Nashville hot chicken is just bae to me. It’s simply unforgettable. The scorching heat, the sweet-mean, and the lingering afterburn of the greasy spice makes this crunchy creation one of the most loved dishes around. The popularity of fried chicken has skyrocketed in the last decade or so and while fried chicken can be found almost anywhere in the world, it’s Nashville hot chicken that I cannot stop thinking about and keep salivating on. I find it so appetizing that it makes the Music City a worthy vacay spot for me, even without all the honky-tonky-ing that goes around there.
He that has never traveled thinks that his mother is the only good cook in the world.
Basically a Southern dish with a Nashville twist, Nashville hot chicken is technically a hot chicken sandwich with chicken pieces marinated in buttermilk, and then double breaded and deep-fried to perfection before being coated with its distinguished sauce made with a unique hodgepodge of spices, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper. Of course, restaurants have played around with ideas and have had their own takes on the recipe as the dish has become more popular but the heart of this fiery dish remains the same.
The best Nashville chicken I ever had was at Hattie B’s. It’s a hippy food joint almost at the heart of all the Nashville hustle and is mainly thronged by millennial tourists, recent Nashville transplants, and some locals. Of course, connoisseurs and local hot chicken purists would rather vote for the ones served at the Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack or 400 degrees but if you are a first-timer who isn’t sure about what this chicken masterpiece tastes like, Hattie’s should be your go-to place.
Outside Nashville, I have tried this electrifying dish at the famous Peaches HotHouse place at Brooklyn, stood in a 2 hr line for a bite at Howlin’ Ray’s at Los Angeles, and tried other variants of it at multiple fried chicken festivals, but no other place outside Nashville could replicate the same magic and vibe. It won’t be wrong to call Nashville the Mecca of Hot Chicken.
Since I cannot pack my bags up for a Nashville trip every time I think of their hot chicken, the next best thing for me would have been to try making it by myself. And I did! I found this wonderful recipe by Chef John(notice his interesting verbal delivery) that worked wonders for me. Although, it did take me a few iterations to get it to a state where I could satiate my cravings.
Nashville chicken is an iconic dish. It’s a love letter to Nashville and although I can conjure one up for myself now, there is nothing better than going to a hot chicken spot in Nashville, waiting in line in anticipation with strangers from all walks of life, and getting a chance to indulge in a punishing yet delectable piece of fiery hot chicken sandwich. And what I found is that every bite of it paves the way for the start of an enduring relationship. One, which is sure to stay.