Ultimate Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe

This Nashville Hot Chicken recipe is the best online! The trick to making it the authentic Nashville way is to build a super crispy batter that holds up to the coating of the spicy hot glaze without getting soggy. Nailing the textures and spices are essential, and I will show you how to do it the right way.

Nashville Hot Chicken Ingredient Tips

• 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: Kosher salt also works but I would doctor it up so you don’t miss all the flavors.
• Cayenne Pepper: You can use as much or as little as you can stand.
• Brown Sugar: Granulated can also work or add molasses to granulated to make some homemade brown sugar.

How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken

Make the Breading Mixtures

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

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

Step 4: Transfer it to the buttermilk.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 105 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

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Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Course: Main Course

Servings: 10 pieces

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

For the Fried Chicken

• ▢ 2 cups buttermilk
• ▢ ⅓ 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

• ▢ ⅓ 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

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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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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

• The OG Way: Serve the chicken on top of white bread with pickle slices. Really turn it up with fried pickles.
• Classic Southern Plate: Serve up this chicken with collard greens, velveeta mac and cheese, creamed corn and angel biscuits. And don’t forget the sweet peach tea.

Recipe Help

More Fried Chicken Recipes

• Buttermilk Fried Chicken
• Chicken Fried Chicken
• Air Fryer Fried Chicken
• Oven Fried Chicken Tenders
• Southern Fried Chicken Biscuits
• Sweet Tea Fried Chicken
• Hot Honey Chicken

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