Chicken Nuggets Are Having a Very Bougie Summer in Palm Springs

Forget the avocado toast. Forget the hot girl salad. The 2026 summer food trend is chicken nuggets and suddenly, we are craving nuggets.

Chicken nuggets are having a serious glow-up.

From gourmet grocery shelves in the Hamptons that apparently can’t keep them stocked to private chefs being asked to put them on repeat, this childhood classic has officially entered its rich-girl era.

And why are we suddenly obsessed?

Nostalgia.

Because nothing takes you back faster than sitting in the backseat while Mom pulls into McDonald’s and asks the most important question of your childhood: Sweet and sour, spicy mustard or ketchup?

Now fast-forward a few decades and we're still chasing that crispy little bite but with a little more bougie energy.

Enter Boozehounds Palm Springs.

Their grown-up take on the chicken nugget is karaage chicken, a Japanese-style fried chicken that's marinated and double-fried until the outside is seriously crispy and the inside stays juicy. Then they decided to take things completely off the rails—in the best possible way.

Picture a crispy karaage chicken tender topped with caviar and crème fraîche.

Yes. Caviar.

On a chicken nugget.

And somehow? It works.

The salty crunch of the chicken meets the luxurious caviar and creamy crème fraîche, creating a bite that feels like fast food went to finishing school. It’s playful, indulgent and just the right amount of extra.

Boozehounds is continuing its delicious tradition of smashing together fast food nostalgia and high-end cuisine that we experienced last summer at “Guilty Pleasures Dinner” a fast food fever dream reimagined communal dinning experience.

Boozehounds is located at 2080 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California

About the Author

Ersilia Pompilio is the Editor in Chief of SQUAD Magazine, a Palm Springs guide for bachelorettes and ladies who love to leisure. Ersilia has over two decades of experience in performing, producing live storytelling shows, and hosting a podcast, she has also taught storytelling classes and written professionally for several media outlets. Originally from Los Angeles, Ersilia is also a twenty-year resident of Palm Springs, California.