After eating Texas Toast at Slim Chickens a few times, I started trying to replicate it at home. It's the kind of thing that seems simple - thick bread, butter, garlic - and turns out to have more going on than the description suggests. Here's what I worked out.
What Makes Texas Toast Different
Standard toast uses standard-thickness sliced bread - approximately 10–12mm thick. Texas Toast uses bread sliced at approximately 25mm or roughly double the standard thickness. This changes the eating experience fundamentally: the ratio of crust to interior is different, the bread holds up to being spread with generous amounts of butter without going soggy or tearing, and the thicker interior stays soft and slightly steamy while the exterior crisps.
The garlic butter is applied to both sides, and the toast is cooked on a flat griddle or in a large pan rather than in a conventional toaster. The direct contact with a hot surface creates the characteristic golden, slightly charred exterior.
What You Need
- Thick-cut white bread (at least 2.5cm / 1 inch thick - if you can't find pre-sliced, buy a bloomer loaf and cut your own)
- Unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- Garlic powder or garlic purée (both work, purée is more intensely garlicky)
- Salt and parsley (optional, for the top)
The Method
Step 1: Mix 50g of softened butter with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or half a teaspoon of garlic purée) until thoroughly combined. If using purée, let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to allow the garlic to bloom into the butter.
Step 2: Spread the garlic butter generously onto both sides of the bread. Don't spare it - a thin coating won't give you the right result.
Step 3: Heat a large flat pan or griddle over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Place the bread directly onto the dry pan - no additional oil needed, the butter on the bread surface does the work.
Step 4: Cook for 2–3 minutes per side until deeply golden with some slight charring at the edges. The interior should be steamy and soft when you press it gently.
Step 5: Serve immediately. Texas Toast doesn't hold well once cooked - it should go straight from pan to plate.
How It Compares to the Slim Chickens Version
The Slim Chickens version at restaurants uses commercial equipment (flat griddles that hold temperature perfectly uniformly) and a proprietary butter blend that you can approximate but not replicate exactly at home. The home version is good - genuinely good - but the commercial version benefits from consistent equipment and a recipe developed specifically for the brand.
What to Eat It With
The natural pairing is Slim Chickens-style marinated chicken tenders alongside a dipping sauce. House Ranch (184.1 kcal) or Honey BBQ (80.1 kcal) work particularly well when dipped with the toast. The buttery richness of the Texas Toast and the tang of a ranch dressing is a combination that makes sense once you've tried it.
If you're planning a Slim Chickens visit and want to know exactly what your full meal costs nutritionally, use the Slim Chickens calories calculator.