A chicken sandwich is giving a Minneapolis eatery extra attention

MINNEAPOLIS — Amid the sounds of the big city sits a little slice of the country on the corner of Eighth Street and Second Avenue in Minneapolis. 

Inside, you won’t find farm animals or hay bails, but hungry customers seeking the cure for seemingly uncurable “hangries.”

A sandwich called the GOAT Chicken Sandwich, or Greatest of All Time, sits on the menu and is a title that’s now earning the eatery some extra dough.

“Tara, the owner, came in with the idea. She said somebody approached her and asked her if we wanted to be a part of the competition. It was a very famous bread company,”  Maribel Cuadros, a part-owner of the Hen House Eatery, said.

The famous company turned out to be the bread manufacturer, Sara Lee. They named it the “Best Chicken Sandwich in the Country,” awarding the eatery a $20,000 grand prize.

“They were looking for people to do a chicken sandwich and there were 7 other restaurants. We were one of them,” said Cuadros.

The GOAT sandwich consists of Cajun-seasoned chicken breast, BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese and bacon.

“We never thought we would be a winner, but we made it,” Cuadros said.

The quality comes as no surprise to the kitchen that has become a family in the last 10 years.

“We are kind of sisters. We fight, we get along, we do everything sister do,” Cuadros said. “It’s Tara, Barb and me. We worked together in downtown. We served breakfast for a long time. One day, Tara decides to give us the idea that we could do it fun and private and we decided to keep doing it.”

The risk is now leading to national recognition.

“We are very blessed. I always say that it’s a lot of work to learn something,” Cuadros said. “Always learn something from someone. You keep that in your life and that brings you to a type of place like this. Keep fighting.”

The Hen House is planning to use some of the prize money for a staff holiday party. It also plans to donate a portion to Firefighters for Healing, a group that helps burn victims and their families.