Nashville Hot Chicken
Crispy, spicy, and a touch of sweet fried chicken straight from Nashville, Tennessee! I guarantee this will be your next favorite chicken sandwich because of how well the sweet and spicy mingle together. Serve this on a bun with some pickles and a side of french fries, tater tots, coleslaw, or potato salad!
Ingredients
For the Dry Mixture
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or more if needed
- 1 ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ tsp paprika smoked or regular
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the Wet Mixture
- 2 ½ cups whole buttermilk
- ¾ cup pickle brine optional
- 3 tbsp tabasco tabasco, frank's red hot, or Louisiana-style hot sauce
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp salt
For the Fried Chicken
- 10 pieces chicken see notes
- Oil for frying such as vegetable, canola, or peanut
For the Spicy Sauce
- ½ cup used frying oil
- ¼ cup butter
- 2-6 tbsp cayenne pepper depending on your heat preference
- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar depending on your sweetness preference
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
To Serve
- 10 burger buns
- Pickle chips for garnish
Instructions
Make the Dredging Station
- In one large shallow dish, combine the flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- In a separate large shallow dish, whisk together the buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, eggs, and salt.
- Prepare one baking sheet with foil, then another with parchment or wax paper, and place a wired rack on top. Arrange them on your counter as follows: dry mixture, wet mixture, baking sheet with foil, and baking sheet with a wire rack.
Dredge the Chicken
- Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, making sure the chicken is coated on both sides.
- Dip the chicken into the buttermilk, making sure both sides are covered. Let the excess drain off, then dip the chicken back into the flour mixture. Move it to the baking sheet with foil. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Let the chicken rest as you heat the oil. This will help the coating stick to the chicken.
Fry the Chicken
- Pour enough oil into a large deep skillet or Dutch oven so that it is at least 2-3 inches deep.
- Heat the oil on high until it reaches 350F. Use an instant-read thermometer or a deep frying/candy thermometer. If you don't have one, drop a 1-inch cube of bread into the oil. If it turns golden brown within 45 seconds, then the oil is at the right temperature.
- Gently slide two or three pieces of chicken into the oil using tongs. Do not drop the chicken into the oil; it's more likely to splatter the oil and potentially burn you.
- Fry the chicken for 6-8 minutes, adjusting the heat lower or higher to maintain 350F. Flip the chicken halfway through cooking to ensure even cooking. Fry until the outside is golden brown and crispy, and the internal temperature is 160-165F. If you are frying chicken thighs, you want the internal temperature to be 170F.
- Move the fried pieces to the baking sheet with a wired rack and allow it to drip the excess oil. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Fry them in batches, not all at once.
- Once done frying all the chicken, allow the oil to cool for 5-10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the oil.
For the Spicy sauce
- Place the butter into a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Carefully pour the hot oil over the butter and allow the butter to melt. Stir the butter to help it melt. If it doesn't completely melt, microwave it 10 seconds at a time until the butter is melted.
- Add the remaining ingredients, then stir to form the sauce. The texture will vary on how much cayenne and brown sugar you use.
- Gently dip the chicken into the sauce, flipping to coat both sides, one at a time. Brush the remaining sauce onto the chicken, if there's any left.
- Assemble your sandwiches and serve! Place the chicken onto the bottom of a burger bun, then top with pickles and the bun.
Notes
Chicken Pieces: You want them to be either chicken breasts or thighs, boneless and skinless. Thighs are the way to go for this recipe because of how tender and juicy they get when you fry them. Make sure they reach a minimum of 170F internal temperature. However, if you use chicken breasts, slice the breasts in half lengthwise, creating 2 cutlets, then cut those cutlets in half widthwise, creating 4 pieces total per breast.
- Storage: Store the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat: You can reheat this in an air fryer at 400F or in the oven at 350F.
- Do not crowd the chicken. Doing so will cause the chicken to not cook properly. The more chicken the oil needs to fry, the lower the temperature it becomes, therefore taking longer, and the chicken will be greasy and heavy. It'll also cause the chicken to stick together. You want to fry the chicken in batches so the chicken can float in the oil with space.
- When deep frying, slowly lower the chicken into the oil. Never drop it. The oil will splash everywhere, possibly onto you, which will hurt. Use tongs and hold onto the chicken until half of it is immersed in the hot oil, then let go. This way, the chicken will slide into the oil effortlessly.
- Adjust the spice to your liking in the spicy sauce. I used 2 tbsp of cayenne pepper, which ended up being the perfect heat for me. However, you can use 2-6 tbsp, depending on how much heat you can handle. To balance the spice, I used 2 tbsp of brown sugar, but you can use only 1 if you want the true heat with a tiny hint of sweetness.
- What is the best oil for fried chicken? I recommend an oil that has a high smoke point and a neutral taste. Go for vegetable oil, peanut oil, or canola oil. Alternatively, you can use sunflower oil or corn oil. Keep in mind that canola oil produces a fishy scent while frying, but this does not affect the flavor of the chicken at all.