Popular Fried Chicken Joint Expanding to Aurora

"We were restaurant kids," says Ivy Pham, who opened Kickin Chicken with her brother, John, in a former Subway location at 275 South Union Boulevard in Lakewood in 2020.

The two grew up in their mom's pho restaurants — one of which was located near their own fried chicken joint, which has proven to be popular in an area of Lakewood otherwise filled with national fast-food chains. "The community has been the backbone in all of this. They've just been there for us when we're at our highs but even when we've had low points, like when we experienced vandalism," notes Ivy, referring to multiple incidents of rocks being thrown through the restaurant's windows.

Now the siblings are getting ready to open a second Kickin Chicken in another location near one of the restaurants their mom ran when they were younger. It's currently in the final stages of construction and set to debut in early 2025 at 13650 East Colfax Avenue in Aurora, across the street from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The space is double the size of the original location, but most of that is storage and kitchen space, which will help streamline operations at both outposts.
"We're hoping to create the same sense of community in Aurora that we found [in Lakewood]," Ivy says. "We're familiar with that area, and we just see the growth that Aurora has been having specifically in that area, and we think our concept will fit really well with the demographic."

A restaurant consultant before launching her own venture, Ivy saw many eateries creating overly complicated menus. For Kickin Chicken, she took a different approach: "Chicken is something people are familiar with, but we're putting a twist on our menu. ... We have one protein choice — the idea behind it is to do it simple but do it well. Everything is marinated fresh daily, everything is cut fresh daily."

The lineup includes four entrees all priced under $14: three chicken tenders with a choice of two dipping sauces; a chicken sandwich made with a fried chicken thigh, sauce and slaw on Texas toast; chicken tenders with a cheddar jalapeño bubble waffle; and chicken katsu over fried rice with mac salad. "They're all pretty equally popular," says Ivy. "I think there's something for everybody here."
Other add-ons include Thai iced tea and Vietnamese coffee; sides such as Mexican street corn and Vietnamese slaw; egg rolls; and, for dessert, churro bites with cream cheese filling or raisin rum bread pudding. The menu will be the same at the Aurora location.

"After the past several years, we've really dialed in our processes and made sure things are consistent. I think we're finally ready to grow into our second location. Obviously, there's going to be a big learning curve now operating multiple units," Ivy says.

"It's gonna be a lot of work," John adds with a laugh.

But, notes Ivy, "Something we're really proud of is being family- and locally owned." And this new location is something the family is excited to celebrate.

For more information about Kickin Chicken, visit kickinchickenrestaurant.com.