Nashville Hot Chicken

Content… What Is It? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions FAQs What to Serve More Crispy Fried Chicken Recipes to Try Conclusion Watch How to Make It

What Is Nashville Hot Chicken?

Nashville Hot Chicken is usually the breast, thigh, or wings marinated in a buttermilk with a spectacular blend of spices. Then, you coat the marinated chicken in a spicy breading and fry it to perfection. Finally, brush the spicy fried chicken with a spicy sauce, serve it over a slice of white bread, and top it with pickles.

Fun Fact: Revenge isn’t just sweet; it’s spicy too. Legend has it that Thorton Prince’s girlfriend got tired of his late-night escapades and made him a breakfast he wouldn’t forget. She slathered his fried chicken with so much hot sauce it would have singed most taste buds. But he liked it so much that he started making it at his restaurant.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Chicken – Nashville hot chicken is customarily made with the breast, thigh, and wing in one piece. But some people cut the chicken into smaller pieces or use thighs, legs, or wings. A whole chicken is usually cheaper, and you have variety. Season it with salt, garlic, hot sauce, and Creole seasoning.
2. Buttermilk – Soaking chicken in buttermilk is the secret to a tender and juicy fried chicken. The acids and enzymes in buttermilk break down the proteins to make every bite wonderfully tender. If you don’t have buttermilk, substituting it with 3¾ cups of milk and ¼ cup of white vinegar or lemon juice is an easy fix. Stir and let it stand for 5-10 minutes until the milk curdles.
3. Breading – Here’s where it gets good. This isn’t your average flour and salt and pepper coating. All-purpose flour, cornstarch, Panko breadcrumbs, baking powder, and salt give you the basic coating. Then paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley), and white pepper spice it up.
4. Nashville Hot Sauce – Cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, hot sauce, butter, and oil whip up a great alternative to a traditional Buffalo hot sauce.

How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken

Prep Chicken

• Season – Place chicken in a large bowl or large ziplock bag. Then, season with salt, crushed garlic, hot sauce, and Creole seasoning.
• Marinate – Pour the buttermilk over the chicken, stir well to completely coat it, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. (Photo 1-2)
• Make Breading – Whisk the flour, cornstarch, bread crumbs, baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, herbs, and white pepper in a large bowl. (Photo 3)
• Dredge – Take the marinated chicken out of the buttermilk, giving the excess a few seconds to drain back into the bowl. Then, dredge in the flour coating, shaking off the excess flour. You could use a ziplock bag for this process, too. (Photo 4)
• Rest – Let the breaded chicken rest for 10-15 minutes while heating the oil. That will also help the coating stay on better.

Nashville Hot Sauce

• Mix – Whisk the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, salt, and hot sauce in a small bowl. Then, drizzle in the melted butter and oil while carefully mixing until thoroughly combined. (Photo 5-6)

Frying Method

• Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a deep fryer or cast iron skillet to 375℉ (190℃). Remember that the temperature will drop as you add the chicken.
• Add Chicken – Carefully and slowly place the chicken in the hot oil with tongs. Remember to work in batches and not overcrowd your skillet. (Photos 7-8)
• Fry the chicken until golden, turning every 10-15 minutes – depending on the size of the pieces. You will know when the chicken is done when it is no longer pink inside, its juices run clear, and the internal temperature reaches 165℉ (75℃). You may test by poking the chicken with a fork.
• Drain the fried chicken on paper towels, then transfer it to a wire rack. (Photo 9)
• Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces; let it cool for 10 minutes.
• Sauce the Chicken – Brush the fried chicken with the desired amount of spicy sauce. Garnish with pickles and serve on a slice of white bread. (Photo 10)

Baking Method

• Rest – After coating the chicken, arrange it in a single layer on a baking sheet and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This will help the coating to stay on.
• Bake – Then place the baking pan in a 375℉ (190℃) oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and its juices run clear. You may do a test by piercing the chicken with a fork.

Recipe Variations

1. Pan-Fried. You can shallow-fry your chicken in a cast iron skillet rather than submerging the chicken entirely in oil.
2. Air-Fryer Chicken. Yes! You can air-fry chicken. In fact, I already have an air fryer chicken recipe. All you have to do is add the Nashville hot sauce.
3. Oven-Fried Chicken. You don’t have to fry your chicken to enjoy this spicy goodness. Try coating my oven-fried chicken with Nashville Hot Chicken hot sauce and experience tears of joy.

Tips and Tricks

1. The right oil makes frying so much easier. A neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point is best. Peanut oil is excellent, but canola oil and lard are fantastic, too.
2. Keep the already fried chicken warm in a 250℉ (120℃) oven while frying up the rest to keep it crispy.
3. Make sure your oil doesn’t drop below 350-375℉ (180-190℃). Cold oil makes soggy fried chicken.
4. Related to the previous tip, don’t crowd the pan. It cools the oil too quickly and increases the risk of oil spilling over.
5. Substitute the buttermilk with 3¾ cups of milk and ¼ cup of lemon juice or white vinegar for an easy fix. Stir and let it stand for 5-10 minutes until the milk curdles.
6. No deep fryer? A Dutch oven or large wok does a great job. A wok works great because the bottom is smaller, and you don’t have to use as much oil.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Yes, you can prepare the chicken up to the point of frying. Store the pieces in a single layer in the refrigerator overnight. You can also flash freeze them, then store them in a gallon-sized freezer bag (squeezing all the air out you can). Then, pull out as many as you need for the meal, thaw overnight in the fridge, and bake or fry.

The hot sauce lasts refrigerated for 2 weeks, or you can freeze it in serving-size portions for 5-6 months.

Pro Tip: If you want this chicken recipe on a weekly rotation, double or triple the flour coating and keep it in an airtight container for easy prep.

Serving and Storage Instructions

This spicy goodness is best hot and slathered with Nashville hot sauce. Serve it on a slice of white bread and top it with a pickle for an authentic experience.

Allow leftover Nashville Hot Chicken to cool, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to four days. You can also freeze it the same way for 2-3 months.

When you’re ready to enjoy a fast and easy snack or lunch. Reheat it in a 350℉ (180℃) oven until heated through and crispy. It will take a little longer if you bake it from the freezer than if you thaw it first.

FAQs

What to Serve With Nashville Hot Chicken

For an authentic experience, a slice of homemade white bread and pickles are classic sides. For an even more Southern experience, add potato salad or macaroni salad and coleslaw.

More Crispy Fried Chicken Recipes to Try

1. Deep-Fried Chicken Legs
2. Southern Fried Chicken
3. Fried Chicken Breast
4. Jamaican Fried Chicken
5. Fried Chicken Wings

Conclusion

Enjoy spicy, crispy, mind-blowing, and taste-bud singing goodness with Nashville Hot Chicken. How hot do you like your chicken? Please comment below where on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest).🥵

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.