Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe
The ultimate crispy, spicy, and flavor-filled Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe. It's made with crunchy golden fried chicken pieces slathered in the most irresistible hot and spicy Nashville hot sauce. If super spicy isn't your thing, this recipe is completely customizable, allowing you to add just as much heat as you'd like.
Servings: 10 pieces
Ingredients
For the Fried Chicken
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup hot sauce (i.e. Cholula or Frank’s RedHot)
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken legs, thighs, or a mix of each
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- vegetable oil for frying (i.e. canola or peanut oil)
For the Nashville Hot Oil Sauce
- 1½ cup frying oil The used, leftover oil that was used to fry the chicken
- ¼ cup cayenne pepper see notes
- ¼ cup brown sugar more or less, to taste
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
For the Fried Chicken
- Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce together in a large bowl or measuring cup.
- Add the chicken pieces to the buttermilk mixture and coat thoroughly. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate (tip#1) for at least two or up to 8 hours.
- Approximately one hour before frying, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (tip#2) before dredging.
- Once the chicken reaches room temperature, whisk the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika in a large shallow bowl or plate.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, one piece at a time, and dredge it in the flour mixture. Dip the chicken back into the buttermilk mixture and then dredge in the flour mixture again (tip#3).
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a cooling rack set over a baking pan lined with parchment paper (for easy clean-up). Allow the double-dredged chicken pieces to rest for 15-20 minutes before frying (tip #4).
- As the coating sets, add approximately 2½ inches of oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot, pan, or skillet set over medium-high heat and preheat the oven to 275℉.
- Heat the oil until it reaches 350℉ as measured by a digital thermometer. You can also test if it's ready by adding a small pinch of flour to the oil. If it sizzles and fries then you're good to go.
- Fry 2-3 pieces of chicken at a time (tip#5) for 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the skin is golden and crispy. (The thighs will take longer than the legs, so fry them separately and let them fry for a few minutes longer as necessary.)
- Remove the chicken from the oil and set aside on a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Once drained, transfer to a new baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the preheated oven to keep warm while the other chicken pieces are cooked.
- Reheat the oil to temperature before frying another batch, and then repeat the steps above.
For the Nashville Hot Oil Sauce
- Combine the frying oil with the cayenne pepper (tip#6, see notes!), brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk continuously until fully combined and heated then remove from heat. Season with additional brown sugar for more sweetness or cayenne for more heat.
Preparation
- Remove the fried chicken pieces from the oven and brush the hot oil mixture all over each of the chicken pieces until completely coated.
- Serve over pieces of white bread with pickles or with your favorite sides like coleslaw, potato salad, or corn on the cob.
Notes
- Remember to marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before dredging in flour. Deep-frying cold chicken will instantly decrease the temperature of your cooking oil, preventing the chicken from cooking evenly.
- Double dredging is essential for a crispy, crunchy coating - don't skip it.
- Rest the chicken for 15-20 minutes after they have been double-dredged and before frying. This allows the breading to stick to the chicken.
- Work in batches, frying only enough chicken pieces that fit comfortably in the pan.
- This Nashville hot oil sauce is very spicy. If you are sensitive to hot or spicy foods, please significantly reduce the total amount of cayenne pepper or check out my recipe for Nashville hot sauce made with butter (link below). It's made with significantly less cayenne.
Nutrition
Calories: 750kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 1016mg | Potassium: 533mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3238IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 3mg
