Popular ABQ food truck opens first restaurant location

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Fried chicken lovers rejoice! The makers of Tikka Spice are now cooking up Nashville hot chicken with a Pakistani twist at their new restaurant.

The restaurant is called Kukri Chicken and is set to open this week at the 505 Central Food Hall.

"Kukri means skinny chicken in my language," explained owner Basit Gauba.

There’s the yogurt-based marinade and, "we use our spices and throw a New Mexican twist on it too," Gauba described. "We’re incorporating green chili into some of these recipes."

It’s the second time the Tikka Spice world has expanded. In October, they got a second food truck.

"The local community here they’ve shown so much support to us," Gauba said. "We are known for our chicken sandwich…burgers, and curry. So our chicken sandwich is our top selling item. So I figured we’ll do a spin off of that and start doing tenders."

These tenders pack a lot of heat.

"For the really daring daring, I would recommend the extra hot," Gauba warned. "For the crazy people, I recommend the insane hot."

Tuesday, Jan. 11th, is the grand opening at 505 Central Food Hall. Those who follow Kukri Chicken’s social media account can get a free item on opening day while supplies last.

"It’s a simple menu. So we have our two tenders that come on Texas Toast and it comes with a set of slaw and our signature Tikka sauce that we serve on our food truck, and then our Kukri sandwich," Gauba listed.

They’re also hiring!