The art of preparing chicken is something Brine Chicken in Fair Lawn takes seriously. As soon as their delivery of fresh chicken arrives, they begin brining it for 24 hours. After that, the meat rests for another 12 hours before the team fire grills it. They say this signature process helps make their chicken juicy and flavorful, separating them from the pack.
Brine Chicken is an elevated fast-casual restaurant in the Fair Lawn Promenade Shopping Center. While the original location is in New York City, this is their first NJ location. CEO and Owner Dan Mezzalingua thinks the location is great due to the high foot traffic. “It’s like a town center; people congregate there,” he says of the shopping center.
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A Menu that Matches the Mood
The setup at Brine Chicken is purposefully designed to match the menu that is made in-house and made-to-order. “Décor is important since it sets the tone of how people view your food,” Dan says. “It’s very nice, comforting, and organic looking inside. We want people to understand that the décor matches the food and its high quality.”
The most popular item on the Brine Chicken menu is their flagship fire-grilled chicken. Joseph LoNigro, executive chef, COO, and partner, came up with the chicken tenders recipe. The signature style offers crunchy chicken with skin that doesn’t fall off. Salads are also popular, with varieties like Greek or spicy chicken. Side options include fries, roasted beets, grilled sweet potato, charred broccoli, and grilled coleslaw.
Patrons looking for a quick lunch can check out their selection of bowls. For instance, the Charred Bowl has pulled chicken, charred broccoli, charred sweet potato, coconut brown rice, and their signature sauce. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Bowl offers grilled chicken breast, kale and romaine mix, brown rice, pickled red onion, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, goat cheese tzatziki, and feta.
All sauces are original creations by Joseph. Popular picks include blackened chili garlic, buttermilk red, buttermilk green, honey mustard, and charred jalapeno. “People want us to bottle the honey mustard,” Dan says.
About the Owner
Prior to Brine Chicken, Dan was in the tech industry. But it’s a dream come true to open his own chicken spot. “I always felt chicken was dry until I had brined chicken, and it was juicy and amazing,” he says. “I never heard of doing it that way and it stuck with me.”
Serious about running his business right, he took a business course on restaurant entrepreneurship at the Institute of Culinary Education. After creating a business plan, he interned – in his 40s! – at a restaurant group in New York City. After some real-world experience, he opened the New York location of Brine Chicken in 2018 with Joseph. They hope to open a third location in New Jersey by the end of 2024.
Visit Brine Chicken at 3110 Promenade Blvd in Fair Lawn. Look for them online to learn more.
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Brine Chicken FAQs
No, they do not accept reservations.
Yes, they do have gluten-free options.
Brine Chicken offers vegetarian options yes.
They do offer takeout, yes.
Yes, they offer delivery through Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Doordash.
No, they don’t serve alcohol.
Yes, they have a kids’ menu.
All Photos: © Brine Chicken
