We’ve now hit the five month mark on the 13 month tour and in honor of this milestone week we have a special sandwich to introduce to those of you who have never tried it. When I started this tour, I started using the word, “Motherclucker” as a jokey catchphrase in the title. Well, my friends Amber and Joe clued me into a chicken sandwich at one of my favorite Peoria restaurants, The Blue Duck Tavern that is custom-made for this MBIP finger-lickin’ chicken tour!
Keep on scrolling to find out more about this motherclucking mystery sandwich!
The sign says that The Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern is this-a-way, so I went that-a-way and whoomp, there it is: The Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern! Let’s go in and finish up this fifth magnificent month of chicken!
As we enter the lobby and then march down the hallway to the entrance, I had to stop to take the picture of one of my favorite things in life, this painting of a fox with a pipe and top hat. I love the painting and also because it reminds me of one of my all-time favorite scenes from the movie, Best In Show and here’s a link to that scene, watch for it at the 1:22 minute mark. This always brings me a lot of joy!
As I entered the restaurant I met Jade, the pretty hostess who led me to my table...hey, those two people look familiar over there...
It’s my friends Amber and Joe, who told me about tonight’s sandwich! What a wild coincidence running into them! Well, really it’s not, they drove me here and we staged this whole photo! Just one of the many pre-planned things that I try to make look spontaneous here on MBIP! But wonderful to see them as always and they’re both looking fantastic!
As we settled in for the evening, Kavan Shay, the owner and operator of Blue Duck came over. Kavan told us that they’re coming up on their fourth year anniversary this spring, which is unbelievable! He said business has been good and he’s always adding new barbecued and smoky items to the menu. There’s also off-menu nightly specials and tonight it’s barbecued meatloaf. Kavan gave us a sampling of that and it was so tasty and delicious, but we have to focus on chicken tonight!
Here’s Kavan with our server for the evening, Mary. Mary took our order and so that’s my cue to wander around and take a few photos while our meal is being prepared.
They have a fantastic bar in here and an impressive selection of craft and domestic beer, bourbon and whiskey available to sip in between barbecue bites.
There’s tables opposite the bar and large wooden booths line the far wall. I ran into Ali in my travels and it’s always great to see him, Ali’s been here since the beginning. There’s not a lot of turnover in the staff here which is a testament to Kavan’s management and people skills.
Wow, he’s got a tree growing out of the top of his head. Oh, deer!
Meanwhile, back at our table...
Junior is serving up tonight’s clucked up dinner!
We got a side of one of my favorite dishes in here, the Warm Bacon Potato Salad. If you’ve never had this, you need to get in here and try it, pronto! it’s grilled potato chunks topped with smoky crisp bacon, green onions and it’s tossed in a spicy mustard sauce. This is so good I could just eat this and be satisfied, but we have more dishes to sample!
This is an appetizer, which is really enough food for a main dish! It’s the Smoked Meat Poutine and I’ve never had it, but Amber and Joe have and they said I should try it so we ordered it with chicken as the smoked meat and it was incredible! The dish has a base of hand-cut fries and in addition to the smoked chicken, there’s gravy, bacon, cheese curds, garlic aioli, scallions and pickled red onions. I’m glad Amber and Joe suggested this, it was fantastic and unlike anything I’ve ever had before.
Okay, now it’s time for the star of the evening....
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing The Mustard Clucker! I told you at the beginning that I’ve been using the word, “Motherclucker” on this chicken tour and Amber and Joe told me that Blue Duck has a sandwich called the Mustard Clucker! Well, we have to feature this on the tour and it looks unbelievable! Luckily we’re splitting it three ways because, as you can see, this is a huge motherclucking chicken sandwich!
Wow, this is one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life!
It’s smoked chicken salad made with pulled smoked chicken, bacon, tomatoes and onion and it’s tossed in a sharp and tasty mustard sauce. This hearty sandwich is topped with greens and served on a sturdy and bakery-fresh grilled torta roll.
There’s enough chicken salad piled on the sandwich that you can eat some off to the side while enjoying this delicious and unique take on a chicken salad sandwich. As with all of the other items on the menu, this is Kavan’s creation and it’s a one-of-a-kind treat only available at Blue Duck. I highly suggest you get the cluck over there soon and try it out!
Thanks to Kavan and the fabulous crew at Blue Duck for another wonderful meal and for the friendly hospitality!
And thanks to Amber and Joe for driving and hanging out for the evening, it was a blast as always!
Chicken Rating
Four Dixie Chickens—This is an original, delicious and smoky take on a chicken salad sandwich and it’s truly one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had!
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212 SW Water Street
Peoria
309-981-5801
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Related Posts: 13 Months Of Chicken @: Slim Chickens, Destihl Brewery, Chili’s, Shelton’s, Sky Harbor Steak House, McDonald’s/Chik-fil-A, Bernardi’s Pub, Harold’s Chicken Shack, Lariat Steakhouse, Donnelly’s Irish Pub, Thanh Linh, Grandpa John’s Rib Shack, Birdie’s Bar & Grill, Jalapeno’s Mexican Grill, Midway Duck Inn, Ludy’s Kickapoo Creek Saloon, Jubilee Cafe, Rizzi’s and Agatucci’s.