Nashville Hot Chicken

November 28, 2015

Traditional Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe from The Hot Chicken Cookbook | Fake Food Free

We were at the wedding reception of a friend, chatting over a drink with the cousin of the groom. The conversation turned to our upcoming trip to Nashville. It would be a quick weekend trip from Lexington, our home at the time. 

“You need to try Hot Chicken,” he said. My husband and I must have had confused looks on our faces, and he must have been used to that kind of response, because he went on to explain. He lived in East Nashville and said that few people had heard of it, but it was a favorite among locals. 

We’d been to Nashville countless times before this encounter and we’d never heard of it. Although, I will admit that my interests in food as it relates to local culture was just beginning. I was equally intrigued and slightly embarrassed that I hadn’t heard of such a local delicacy fewer than 3 hours away from me. 

Traditional Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe from The Hot Chicken Cookbook | Fake Food Free

So the research began. We knew we would be in for a meal at a fantastic dive-like location with chicken that might burn our mouths off along with classic southern sides. 

On that trip we first landed at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, but after a peek inside the door, we realized they wouldn’t open for another half hour. We were hungry. So we headed to the second place we’d researched, Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish. 

I peeked inside the small kitchen to see large cast iron pans bubbling full of oil that had seasoning layers built up along all the edges. It was the kind of kitchen that was well-used. The kind that you knew produced delicious comfort food. 

Traditional Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe from The Hot Chicken Cookbook | Fake Food Free

What you need to know before I go on, is that I’m not a fried chicken fan. I’m really not a meat-on-the-bone kind of fan. It’s much more flavorful when cooked on the bone, but I’m not all that crazy about eating it off the bone myself. 

I finished every bite of the hot chicken we got that day. And the sides like mac n cheese and collards didn’t stand a chance. Those were long gone even before the chicken. 

As the name implies, hot chicken is hot. But there are different levels of heat. You don’t have to sweat buckets during your dinner. You can settle for a moderate spiciness. I tend to like somewhere in between. 

It’s been at least 5 years since that trip and our encounter with hot chicken, but it was the one trip to Nashville that left the biggest impression on me. Now, instead of Opryland (a theme park gone long ago), I now automatically think of hot chicken when someone mentions Nashville. 

Traditional Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe from The Hot Chicken Cookbook | Fake Food Free

The memories of that quick trip came flooding back when I was offered a review copy of the Hot Chicken Cookbook: The Fiery History and Red-Hot Recipes of Nashville’s Beloved Bird by Timothy Charles Davis. It is full of recipes for hot chicken and for all of the tasty sides. There are also some creative ideas for how to use your hot chicken including on pizza and in a salad. 

Bits and pieces about the history of the dish are speckled throughout the book and lead to a better understand and a few chuckles about how hot chicken came about. 

I’ll let you read about that for yourself. What I want to share is a hot chicken recipe from the book. You will be as amazed as I was about how easy it is. Why in the world had I not explored making this at home before? Not that we eat a lot of fried chicken, but this rub could work on many more things. Not to mention all the other tasty recipes in the book. 

I fried a batch of hot chicken last week and we paired it with some hard root beer. A great match. 

It’s not quite the same as eating it at dive in Nashville, but when you live as far away from it’s home as California, it is definitely the next best thing. 

 Traditional Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe from The Hot Chicken Cookbook | Fake Food Free    

Traditional Hot Chicken
Serves 8
From the book: Most every Hot Chicken devotee has his or her own recipe, and the ingredients are always closely guarded. This Hot Chicken recipe is traditional in flavor and spice but includes dry mustard and sugar. While mustard and sugar don’t pop up in many published recipes, I wouldn’t be surprised to find them hidden on the spice rack at many Hot Chicken shacks. The mustard lends pungency and the sugar helps round out the flavor. The rub and paste used here can be used to accommodate most any degree of heat. For more heat, simply use more of each.
Write a review
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 whole fryer, cut up
  2. 2 cups all purpose flour
  3. 2 tablespoons rub (recipe below)
  4. Peanut oil (or frying oil of your choice)
For the paste
  1. 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  2. 1 1⁄2 teaspoons sea salt
  3. 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  4. 1 teaspoon sugar
  5. 1 teaspoon smoked or hot paprika
  6. 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  7. 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  8. Bacon fat or used oil, as needed for paste
Instructions
  1. Fill an iron skillet or Dutch oven about 2 inches deep with oil and heat to 350°. Mix the flour and a tablespoon of the spice mix (use the paste recipe, except for the oil) in a paper grocery sack.
  2. Working in small batches, drop the chicken into the bag, shake, let rest briefly, and shake again. Test the oil by sprinkling a small pinch of flour into it—when ready the oil should gently bubble around the flour. Carefully lower the chicken into the oil. Fry only a few pieces at a time so as not to crowd the pan. Cover partially and cook until one side begins to brown. Turn the chicken and cook until golden brown. (Internal temperature should be at least 165°.) Remove from the oil and drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Cook in batches until all is done.
  3. Ingredients for the paste are for what most would consider medium heat. To add heat, simply add more cayenne to the mix. To make the paste, heat your bacon fat (or use a couple teaspoons of the just-used fry oil) and add a little at a time to the spices listed for the paste. What you’re looking to achieve is a brushable consistency that is neither a hard paste nor too liquid-y; aim for something along the lines of stone-ground mustard. Liberally brush the finished chicken with the paste. Grab a thick stack of napkins. Enjoy.
Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Traditional Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe from The Hot Chicken Cookbook | Fake Food Free

Disclosure: This book was sent to me for review purposes. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so. 

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

You Might Also Like

  • Amy November 28, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    Oh my, I am in already!!! Just found tomorrow’s lunch.

  • Marisa November 30, 2015 at 7:06 am

    Sounds delicious, but I’d never heard of hard root beer before?! Where has that been all my life? Another culinary discovery…

    • Lori November 30, 2015 at 4:40 pm

      Start with Small Town Brewery’s hard root beer. This time we had Mission Brewery out of San Diego. Great stuff! As is the chicken!

  • lisaiscooking December 5, 2015 at 12:47 pm

    I just recently learned about hot chicken, in Saveur I think. I’d love to try it! I’ll definitely attempt making it at home since I don’t have a trip to Nashville coming up any time soon.

    • Lori December 7, 2015 at 9:43 am

      It’s so good! Much easier than I was expecting, too. Only one extra step beyond regular fried chicken.

    Want to create beautiful food and product photos that you can't wait to share?!
    Discover your style, control the light, and shoot using the tool you know how to use (yes, your phone included). Learn about free resources, Live Q&As with Lori, and online courses you can take from anywhere in the world!
    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.