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Nashville-Style Hot Chicken

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Nashville-Style Hot ChickenJeremy Liebman

No doubt about it, six tablespoons of cayenne is a lot, but that's what Hattie B's considers "medium." For a milder heat, decrease to two tablespoons.

Ingredients

8 servings

2 3 1/2-4-pound chickens, each cut into 10 pieces (breasts halved)
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons kosher salt
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk or whole milk
2 tablespoons vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Texas Pete)
4 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil (for frying; about 10 cups)
6 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
White bread and sliced pickles (for serving)

Special equipment:

A deep-fry thermometer

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toss chicken with black pepper and 2 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

    Step 2

    Whisk eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Whisk flour and remaining 4 teaspoons salt in another large bowl.

    Step 3

    Fit a Dutch oven with thermometer; pour in oil to measure 2". Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 325°. Pat chicken dry. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then dip in buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Dredge again in flour mixture and place on a baking sheet.

    Step 4

    Working in 4 batches and returning oil to 325° between batches, fry chicken, turning occasionally, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of pieces registers 160° for white meat and 165° for dark, 15-18 minutes. Transfer to a clean wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Let oil cool slightly.

    Step 5

    Whisk cayenne, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a medium bowl; carefully whisk in 1 cup frying oil. Brush fried chicken with spicy oil. Serve with bread and pickles.

    Step 6

    Do ahead: Chicken can be seasoned 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

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  • This is a great recipe Nashville-Style Hot Chicken , had fun making it over the weekend. Recreated the meal that I get from <a href="https://www.flexpromeals.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer ugc">https://www.flexpromeals.com/</a> delivered. Good quality and fresh.

    • Vadim

    • 9/30/2023

  • This dish was not worth the mess or the calories. The only thing we did differently was used whole milk and actually spiced up the flour mixture a little bit too. The oil and spice mixture did not mesh like someone else said. I love spice so thought this would be a winner. I don't like to fry a lot, so prefer to make only the most awesome of dishes, this wasn't it for me.

    • heathernyc

    • NYC

    • 3/15/2020

  • It was so so good-- loved by all. I served it with Hawaiian sweet rolls, mayo, and sweet pickles. I only used 4.5 tbsp of cayenne because that's all I had in my cabinet and it was great. I'll probably use an even five next time. Maybe the whole six. I also will season my flour and buttermilk dredge mixtures more to add more flavor. But still, this recipe is great as-is.

    • hiluhry

    • North Texas

    • 8/25/2018

  • PERFECTION! I had Hattie B's (medium) for the first time a couple weeks ago. I've craved it ever since, so I started searching for a recipe. I made this last night and it was so delicious and crispy. Ignore that reviewer that said that putting the oil on it would make it soggy. It absolutely doesn't make it soggy (I used very hot oil). She obviously didn't even try to make it. It is EXTREMELY crispy and so yummy!! I wish I could upload pictures because not only does it taste the same, it actually looks identical to the pic I took when at Hattie B's. I didn't change anything on the recipe because I wanted to use it as a baseline for future changes. I would make this again and again, and don't plan on changing a thing (which is very rare for me). Make this and enjoy!

    • aprilgranier

    • San Antonio, TX

    • 10/1/2017

  • I was at Hattie B's today! For the record the no heat and southern is dry to the touch, that's what my kids got. I had the Shut the cluck up and damn hot which had a noticeable sheen. Both were amazing and I can't wait to try this recipe! Thank you as always Epicurious! Btw I'm rating this a four based on the recipe, I promise if I make it and don't agree with my rating I'll change it!!

    • micbawl

    • Chicago

    • 4/4/2017

  • This recipe is a winner, however, we modified it a bit. Instead of using frying oil for the sauce, I used margarine....the thought of brushing more oil onto fried chicken was not appealing and using butter would have killed the heat of the cayenne. My little guy is a very picky eater and he went nuts for the chicken which obviously did not have the the 6-tablespoon cayenne sauce on it. The temperature and cooking times in this recipe yielded perfect golden-brown fried chicken. Coupled with cole slaw, mac n cheese, white bread for mopping and a case of beer, and delightful food coma ensued. This will definitely be on the menu in the future.

    • fishing66

    • NJ

    • 8/15/2016

  • This was fantastic, with notes. We made this as wings, and used a deep fryer. We also only used 3T of cayenne in the sauce. When you bit into the wing, you first tasted the brown sugar, and then came the heat. 3T was a moderate amount of heat, but we like spicy food. We brushed a liberal amount of the sauce onto the wings, which was readily soaked in. DH awoke with horrible tummy pains, which we attribute to the massive amount of oil ingested. Between deep frying and dousing in more oil, it was too much. Our modification for next time will be to add the sauce spices to the flour, and then make a diluted brown sugar/cayenne sauce. But, besides clogging arteries, this recipe was amazing.

    • neets22

    • PhoPho

    • 7/27/2016

  • Lawdy that was tasty.... I'll probably up the heat the next time I make it, but otherwise it was perfect! A very well written, easy to follow recipe that's guaranteed to make you lick your fingers afterwards.

    • dzehner2

    • Lafayette, IN

    • 7/24/2016

  • After reading all the reviews, I decided to make mine with 2 tablespoons of Cayenne. It was a hit for those who liked it hot (everyone). My son just came back from Memphis and reported that this recipe was even better than the chicken he had in a restaurant famous for this dish. Yum!

    • Yinyin61

    • Vermont

    • 5/12/2016

  • I just got back from having some amazing hot chicken at Hattie b's in Nashville, and this is not how Nashville hot chicken is made. You put the spices in the breading. Real Nashville hot chicken is dry to the touch, and not oily and soggy like this will leave your fried chicken.

    • Gaujo

    • 5/9/2016

  • I made this following the recipe and it was awesome, if not a bit painful. Since Nashville Hot Chicken is my newest obsession, I tried making it again with one change - using just one heaping tablespoon of cayenne pepper instead of the 6 or even 3 that some people suggested. The results were great; there was a warmth to the spice paste instead of just a burn. Overall I felt it still had some heat, but also flavor that the first go-around masked because of the overwhelming spice. Maybe NHC is supposed to be about pain, but I really enjoyed having a kick to my chicken instead of just a knock-down-and-stomp-on-you heat. Will definitely make it again!

    • amweiner

    • Monterey, CA

    • 4/2/2016

  • Delicious!! I followed recipe except for cayenne, cut the amount in half, and I thought it was perfect. Plan on making again and again. You must try!!

    • freaknik

    • Atlanta, GA

    • 2/22/2016

  • I followed the recipe as written and it was delicious! I will definitely make it again on day.

    • adh5667

    • Memphis, TN

    • 11/29/2015

  • Well Hot DAMN! This recipe was terrific. I thought I'd be brave and did 8 tablespoons of Cayenne rather than the 6. I wouldn't say I regret it, but I wouldn't do it again. Excellent way to fry chicken if you're looking to get a good burn -- just make sure you have something frosty to drink next to you.

    • jontreem

    • Philadelphia

    • 5/21/2015

  • We loved, loved, loved this recipe so much, I'd like to marry it! Followed as written and will definitely make again.

    • Anonymous

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 12/30/2014

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