The new mozzarella side extends Crimson Coward’s heat-focused menu, pairing a familiar comfort-food format with the brand’s Nashville-style chicken offer.
Crimson Coward Nashville Hot Chicken is adding Cheez Nugs to its permanent menu across all operational restaurants, giving the fast-casual brand a new side built around whole-milk mozzarella and its signature spice tiers. The Downey, California-based company describes the bite-sized nuggets as a pairing for its hand-breaded, cooked-to-order Nashville-style chicken. Available from September 18, 2026, the item broadens the menu beyond chicken while keeping heat customisation at the centre of the offer.
Cheez Nugs are made with 100% whole-milk mozzarella and coated in a golden, herb-seasoned breadcrumb crust before being fried to order. Each order comes with a choice of Crimson Sauce or cool ranch, positioning the product as either a standalone side or an accompaniment to the brand’s chicken dishes. Crimson Coward says the nuggets are intended to provide a creamy counterpoint to its proprietary spice profiles, rather than replace the core hot-chicken proposition.
The product is available for dine-in, takeout, mobile-app ordering and third-party delivery at Crimson Coward locations in California, Washington, Texas, Maryland and Virginia. Customers can also place the nuggets inside the brand’s sandwiches, sliders and wraps. The menu addition is designed to work across five heat tiers: Country, Mild, Medium, Hot and BURRRRN, BABY, BURN, giving the same side a role across the full range of spice levels.
Crimson Coward founder and chief executive Ali Hijazi links the new item to the company’s broader emphasis on certified Halal chicken and side innovations. The brand says the milk fats in whole-milk mozzarella bind to capsaicin molecules, creating what it calls a palate-soothing effect between hotter bites. That explanation supports the product’s positioning as a heat-management option while also presenting it as a textural contrast through its crisp coating and melted centre.
Founded in 2019, Crimson Coward Nashville Hot Chicken operates through a multi-unit franchise model and says it is expanding beyond its current states, with stores planned for Delaware and Florida. Cheez Nugs gives the chain a relatively simple way to add variety without moving away from its established chicken-and-spice format. The launch therefore reflects a menu-extension strategy focused on additional occasions and combinations within the existing brand experience.
