Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

I love spice and I adore chicken, so any opportunity to mix the two in a meal is one I leap at.

Nashville Hot Chicken takes the heat to a new level and is guaranteed to stimulate all of your senses.

Let’s look at one very key aspect of the frying process that is required to make this traditional hot chicken sandwich.

The Nashville hot chicken sandwich

Nashville hot chicken is fried chicken with a fiery kick from the cayenne pepper and hot sauce in the coating, as well as the spicy sauce on top.

I guarantee you’ll be screaming from the taste and intensity in this meal! It remains to be seen whether for a refreshing drink or more heated chicken.

Every classic dish has to have its origin story.

According to legend, a Nashville native named James Thorton Prince was a bit of a womanizer. He arrived home late as usual, and his girlfriend was no longer satisfied with his shenanigans.

So, as retaliation, she served him a plate of fried chicken with enough cayenne pepper to build a volcano, but he liked it. He was so taken with it that he and his brother launched the Princes Hot Chicken Shack restaurant in 1945.

This family-run restaurant is still open today, however it is currently managed by his great niece.

Now, I hope this narrative is real, but we all know that the truth may be stretched a bit over time.

Although the original recipe called for chicken breast and the spice’s contents are as well guarded as another well-known eleven herbs and spices recipe, we know that the major source of pain, or pleasure, is a lot of cayenne pepper.

So let’s get started on our Nashville hot chicken sandwich.

Items that will help for this cook

• A large frypan
• Wire resting rack
• Various spices
• I’m using a ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE instant-read thermometer.

Breast vs thigh 

As previously stated, the classic Nashville chicken recipe calls for chicken breast. Because of the absence of fat, chicken breasts tend to dry up faster than thigh meat.

The greater fat content of chicken thighs results in a more moist sandwich when you bite into it.

In my view, this is just a personal preference, and the recipe is the same whether you use breasts or thighs.

Adjusting the heat

The amount of cayenne pepper in this dish may surprise you if you look at the ingredients list.

There’s also spicy sauce, pepper, and chili powder, which all work together to provide some real heat.

If you want to make this meal more approachable, reduce the cayenne pepper in the dry spicy sauce mix to 2 tbsp.

You could cut it even more, but this is Nashville spicy chicken, and we want it to be real. Try our Buttermilk fried chicken thighs for a milder sandwich.

How to make Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches

1. Make the batter or wet brine

Begin by marinating your chicken in a buttermilk and spice combination.

The longer the better, but a few hours will add lots of tastes and enable the acid in the buttermilk to begin tenderizing the chicken.

This is also a good time to experiment with heat by using a quarter cup of your favorite spicy sauce. I chose Franks Red Hot Sauce since it is widely accessible and I always have a bottle or ten on hand.

Whisk in the paprika, salt, and pepper, and then add the chicken. Make sure each item is well coated before putting it back in the fridge.

2. Make the hot flour mixture 

It’s time to turn up the heat! You’ll coat the chicken in this spicy flour mixture before deep frying it in hot oil.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the flour mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, combine two cups of all-purpose flour and some cayenne pepper. At this stage, it’s just a tablespoon.

There is one more step to really amp up this Nashville Chicken.

Add paprika, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

3. Create the hot sauce

This sauce, which contains a lot of heat, will be rubbed over the fried chicken at the end.

Start with four teaspoons of cayenne pepper in a bowl, then add brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and chili flakes, and we’ve got the makings of a delicious sauce.

This will knock your socks off, so if you’re sensitive to heat, reduce the cayenne to 1-2 teaspoons.

There is one more ingredient, but we need to cook the chicken first, so keep this away for the time being.

4. Make a creamy sweet coleslaw to cut through the heat (optional)

Pickles are often included in traditional Nashville chicken meals, such as the fried chicken sandwich.

Because my family is split on pickles, I prefer to prepare a creamy coleslaw that everyone enjoys. So, if you want to make this dish more traditional, opt for pickles.

The spice in a Nashville chicken sandwich may be a touch overpowering, so I prefer to balance it off with a lovely relaxing creamy slaw.

This slaw mix also contains a hint of sweetness, which helps to balance out the tastes.

Begin by slicing up some white cabbage and placing it in a dish. Next, cut up some dill pickles and scallions to add some bite and texture to the slaw.

Next, combine whole egg mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and a touch of maple syrup to bring everything together.

Put this in the fridge until you’re ready to build your hot chicken sandwich.

5. Frying your Nashville hot chicken

Deep fried your chicken in a big deep-sided frying pan or pot.

I used peanut oil, but any deep-frying oil, such as vegetable or canola oil, would do.

For best frying, the oil should be heated to 325F 350F, therefore now is a good time to utilize your quick read meat thermometer.

You may begin coating the chicken as the oil heats up.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and arrange it in front of you, along with the flour mixture and a tray lined with baking paper. We won’t need the spicy sauce mixture for a while.

Allow any extra buttermilk brine to drop off a piece of chicken, then put it in the flour mix, covering and pushing down on it, turn it over and make sure there are no wet flour marks, then place it back into the wet batter mix and allow any excess batter to drip off.

Rep the flour coating and set on the baking paper.

Repeat this process for all the chicken pieces.

Now you can begin frying the chicken. Keep in mind that the oil is hot and the chicken is cold, which might result in oil splattering, so be cautious as you put the chicken into the hot oil.

Lay it away from you to reduce the amount of spatter that may fall on you.

Do not overcrowd the oil, and only fry three pieces of chicken at a time, otherwise the oil temperature will drop below the ideal frying temperature.

Each piece of chicken will need to cook in the heated oil for 12-14 minutes.

Make careful to flip each item over after 6 minutes.

When the chicken has developed a good dark color and a temperature of 165F, it is ready to be removed.

You can allow for a few degrees of carryover cooking, so pulling it out at 160F should be acceptable, though 165F is better.

When the chicken is done, lay it on a wire rack on a baking sheet. If you need to make more than one batch, I recommend preheating the oven to 200°F to keep the chicken warm.

Allow the chicken to cool for five minutes before eating.

Using a metal ladle, pour one cup of the hot frying oil to the dry hot sauce mix and swirl to make a deep flaming red thick sauce to brush over the fried chicken.

Be sure to flip the fillets and cover both sides.

6. Assemble your Nashville hot chicken sandwiches

It’s now time to assemble your sandwiches. Begin by placing a scoop of creamy slaw (or pickles) on the bottom bun.

Place a slice of hot chicken on top of the slaw and finish with the top bun piece.

You may also use sandwich bread or any other kind of bun.

Now wrap your tongue around it, and I’m sure you’ll feel the fire.I recommend having your preferred beverage on hand.

Serving suggestions 

You can’t go wrong with just the Nashville hot chicken sandwich. Fries or smoked potatoes would be an excellent accompaniment to this peppery feast.

Nashville Style Hot Chicken Sandwich Recipe