Henrietta's Poultry Shoppe opened Tuesday in the Hatchery building, quietly replacing the flagship location of the White Duck Taco Shop, which recently moved to Riverside Drive.

White Duck Taco Shop owners Ben Mixson and Laura Reuss are behind this spot too. And, like its forebear, the menu at Henrietta's is dominated by one thing.

While there is a salt-and-pepper catfish po' boy and a slew of sides and such, here fried chicken sandwiches are king.

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Expect boneless bird, buttermilk-brined until tender, crisp-fried and served on a soft, toasted white bun.

In the case of the Asheville sandwich, the chicken comes brushed in hot honey and topped with brie and apple slaw. Or, go for the Nashville Hot as I did, hot-dipped and served with a slice of melting pepper jack cheese and house-made pickles.

There are crinkle fries, but spring for the mac-and-cheese upgrade. With firm pasta and thick but creamy sauce and a topping of breadcrumbs, this is the mac and cheese your grandma wishes she could make.

There's also kale salad, which is more virtuous than the mac and cheese but not spartan, with its slivers of Parmesan and a sprinkling of slightly sweet dried cranberries.

Kids can eat well — chicken tenders and those crinkle-cut fries — for $5. There's also dessert and the smart addition of soup, a good move for a restaurant up to its eyeballs in chicken. It's $3 for a cup of soup, and $11 for a sandwich with fries. Additional sides are $3.25.

As for the bones of the place, not much has changed. It's still a counter-service affair. There's a gravel patio filled with shaded picnic tables and two small-ish dining rooms.

The restaurant has been painted a deeper blue, with stuffed chickens and old-school mercantile and diner signs lending a Southern vibe in place of the former coastal feel.

Though it marks a big thematic change for the restaurant anchoring a small warren of RAD studios, Henrietta's seems a natural fit.

It's not just because a fried-chicken restaurant seems particularly apropos for a former hatchery. It's because affordable Southern food, served fast and without pretense, is what the location — and Asheville — needs.

Henrietta's Poultry Shoppe is at 1 Roberts St. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

This is the opinion of Mackensy Lunsford, staff food writer for the Citizen-Times.