Column: How does an irreverent fried chicken and pizza restaurant observe Ramadan?
In a strip mall in Bridgeview, the suburb southwest of Chicago known as Little Palestine, a fried chicken and pizza place opened up about two years ago.
Holy Buckets Halal Chicken & Pizza stands out as an unlikely Arab American cultural ambassador by serving up knowledge with disarming humor, as often as it does the fried chicken tenders they call Gaza Strips, boxed up with the logo of a chicken wearing a kaffiyeh, the black-and-white scarf that symbolizes Palestinian solidarity.
Yet despite the puns and the whimsical tagline — “chicken and pizza you’ve been praying for” — Holy Buckets takes Islamic dietary laws seriously.
“We are focused on what we call, in the Islamic world, zabiha halal fast food,” said Luaey Issa. He’s the co-owner and co-founder of Holy Buckets with professional partner Taleb Awad. “In our case, when a chicken is slaughtered, the animal must be calm.”
The staff had so many skeptics coming in to ask if they’re actually certified zabiha halal that they posted about it on Instagram and TikTok, with what has become their signature sense of humor.
As my colleague Zareen Syed wrote earlier this year, zabiha refers to meat that comes from an animal that was hand-slaughtered instead of machine-cut in a way that aims to ensure the animal does not suffer and is treated humanely. Also, the Muslim individual who cuts the meat must recite tasmiya, or the name of God, when doing so. Halal is an Arabic word that means “permissible” and refers to foods and other things allowed in Islam.
“This was a passion project for my partner and myself. I wanted to do something in our backyard, and we both grew up in the neighborhood,” Issa said. “My partner and I are both full Palestinian. We were born and raised here in America. But we are very, very, very involved in the community, in helping across the world.”
Some early brainstorming led not only to the name of the chicken menu item, but an ongoing charitable donation too.
“Chicken strip, Gaza Strip, I said, ‘Man, we can call that the Gaza Strip,’” Issa said. “And then we got to thinking even more. I said, ‘Hey, every time someone orders from our Gaza Strips menu, we’re going to donate to the PCRF.’”
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is a nonprofit organization founded in Ohio, with a mission to provide medical and humanitarian relief to Arab children across the Middle East regardless of their nationality, politics or religion.
“Who doesn’t love a good chicken tender?” Issa asked, rhetorically. He worked in his father’s fried chicken restaurants, but Holy Buckets is the first restaurant in the Chicago area for Issa and Awad. “It’s just something that I’ve studied and worked with for so long in my life.”
Their Gaza Strips take jumbo pieces of chicken tenders, fried to a burnished gold and notably crustier crusts, dusted with lemon pepper, that remain impressively juicy within.
“A lot of people automatically assume ‘Oh, I want crispy, crispy hard fried chicken,’” Issa said. “But along with the crispy, crispy fried chicken comes overcooked inside, almost naturally. So I like to call mine the perfect balance of crispiness.”
Their bestselling item, however, is the Holy Bowl. It’s not unlike a KFC Famous Bowl, but with layers of seasoned fries, excellent housemade mac and cheese (with al dente corkscrew cavatappi) and sliced fried chicken, all smothered with Holy Sauce, a creamy honey mustard.
“We’re selling more bowls than we’re selling anything,” Issa said.
But it all started with big buckets of deeply infused broasted-style chicken. Broasted chicken — a method using a specific brand of equipment — is different from fried chicken, as I wrote in 2018.
“Our tenders and chicken sandwiches are fried in an open vat fryer,” Issa said. “Our chicken pieces — like thighs, legs and breasts — are broasted, which is pressure fried to maintain a juicier inside and a crispier outside.”
Broasted (with a capital B, akin to Kleenex or Googling) chicken requires the use of the entire branded system, from marinades to coatings to pressure fryers.
“I use my own in-house flour,” he added. “But I do use their base marinade. I just tweak it. But the actual broasting machines are Broaster fryers.”
The pizza was another lifelong dream.
“I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York,” Issa said. “I am a New Yorker at heart when it comes to pizza. However, I love Chicago pizza as well.”
That may be the most sacrilegious confession at the irreverent restaurant, but he atones by making Chicago-style, thin-crust, tavern-cut pizza, as well as deep-dish, plus New York-style for those who insist. The Meat Lovers topping with zabiha halal sausage and pepperoni has become the most popular, but the cracker-thin crust could use a little more time to develop a flavor on par with the chicken.
The cake shakes need no notes. Issa is also the CEO of The Cake Factory, a wholesale bakery in Alsip.
“All credit goes to Portillo’s,” he said modestly about his outrageous creations with whole slices on top of cake blended shakes. “We obviously have a different twist where you can make any cake a cake shake. So we have German chocolate, lemon, strawberry shortcake, double chocolate, caramel, whatever it is that you want.”
And, yes, the cakes are halal too.
“In order for us to be a certified halal store, every single item in the restaurant must be certified,” Issa said.
So what’s it like working in a restaurant like Holy Buckets with over-the-top fried chicken, meat lovers’ pizza, cake shakes and much more during Ramadan?
“This is gonna sound bizarre, but it’s the absolute funnest time of the year for us,” he said, laughing. “It’s pure chaos in Ramadan. I love it though.”
Some customers have understandably expressed concern about the fasting and deprivation of the observant staff.
“We have an overwhelming number of customers who are not Muslim,” Issa said. “And we’re not going to deprive anyone of our food just because we’re going through something. We are part of a community that’s full of Muslims and non-Muslims. So we cater to everyone. Holy Buckets is not designed for the Muslim customer. It’s designed for everyone.”
“Everyone” will soon extend farther geographically, as they’re planning to open a second location in Lincolnwood after Ramadan. Until then, they’re taking it one very late night at a time at the flagship, which expanded to three storefronts over the past two years. Social media-savvy kids come in groups or bring their parents and grandparents. On one recent night, multiple generations sat in the dining room decorated with neon signs, including one that reads “Iftar Party” glowing overhead.
They’re open until 4 a.m. some nights in Ramadan.
“We want to give people ample time to get their suhoor, which is our last meal before sunup,” Issa said. “We’re trying to accommodate everyone and their desires.”
Their fast-food ambassadorship is significant, because of its very roots in irreverence. For those who follow halal food protocols, it’s a carefree meal in a world where dietary concerns should be increasingly inclusive. For those who don’t, it’s just a happier meal with a message sharing insight into a religion and culture that’s still too often othered. And that opportunity for understanding can only be a good thing.
Holy Buckets also offers traditional dates at sundown when it comes time to break the fast with iftar, the evening meal.
“Ramadan is more than not eating and drinking. It’s to practice patience,” Issa said. “It’s about giving. That’s what it’s all about. And we’re trying to give as much as we can in this blessed month.”
Holy Buckets Halal Chicken & Pizza
7331 W. 87th St., Bridgeview
708-931-HOLY (4659)
Open: In Ramadan daily at noon, Sunday to Thursday to midnight, Friday and Saturday to 4 a.m. After Ramadan daily at 11 a.m., Monday to Thursday to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday to midnight, Sunday to 10 p.m.
Prices: Gaza Strips, $11 (3-piece) to $55 (24-piece); broasted chicken combos, $20-$48; bowls, $12.49; pizza, $4 (single pepperoni slice) to $29 (Meat Lovers deep dish); desserts, $4-$5
Noise: Conversation-friendly
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with restrooms on single level
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