Nashville Hot Chicken is meant to be spicy hot. This stuff is spicy! We start with 2 Tablespoons of dried cayenne pepper powder and it knocked our socks off in the best way possible, but be prepared! Adjust the spice level to your preference by increasing or decreasing the cayenne. If you’re a dragon and can handle more heat, go for it and should be breathing fire super fast. Be forewarned, this isn’t casual, laid back, chat while you eat food. It is meant to be eaten with care and focus. For the fried chicken batter, you can single dredge or double dredge the chicken, depending on how thick you prefer the fried chicken batter. Some of us favored the crisper single dredge, and others loved the thicker crunch of a double dredge.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Marinade Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr35 minutesmins
Servings: 6-8 Servings
Calories: 432kcal
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Ingredients
2pounds(907g)chicken pieces, patted dry
1cup(240ml)buttermilk
1large(1large)egg
2Tablespoons(30ml)hot sauce
1Tablespoon(15ml)salt
Black pepper, to taste
2cups(250g)flour
Hot Sauce
1/4cup(57g)butter
1/4cup(60ml)oil
2Tablespoons(30ml)ground cayenne pepper, or to desired spice level - see head note
2Tablespoons(30ml)brown sugar
1teaspoon(5ml)garlic powder
1teaspoon(5ml)paprika
1tablespoon(15ml)Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1/2teaspoon(2.5ml)salt
1teaspoon(5ml)black pepper
For Serving
6-8slices(6-8slices)white bread
Pickles, whatever you prefer - bread & butter, dill, or both
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken: In bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Beat to combine, then add the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes - 4 hours to marinate (longer is better but if you are short on time it is still tasty.) In another bowl, add the flour and set aside.
Make the Sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl or saucepan (butter, oil, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, Worcestershire or soy sauce, salt and pepper). Microwave or heat until butter is just melted (the hotter it is, the harder it will be to emulsify the spices in the liquids). Whisk thoroughly until smooth. When the sauce is cooler, it doesn’t separate as easily so we like to brush sauce on the chicken when the sauce is slightly cooler or room temperature. If you want your sauce warmer, then keep stirring or whisking the sauce as you brush the chicken so that you have as little separation of sauce/oil as possible. The warmer the sauce is, the more the spices will want to separate from the liquids.
For Single Dredging: Remove chicken from buttermilk, shaking off excess buttermilk, then dredge chicken pieces in flour. Make sure all sides of chicken are covered in flour. Shake off excess flour.
For Double Dredging: Remove chicken from buttermilk, shaking off excess buttermilk, then dredge chicken pieces in flour, then into the buttermilk mixture and back again into the flour. Make sure all sides of chicken are covered in flour. Shake off excess flour.
Heat about 1/2” of oil in a pan (cast iron is preferable) to 350°F. Carefully add the chicken and cook until all sides of the chicken are golden and cooked through (about 8-10 minutes per side). Try to maintain the oil temperature at 325°F while cooking. It is ok to turn the chicken several times while frying to make sure each side gets nice and golden.
Sauce and Serve: Generously brush the cooked chicken with the sauce. Serve on the slices of bread and top with several pickle slices.