Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

Protein:

Origin: American South, North American

Method: Stovetop or Fryer

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Nashville Hot Chicken has been one of the hottest food trends the last couple years, both figuratively and literally. I must admit, that when I see a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich on a menu at a restaurant 9 times out of 10 I am going to order it. I was fortunate enough to finally be able to try the original Nashville Hot Chicken earlier this year during a trip to Nashville. Prince's Hot Chicken definitely lived up to its reputation.

Legend has it that Prince's Hot Chicken was created generations ago when a great uncle of the current owner returned home late one night after a night of "extra-curricular activities." His wife, having none of that nonsense decided to cook him up some special fried chicken, using every hot spice she could find to teach him a lesson. Sadly, (or luckily for us) the plan backfired and he loved it. Soon after he opened a restaurant selling his "Hot Chicken." Ironically the restaurant even stayed open until 4 AM to serve those that were getting home late.

Prince's Hot chicken serves its chicken ranging from plain to XXX hot. I will say that even their medium is hotter than most other Nashville Hot Chicken that you will find outside of Nashville. The hot required a fair amount of dipping in ranch. I can only imagine the heat in the 3 hotter levels. Our Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich recipe would probably qualify as a nice medium.

Making the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

Prepping the chicken

Begin creating your sandwich by selecting fresh, high quality chicken breasts. To help make the chicken extra tender and juicy we recommend using a Jaccard to blade tenderize the meat. You can read more about this tool here or on our Tools of the Trade page. If you do not own a Jaccard, you can skip this step.

Whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce in a large bowl.

Submerge the chicken breasts in the buttermilk mixture, and cover with plastic wrap. Marinade the chicken in the buttermilk for 4-8 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare your flour mixture

Combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, Johnny's Seasoning, salt, and pepper in a 1-2 gallon plastic bag and shake well to combine. Set aside and reserve for later.

Preparing the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich seasoning

In a medium bowl, mix together the cayenne, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside and reserve for later.

Cooking the chicken

When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat oil in a fryer or heavy bottomed skillet to 340-350 degrees. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, peanut, or vegetable oil.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and lift the pieces of chicken from the buttermilk allowing any excess to drain off.

Carefully place each chicken breast into the bag with the seasoned flour and shake to coast the chicken. You can work in batches if you find this easier. Remove chicken from the bag and gently shake off any excess flour.

Place the breaded chicken on a wire rack and let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This helps the chicken cook more evenly and helps prevent a big drop in the oil temp when you add the chicken.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts to the oil. Do not overcrowd the chicken. It is best to work in batches so you do not drop the temperature of the oil too much. Cook the breast for about 5-7 minutes then carefully flip the breasts over. Continue cooking until the chicken has reached a nice golden brown and reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This typically takes about another 7-10 minutes.

Next, transfer the fried chicken to a clean baking sheet lined with a clean wire rack. Note: if you are having problems with the chicken getting too brown before reaching 165 degrees, you can remove the chicken from the oil when the coating is to your liking and finish cooking the chicken on a wire rack in a 350 degree oven. If you are cooking in batches, place the baking sheet with the cooked chicken in a warm oven or warming drawer, while you finish the rest of the chicken. Reserve and strain about ½ cup of the frying oil.

Finishing the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches

Carefully whisk the seasoning mixture into the reserved frying oil until well combined.

Brush the surface of the fried chicken breasts with the hot spiced oil and serve hot. You may need to mix periodically to keep the the seasoning well mixed in the oil.

You can control the heat of the final product by making adjustments in the cayenne pepper in the oil, or by how much oil you coat the chicken with. This recipe works out to about a medium on the heat scale.

Serve the chicken breast on a bun with your choice of toppings. We like to keep it simple with some garlic pickles, lettuce, and tomato.

Grab a couple extra napkins as well!

If you are in the mood for some less spicy chicken then be sure to take a peek at our recipes for Grilled Souvlaki (Greek Chicken Skewers) and Spatchcock Chicken. Still want a little heat but in the mood for something different? Check out this awesome Taiwanese Night Market Spicy Fried Chicken or our Buffalo Chicken Wontons.

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