Nashville hot chicken is a fairly recent creation, a combination of juicy fried chicken and hot sauce, served on bread with dill pickles. The heat comes from a mixture of hot sauce and generous amount of ground cayenne pepper. It’s a fabulous dish to make for heat-loving guests, and who doesn’t love crispy fried chicken?
Recipe Variations
Chicken
- Use boneless chicken breasts or thighs, but keep in mind the chicken will cook more quickly.
- Serve boneless hot fried chicken in brioche buns for an unforgettable sandwich.
Nashville Hot Sauce
- Replace the vegetable oil in the sauce with melted butter for an unctuous buttery finish.
- Omit the brown sugar and make a sweet hot sauce with maple syrup or honey, to taste.
Heat Level
- For mild sauce, reduce the cayenne pepper and hot sauce amounts.
- For spicier sauce, add more cayenne, or try ghost pepper or habanero hot sauce.
Serving
- Instead of the traditional white bread, try serving the chicken on slider buns or slice the chicken and fill tortillas.
- Add sliced boneless Nashville hot chicken to a salad.
- Serve the chicken on waffles with a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
- Serve with freshly baked cornbread or Southern biscuits.
- Pair the hot chicken with a side of macaroni and cheese.
- Make snack-sized chicken and waffle appetizers with the hot fried chicken.
- Replace the shrimp in this recipe for spicy fettuccine Alfredo with slices of hot fried chicken.
How to Store
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. Heat and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.
PrintNashville Hot Chicken
Serve up some heat with this mouthwatering Nashville hot chicken recipe. Crispy fried chicken with a spicy kick, perfect for sandwich lovers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken (thighs, drumsticks, leg quarters, with skin)
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Coating
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
- 1/4 cup hot sauce (I use Texas Pete’s)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Nashville Hot Sauce
- 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (can use some of the oil used for cooking the chicken)
Serving
- White bread (for serving)
- Dill pickle slices (for serving)
Instructions
- Prep the Oven and Pan: Heat the oven to 200 F and place a cooling rack in a large sheet pan.
- Prep the Chicken and Start the Oil: Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels to dry and rub with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 F in a large, heavy saucepan or deep fryer.
- Make The Coating: Combine the buttermilk, pickle juice, eggs, and hot sauce in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Put half of the flour in one wide bowl or plate and the other half in another wide bowl or plate. Dip each chicken piece in one of the bowls of flour, then in the egg and buttermilk mixture, then in the other bowl of flour. Place them on a sheet of wax paper or on a baking sheet.
- Fry: When the oil has reached 350 F, fry the chicken in batches for about 12 to 17 minutes, or until the pieces are golden brown and cooked throughout. Turn them occasionally for even browning. While chicken breasts are done when they reach 165 F, dark meat is best cooked to 170 F to 200 F. To check the temperature, lift a piece out of the oil and insert an instant-read thermometer into a meaty part.
Place the cooked chicken on the rack on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the 200 F oven to keep warm while you fry the remaining pieces. - Finish the Dish: Combine the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Remove the chicken pieces from the oven and brush them with the hot sauce. Stir the sauce frequently as you brush to keep it well blended.
- Serve: Place the chicken pieces on sliced white bread and top with dill pickle slices. Enjoy!
Notes
You’ll love our spicy crispy fried chicken! It’s traditionally served on bread with pickles, but customize it as you wish. Heat up your taste buds in the most delicious way!
