If one thing is true, it’s that Torontonians are ever keen to mow down on fried chicken. The latest eatery to prove this point is P.G Clucks. Since flinging open the doors of this pocket-sized takeout counter, owner Pawel Grezlikowski has been feeding mountains of fried bird to a happy crowd. “Everyone loves fried chicken, right?” says Grezlikowski, laughing.
True meathead
Grezlikowski has been working with meat for a long time. Known for Hogtown Charcuterie, his farmers’ market mainstay, Grezlikowski originally intended to open up a shop devoted to various kinds of sandwiches.
But after landing the teeny College Street space (he’s pals with the also new Birreria Volo guys next door), Grezlikowski realized that the food target would have to be honed to reflect the space. Endless prep simply wasn’t feasible, so in the end, fried chicken was pretty much a no-brainer.
Sweet satisfaction
Despite being a connoisseur of meats, Grezlikowski claims no such thing when it comes to sweets. Fortunately, his girlfriend Stephanie Forgione is a pastry chef, so he was given a crash course in crullers — a key component in the jalapeno and honey sandwich ($7).
Creating the crullers involves making a choux paste, piping it into rounds on parchment paper and finally dropping them into a fryer. The result is a light-as-air pastry that gets added sweetness from a honey glaze.
That bird
However, it’s the fried chicken that’s the star of the show. After being brined for an entire day in a lemon-herb bath, the chicken is drenched in buttermilk for six hours. It’s then dredged in flour twice and finally thrown into the deep fryer. The pieces emerge shatteringly crisp and golden and are smothered in honey before hitting the sandwich.
Finishing touches
For the sammie, a cruller is cut in half and loaded up with sweet pickled jalapenos. A fermented jalapeno sauce is slathered on the bird along with their buttermilk ranch sauce for some creaminess. Et voila! The sandwich is done.
“It’s like a fast-food place,” notes Grezlikowski, “but we take time to make everything. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
P.G. Clucks, 610 College St.
