It's so much easier when the barbecue comes to me! I've been searching for an opportunity to test out the Thunderbird food truck and their enticing smoked chicken. This endeavor took a little more effort than anticipated, but I eventually tracked them down.
A few weeks ago, I made my first attempt to enjoy Thunderbird's poultry. According to their official website and their Facebook feed, Thunderbird was setting up shop at the partially-completed ONEC1TY Nashville, which I say as if I had even the slightest idea what ONEC1TY is. From what I could find online, this sustainably-designed complex is "a vibrant urban community...that will serve as a center of technology-enabled commercial, residential, research and retail activity catering to the idea that mindful healthy living can be made easy." Translation: some feel-good millennial hipster crap. Not exactly the kind of place that you'd expect to find barbecue chicken, but I go where the smoke takes me.
I drove and walked around the advertised 8 City Boulevard location for half an hour, but there was no sign of their truck anywhere. Finally I gave up and snagged a sandwich to salvage the few remaining minutes of my lunch break. After commenting on Thunderbird's Facebook page to vent my frustrations, they responded promptly and apologized profusely. Apparently they had been required to set up off of another entrance to the ONEC1TY compound, far removed from the actual address they had posted for lunch service. They also mentioned that they had arrived to that spot at 11:30am, although both their website and Facebook post confirmed an 11:00am scheduled start time. Thunderbird offered to comp my lunch if/when I came back to try them another day, which I certainly appreciated, but that's not how I roll.
Thunderbird was slated for another lunch service at ONEC1TY Nashville today. Armed with the newfound knowledge that 8 City Boulevard really means a parking lot sort of nearby 8 City Boulevard, and that 11:00am means 11:30am, I decided to give the Thunderbird truck another go.
Unable to decide between the Thunder Thighs and the Thunder Wings, I did the only sensible thing and ordered a couple of each, as well as a side of the Smoked Mac and Cheese. These three items are all smoked over pecan wood, and that was readily apparent. The delicious smoky aroma permeated my truck instantly and drew the envy of my coworkers upon my return. Within minutes of sitting down at my cubicle, I had several of them peeking over the top like Wilson from Home Improvement.
I was initially unsure about the identity of the peppers protruding from my helping of macaroni, but one bite was more than enough to confirm that these were definitely jalapeños. The creamy cheese within helped to temper the heat somewhat, and the crusty melted cheddar on top had absorbed a good deal of the pecan smoke. While this wasn't your standard "comfort food" mac and cheese, it was immensely tasty and a welcome addition to the plate.
The crispy skin on my meat was so dark and black from the smoke that I almost didn't believe it was chicken. Both the wings and thighs were heavily seasoned, with a clear emphasis on pepper. I found the chicken to be an interesting combination of smoky, spicy, and sweet. The sweetness in particular was a surprise, with the overall the flavors being spicy but well-balanced. Every single bite of this yardbird was moist and super juicy, particularly the dark meat thighs. I found myself longing for some Alabama white sauce, if for no other reason than to render assistance to my burning tongue.
So, in the end, was Thunderbird's smoked chicken worth all of the extra effort? You're darn right it was!
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Thunderbird
Nashville, TN
(615) 601-2750
https://www.thunderbirdwings.com/
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