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A platter of Nashville hot chicken on the table with a little bowl of pickles and slices of white bread.
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4.42 from 98 votes

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'!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 10 pieces
Calories: 197kcal

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.

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