Is Howlin' Ray's Halal?

Howlin' Ray's is a Nashville hot chicken restaurant that started in Los Angeles. It now has restaurants in Chinatown, Pasadena and at the Venetian in Las Vegas ^[2].

The chain answers the halal question directly on its FAQ page. It says its chicken is not certified halal ^[1]. The same answer adds that the chicken is hormone free, antibiotic free and pasture raised ^[1].

Those labels are about how the bird was raised. They say nothing about how it was slaughtered, or whether the name of God was said at slaughter. A halal certificate covers those points. So a chicken can be pasture raised and still not be halal. Because Howlin' Ray's has said plainly that its chicken is not certified, the answer for all of its locations is "not certified."

Some Muslims who eat at uncertified places want to know about the oil and the batter. Howlin' Ray's FAQ gives a few useful facts ^[1]:

• Fryer oil. All frying is done in highly refined peanut oil. The FAQ does not mention lard or animal fat.
• Batter. The chicken is dredged in milk, so it is not dairy free.
• Sauces. Its Comeback Sauce and Tennessee Tang are mayo-based and contain eggs.

None of this changes the halal answer. The meat itself is not certified, and the chicken is the whole point of the menu. If you follow a view that allows non-zabiha chicken, that is a question for a scholar you trust, not for a menu.

Howlin' Ray's does not publish full nutrition facts ^[1]. If you have more questions, the FAQ lists a contact email and phone number.

Many restaurants print words like natural, pasture raised or antibiotic free. These are animal-welfare or farming claims. They are useful, but they are not religious claims.

Halal certification usually checks three things:

1. The animal is a permitted species and healthy at slaughter.
2. The slaughter follows Islamic rules, which certifiers define in slightly different ways, including whether stunning or machine slaughter is allowed.
3. The handling after slaughter keeps the meat apart from pork and other haram products.

A farm label covers none of these. When a restaurant says its meat is halal, look for a certificate that names the certifier. When a restaurant says, as Howlin' Ray's does, that its chicken is not halal certified ^[1], take it at its word.

Nashville hot chicken is easy to find in halal form in many US cities. Nash & Smash in the DC area is reported to serve an entirely halal menu. See our pages on Dave's Hot Chicken, Angry Chickz and Fluffies Hot Chicken for their status.

Our guide to whether chicken is halal explains zabiha and machine slaughter in plain terms.