Spice Up Your Life: Nashville Hot Chicken

Do you love fiery flavors that make your taste buds dance? Buckle up.

Because I’ve got a tantalizing food adventure for you.

It’s a Southern celebration of heat, history, and happiness. It’s Nashville Hot Chicken.

A Fiery Beginning: The Birth of Nashville Hot Chicken

The legend of Nashville hot chicken begins with a story as spicy as the dish itself.

At the center of this story is Thornton Prince, a charming and somewhat mischievous Nashville native.

After a particularly late night out Thornton’s girlfriend decided to teach him a lesson.

She whipped up a batch of his favorite fried chicken, but added an extraordinary amount of fiery spice hoping to burn a little sense into him through his tastebuds.

To her surprise, Thornton loved it. He refined the recipe and soon this creation became a sensation.

Thornton Prince opened Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Heat is On: What Makes This Chicken so Hot?

What sets Nashville hot chicken apart from other fried chicken? It’s all in the sauce.

After frying the chicken is coated with a fiery paste made from cayenne, paprika, and granulated garlic. And it’s balanced with a bit of brown sugar.

Traditionally the paste is made with a bit of the frying oil. My updated version uses avocado oil instead.

Tips for Making the Perfect Nashville Hot Chicken

Ready to try your hand at making this delicious chicken dish? Here are my top four tips for making this iconic dish.

1. Thin Cut Chicken. Most chicken breasts are extraordinarily large and thick. Cut your chicken breasts in half horizontally for the perfect size.

2. Maintain Oil Temperature. Fry your chicken at a steady 350˚F. Adjust your burner up and down as needed to maintain a steady heat. A digital thermometer comes in handy for checking the temperature.

3. Garnish with Cooling Flavors. Pickles, butter lettuce, and a garlic sauce made with mayo and sour cream are the perfect way to balance the heat in this sandwich.

4. Use a Sturdy Bun. A kaiser roll is the perfect choice to hold this man-sized sandwich together.

And here’s one final tip, especially for those whose tastebuds are a bit more delicate and shy away from heat.

Make this sandwich and leave off the additional spices brushed on after frying. You’ll have all the fun and flavor without needing a fire extinguisher for your tastebuds.

Whether you’re a spice lover or just looking to cook something new for dinner, Nashville hot chicken is a must-try. What are you waiting for? Get cooking and let the good times (and spicy chicken) roll!

Learn to make a fabulous sandwich. Read my sandwich making tips.

Sandwich Making Tips

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Nashville Hot Chicken

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Master the art of making Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with its crispy coating and fiery, flavorful kick. Super easy and delicious!

• Author: Chef Sandra Lewis

Ingredients

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Chicken

• 4 5–oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts


• 1 cup flour


• 1/2 cup cornstarch


• 1 teaspoon cayenne


• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic


• 1 teaspoon paprika


• 1 teaspoon granulated onion


• 1 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1 teaspoon black pepper


• 2 eggs


• 4 kaiser rolls, toasted


• peanut oil for frying

Hot Sauce

• 6 tablespoons avocado oil


• 2 tablespoons brown sugar


• 1 tablespoon cayenne


• 1 teaspoon paprika


• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Garlic Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise


• 1/2 cup sour cream


• 2 tablespoons lemon juice


• 1 tablespoon garlic paste


• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar


• kosher salt

Garnish

• 4 butter lettuce leaves


• 4 tomato slices


• 4 red onion slices


• pickles

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Instructions

Garlic Sauce

1. Stir together the ingredients for the garlic sauce in a small bowl.


2. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.


3. Set aside.

Hot Sauce

1. Stir together the ingredients for the hot sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

Chicken

1. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cayenne, granulated garlic, paprika, granulated onion, kosher salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Divide this mixture between two small sheet trays.


2. Beat the two eggs; pour the beaten eggs onto a third small sheet tray.


3. Arrange the sheet trays with the flour mixture on either side of the beaten eggs.


4. Breading Process:
   
   
   
   • Coat a chicken breast with the flour from the first tray.
   
   
   • Dip the flour-coated chicken breast into the beaten eggs in

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