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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“This recipe is fire! Jocelyn has detailed exactly how to make perfect Nashville Hot Chicken and I love making this for family and friends.”
—SARAH s.
The Lowdown of This Nashville Hot Chicken
I love me some Hot Chicken. I have tried everything from Prince’s Hot Chicken to Hattie B’s so I feel pretty comfortable saying that this Nashville Hot Chicken recipe is beyond!
It all starts with my bomb crispy golden brown fried chicken. The batter is full of spice and fries up crispy! Then, I add that extra coating of the hot and spicy glaze! When you’re in the mood to give your fried chicken game a sassy, extra kick, this is the recipe you need in your life!
What Is Nashville Hot Chicken?
Nashville Hot Chicken is a traditional fried chicken recipe that’s coated a sauce created with several different spices that bring the heat!
For almost 70 years, hot chicken was made and sold primarily in Nashville’s Black communities. Prince’s Chicken Shack still stands as the original home of Nashville’s Hot Chicken.
Ingredients to Make Nashville Hot Chicken
For the Chicken
- Buttermilk: It brings tang and the acid helps to tenderize the chicken.
- Hot Sauce: It adds salt and heat to the marinade.
- Flour: The base of our chicken breading.
- Cornstarch: It helps develop more crunch on the chicken.
- Seasoned Salt: This helps give more flavor.
- Paprika, Cayenne, and Black Pepper: I like to add these to the breading for more flavor.
- Onion Powder and Garlic Powder: The onion powder and garlic powder round out the flavors even more giving more depth.
For the Hot Sauce
- Cayenne Pepper: This brings the heat necessary for hot chicken!
- Chili Powder: It adds more heat and a different flavor profile.
- Brown Sugar: It balances the heat.
- Garlic Powder: Everything tastes better with garlic.
- Smoked Paprika: I love the essence of smoke here!
How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken
Nashville Hot Chicken
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Equipment
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
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
- 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.
Nutrition
Expert Tips and Tricks for Making the Best Nashville Hot Chicken
- Double Dredge! This chicken has a double dredge to ensure that the crust is insanely crunchy and crispy.
- Rest Your Chicken! Once you have breaded your chicken, allow it to sit for a bit so it sticks 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.
- 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.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Different Chicken Cuts: You can easily use boneless chicken pieces or choose your favorite type of chicken including, breasts, thighs, tenders, and more! Just note that you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Adjust the Flavors: Feel free to adjust the spices if it’s too much heat.
- Gluten-Free: Swap the flour with your favorite 1:1 ratio gluten-free flour.
- Buttermilk: Swap in this replacement. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to 2 cups of milk. Let it sit for about five minutes.
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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
- 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
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
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This turned out delicious and hot! I did tweak it a bit. I chose to oven fry the chicken so I mixed in baking powder with the dry seasoning. I did not do the buttermilk and flour.
Besides that, everything else was the same. As always a good recipe for Sunday dinner.
Outstanding! Our first try making NHC and this recipe was amazing! Will become a special event staple in our house!
This what I have looking for. This is so good. Perfect heat. Great with homemade pickles
I would like to know if skinless thighs would be suitable for this recipient?
Hi Renee,
It will lose some crispness due to being skinless. However it will still have a spicy hot flavor and taste great!
Don’t know fi you’ve had Hattie B’s chicken but I stood in line for 1 and 1/2 hours to get my first one.
Wow – it was worth it. Make it and enjoy!
Absolutely PERFECT! Your breading process is spot-on, there were zero dregs left in the oil so I can easily re-use it (I save the oil from the Thanksgiving turkey and use for the rest of the year). I breaded the day before and kept in the fridge. Perfectly crispy, moist chicken. I halved the cayenne in the sauce because I was serving wimps and they still loved how hot it was. Thanks again for this recipe.
Lady, let me tell you. I have the chicken marinating in buttermilk and hot sauce overnight, but I made the hot sauce mixture tonight to allow the flavors to blend together. I also made a spicy mayo with Frank’s, cayenne, paprika and garlic powder. I did a small taste test on both, and I can’t even fathom the flavor euphoria I’m about to embark on tomorrow at around 6PM. My boyfriend might propose on the spot, idk. I’ve never tried this recipe, I can’t think of a time I’ve been this excited (or nervous!) for a meal; I hope I don’t mess up the chicken frying!
I’ll be serving it on a brioche bun with pickles, and I can’t wait to try it out.
I did notice a slight thing, your hot sauce recipe calls for 1/3 cup of cayenne pepper instead of cayenne pepper hot sauce. Just wanted to call it out in case people are like “this is not sauce” haha
This is on purpose and authentic!! I am from Nashville and it’s just spices in the hot oil. You are meant to toast the spices with the hot frying oil. I like to add white pepper and usually end up using regular paprika and slightly more light brown sugar.
Delicious! I made a few adaptations to make it dairy free due to my sons allergy. Instead of marinating in buttermilk I used lemon juice as the acid and dredged in egg but it turned out perfect. Not at all dry and perfectly crispy! I served over a nice big hot waffle with syrup on the side.
First time making this – it’s as good as, if not better than, my local hot chicken place. Fantastic.
What kind of hot sauce did you use?
Used boneless chicken breasts to make chicken sandwiches and used this recipe. SO flavorful, SO good!
What kind of hot sauce did you use?
This was so so yummy!! It was pretty easy too! Just one question: How long should you cook the chicken on each side before covering the pan?
Made this for my husband’s birthday yesterday and everyone loved it! My husband loves Hattie B‘s, so I was excited that he loved this one. A couple guests didn’t want spicy, so I just took the hot sauce out of buttermilk and substituted brown sugar for cayenne in the flour mixture and that was also tasty. I think the chicken biscuit is calling my name next