Ultimate Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe

This Nashville Hot Chicken recipe is the best online! It starts with my spiced crispy fried chicken that’s then coated in that spicy hot glaze!

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Nashville Hot Chicken over white bread topped with pickles on a white plate.

Nashville Hot Chicken Ingredients

Ingredients to make Nashville fried chicken on the table before preparing.

For the Chicken

  • Chicken: You can easily use boneless chicken pieces or choose your favorite type of chicken including, breasts, thighs, tenders, and more! Based on my testing, know that you may need to adjust the cooking time.
  • Buttermilk: Swap in a DIY version by mixing 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly before using.
  • Hot Sauce: Sriracha can work if you absolutely cannot find hot sauce but it won’t be authentic.
  • Flour: You can also substitute with a good 1-to-1 gluten free option here.
  • Cornstarch: This helps our chicken get crispier when it fries. You can also leave out.
  • Seasoned Salt: Adds seasoning. Kosher salt also works but I would doctor it up so you don’t miss all the flavors.
  • Paprika, Cayenne, and Black Pepper: If you want to tone down the spice, swap in more paprika for for cayenne.
  • Onion Powder and Garlic Powder: The onion powder and garlic powder round out the flavors.
Ingredients to make the sauce for Nashville hot chicken on the table.

For the Hot Sauce

  • Cayenne Pepper: You can use as much or as little as you can stand.
  • Chili Powder: This adds more heat but is milder.
  • Brown Sugar: Granulated can also work or add molasses to granulated to make some homemade brown sugar.
  • Garlic Powder: Everything tastes better with garlic.
  • Smoked Paprika: This warms the spice blend up more.

How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken

Make the Breading Mixtures

Hot sauce whisking into buttermilk in a white bowl

Step 1: Whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce in a small bowl.

Spices whisking into flour in a white bowl

Step 2: Mix the flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until well combined.

Bread the Chicken

Piece of chicken in seasoned flour

Step 3: Dip each piece of chicken into the seasoned flour.

Floured chicken piece added to hot sauce mixed buttermilk

Step 4: Transfer it to the buttermilk.

Battered chicken piece in seasoned flour bowl

Step 5: Dip it the second time into the seasoned flour.

Breaded chicken on a baking sheet

Step 6: Add each piece of chicken to a baking sheet to rest for 15-20 minutes to allow the coating time to set.

Fry the chicken

Chicken frying in hot oil with tongs being lifted

Step 7: Fry the chicken in 2 inches of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Fry four pieces at a time on each side. After each side has turned slightly golden, put the top on the skillet to steam the inside of the chicken ensuring doneness. After a couple of minutes, remove the top and continue to fry until the crust is crispy again.

Fried chicken draining on paper towels on baking sheet

Step 8: Remove the chicken from the oil and place it on paper towels or a rack to drain. Transfer the drained chicken to a warm oven to keep it warm while you continue cooking the remaining pieces of chicken.

Glaze the Chicken in Nashville Hot Sauce

Spices in an oil before coating Nashville hot chicken

Step 9: Whisk together a cup of the frying oil you used to fry the chicken with the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Fried chicken on a baking sheet next to hot sauce

Step 10: Whisk together a cup of the frying oil you used to fry the chicken with the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

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A platter of Nashville hot chicken on the table with a little bowl of pickles and slices of white bread.

Nashville Hot Chicken

This Nashville hot chicken reicpe takes a spicy chicken batter and pairs it with a finger licking sauce! The chicken is fried to crispy goodness – you won't be able to stop eatin'!
4.46 from 104 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course: Main Course
Servings: 10 pieces

Ingredients

For the Fried Chicken

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • cup hot sauce
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons seasoned salt
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 10 pieces chicken
  • Vegetable oil for frying

For the Nashville Hot Mixture

  • cup cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • White bread and sliced pickles for serving

Instructions

For the Fried Chicken

  • In a medium sized bowl, whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce and set aside.
  • Next add flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to a paper bag and shake to mix well.
  • Dip each piece of chicken into seasoned flour and then into buttermilk then back into seasoned flour thoroughly coating each piece. Then add each piece to baking sheet to rest.
  • Finish coating all chicken and let sit for 15-20 minutes until coating has set.
  • While coating sets, add 2 – 2 1/2 inches of oil to a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom skillet and heat over medium high heat. Also turn on oven to 275 degrees.
  • This is my test for knowing when the oil is ready: Big Mama always tossed a tiny bit of flour in the oil and if it began to fry and sizzle, the oil was ready.
  • Fry four pieces at a time on each side. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan.
  • After each side has turned slightly golden, put the top on the skillet to steam the inside of the chicken ensuring doneness. After a couple of minutes, remove the top and continue to fry until the crust is crispy again and completely golden brown.
  • Remove chicken from oil and place on paper towels or rack to drain. Once completely drained, place the fried chicken on a parchment paper covered baking sheet add to warmed oven while finishing the other chicken pieces.
  • Fry the remaining chicken pieces and repeat steps of draining and adding to oven.

For the Hot Chicken Preparation

  • Once you are done frying all chicken and it is in the oven, whisk together 1 cup of the frying oil you already used to fry the chicken, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika until combined.
  • Remove chicken from the oven and brush the hot mixture over all of the pieces of chicken.
  • To serve, place hot chicken over white bread and serve with pickles on toothpicks.

Video

Notes

Be sure to check the full post above for more tips, serving suggestions, how to store leftovers, and more!
    • Double Dredge! This chicken has a double dredge to ensure that the crust is insanely crunchy and crispy.  It is one of the most important parts of making this recipe.
    • Rest Your Chicken! Once you have breaded your chicken, allow it to sit for a bit.  This allows the breading to stick to the chicken. Even better, stick the chicken in the refrigerator to let the coating stick well to the chicken.
    • Don’t Fry Fridge-Cold Chicken. Don’t start breading your chicken straight from the fridge. Placing cold chicken in the fryer will drop the temperature of the oil and prevent the chicken from frying evenly. Let your chicken sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then you’re ready to go!
    • Use Oil with A High Smoke Point: Using oil with a low smoke point will ultimately result in burnt chicken and the annoying sound of smoke alarms going off all over the house. Go for a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point, like canola, vegetable or peanut oil. Be sure to use a thermometer to maintain the temperature of the oil, 350 degrees is perfect.
    • Make Sure Your Oil Is Ready! One of the best parts of Nashville Hot Chicken is the crispy exterior of the chicken.  To ensure your chicken is fried crispy, it must start with hot oil. How do you know when the oil is hot enough? Dribble sprinkles of water or even flour in the oil, once it begins to dance, it is time to fry some chicken.

How to Store & Reheat Nashville Hot Chicken

Transfer cooled chicken to an airtight container. I like to add a few paper towels to the bottom of the container to soak up condensation so it won’t be too soggy.  
To reheat, bring to room temperature for 30 minutes then add to a 400° F oven on a lined baking sheet or add to your air fryer so it stays crispy.

How long will hot chicken last in the fridge?

Leftover Nashville chicken will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days when stored correctly.

Can I freeze Nashville fried chicken?

Yep for sure boos. Add to a freezer bag for up to three months. Allow the chicken to thaw out in the fridge overnight and then reheat using the instructions above.

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 2364mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4046IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg
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An overhead shot of Hot Chicken on a platter with slices of white bread and a pitcher of sauce to the side.

Recipe Tips

  • Double Dredge! This chicken has a double dredge to ensure that the crust is really crunchy and crispy. 
  • Rest Your Chicken! After breading your chicken, allow it to sit for a bit so it sticks to the chicken and doesn’t come off when frying. 
  • Don’t Fry Fridge-Cold Chicken. Don’t start breading your chicken straight from the fridge. Placing cold chicken in the fryer will drop the temperature of the oil making it soggy. Let your chicken sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • Use Oil with A High Smoke Point: Go for a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point, like canola, vegetable, or peanut oil. Be sure to use a thermometer to maintain the temperature of the oil, 350 degrees is perfect.

What to Serve with Nashville Fried Chicken

Overhead close up of Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe on a plate with a little pitcher of sauce and a brush adding oil to the chicken.

Recipe Help

Why is my chicken brown on the outside but not fully cooked inside?

Your cooking oil is probably too hot so its burning on the outside and not cooking fast enough on th inside. Use a thermometer to test your oil to make sure it’s at 350 before adding that chicken to the skillet.

Why is my hot chicken soggy?

Your oil may not have been hot enough or you didn’t drain your properly. Be sure to check the temperature of your oil before adding the chicken with a thermometer or a sprinkle of flour — if it sizzles up the oil is ready. Also, don’t overcrowd the chicken in the pan. Too many pieces of chicken will cause the temperature of the oil to drop. And finally drain the chicken after it cooks on paper towels or a wire rack to keep it crisp.

Do I have to let the chicken rest after breading?

Yep boos! This keeps the breading from sliding off. The extra time helps the breading adhere to the chicken so it stays put. Don’t be in a rush and skip this step!

More Fried Chicken Recipes

Nashville Fried Chicken being brushed with a Hot Chicken glaze over white bread and pickles

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Filed Under:  Chicken, Dinner, Stovetop, Super Bowl and Game Day Party

Comments

  1. This recipe is fire! Jocelyn has detailed exactly how to make perfect Nashville Hot Chicken and I love making this for family and friends.

4.46 from 104 votes (63 ratings without comment)

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