wet washcloths.

Their signature Sweet Radish dipping sauce was interesting and so very difficult to describe. It reminded me of a mix between a creamy sauce and a sugary sauce like a sweet and sour. It was sweet but tangy, but not like a vinegar tang though. I have been trying to accurately describe it but my words are failing me. It did pair very well with the waffle fries though.

I’m already planning our next trip: Watermelonade, more fried chicken, and sides. Like the Butter Toast that looks like a toasted, buttered, possibly herbed bun, and the Brussel Sprout Chips. Maybe a side of Creamy Macaroni. And more of that indescribable, yummy Sweet Radish sauce, please!