MURFREESBORO – Lilly’s Hot Chicken brought fried gold to the last Murfreesboro Hot Chicken Festival, winning “Best in Boro” as well as a slew of praise from new and old customers alike.
Co-owner and co-founder Chris Lilly said it was an honor to participate in the competition, and that the recipe they used which won them “Best in Boro” is a signature recipe served daily at their business. He said Lilly’s Hot Chicken has received unending public support
since first opening their food truck on May 6, 2021, and then their brick-and-mortar restaurant on the same date two years later. Lilly said winning “Best in Boro” felt largely like reassurance that they are still held dear by their hometown.
“It’s very invigorating, a lot of times business owners don’t really know where they stand
with their customers and with the community,” Lilly said. “Accolades like that really let me
know that we have a big customer base right here in Murfreesboro.”
During the competition itself, Lilly said judges walked around with tickets they would
give for a sample of food, prepared any way the judge requested. Lilly said judges would also ask for varying amounts of items to be presented, such as a pan of mild wings at one time and a pan of hot wings later in the day. He said Lilly’s Hot Chicken entered two pans for competition.
Lilly said before opening the restaurant both he and his wife Novonda, the restaurant’s
co-founder and co-owner, had a deep appreciation for hot chicken, driving from their home in Murfreesboro to Nashville to eat at one of their favorite spots, Prince’s Hot Chicken. He said it was around this time he began developing his own recipes, entering the 2016 Nashville Hot
Chicken competition, where he didn’t win any awards but received high praise from attendees and business owners alike. Lilly said one Halloween he hosted a large gathering serving the recipes he had been developing. He noticed before the night was over that he had served more than 100 pieces of chicken.
“So, I knew that it must be serious, and a lot of my friends were like ‘You really need to
share this with the world,’” Lilly said. “At that point, I decided to open a food truck and just do it on the weekends.” During this time Lilly continued to hold his full-time job as director of IT for the city of Murfreesboro.
After COVID-19, Lilly retired from his position as director of IT and set out to make his
path in life. He said that despite this newfound determination, quitting his secure IT job to
become an entrepreneur was still a scary “leap of faith.” With the support of his wife, he
followed through with the plans he and his wife had drawn up together. Lilly’s Hot Chicken has since continued to find success and establish a well-respected reputation.
For more about Lilly’s Hot Chicken, visit www.lillyshotchicken.com, or on Facebook or
Instagram.
