la.foodblogging

So this week I began working freelance in The San Fernando Valley…north of the boulevard. (And no I don’t work in porn…sigh) However I do appear to work in a culinary wasteland. Yesterday, the highest quality food I could find within a 3 block radius of where I worked was a Quiznos. And apparently this particular Quiznos’ chicken heater upper device which consists of a cup they drop in boiling water was broken…so I had a cold Quiznos sandwich.

Today however, after a recomendation from a co-worker I enjoyed some damn tasty (and warm!) chicken at California Tikka Chicken. Yes this little gem of a shack nestled deep in the bowels of a Valley minimall serves up some great chicken that might even rival Zankou. Yeah I said it! Start ripping me apart for being a heretic. What Tikka Chicken lacks in atmosphere it more then makes up for in taste. I ordered the Tikka Chicken Combination which as you can see in my picture includes a massive mountain of persian rice, your choice of vegetables or salad, 4 delicious pita triangles and of course, the chicken…Oh the chicken.

The Chicken Tikka melts in your mouth like the tender taste of poultry heaven. It is juicy but not greasy, lean but still savory, and oh so tender. You can also get tacos or burritos made with the signature Tikka chicken and add some hot green salsa to the mix. In fact there is hidden sauce bar next to the cash register which contains cucumber yogurt sauce, salsa, tumeric, a carrot blend and onions. I reccomend trying the chicken with any combination of condiments. Each inspires a new flavor and emotional state. When it comes to the combination plates, I would go for the vegetables over the salad though, just cause I picked the salad and it was kind of dry and lacking in the dressing department. The Pita triangles are glorious. They almost taste like some sort of hybrid pita-nan bread. Wrap them around the chicken and dip them in the cucumber sauce and roll your eyes back for total CHICKEN NIRVANA! The meals are between 6 and 10 dollars and all the combination plates include a soda. The owner is extremely friendly and seems generally thrilled to have new patrons. Although Chicken Tikka is probably out of the way if you live in the city, I would recomend it for anyone willing to make the trek into the sweaty armpit of Los Angeles known as the San Fernando Valley.
(wink!)

California Tikka Chicken
16935 Vanowen St # K
Van Nuys, Ca
818.343.6989