Hot Chicken

Hot Chicken is the local specialty in Nashville, a crunchy fried chicken that is brushed with a spicy cayenne paste made with different spices. It’s a dish that is easy to make at home.

A fried chicken recipe probably isn’t the best way to start out the week, right after Thanksgiving weekend, but hey, it’s pretty much holiday eating until the end of the year, right?

During our recent Nashville trip, we absolutely loved our hot chicken experience and I’ve been wanting to replicate it at home ever since.

Fortunately, Hattie B’s, one of top places for Nashville hot chicken has shared their recipe with several media outlets over the years.

The chicken preparation wasn’t too hard. I absolutely loved how gorgeous the chicken looked before we brushed on the sauce. Doesn’t it just look ridiculously golden and crispy?

This hot chicken recipe is easy to make at home, but it does require planning because the chicken needs to be salted and then left in the refrigerator at least overnight. I followed the recipe exactly, except that I used only drumsticks rather than the whole chicken.

We definitely want to visit Nashville again, but making our own chicken at home will keep us tied over until we can.

Ingredients

• Chicken drumsticks – or any chicken pieces like chicken breasts or thighs.
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Whole milk
• Hot sauce
• All-purpose flour
• Sea salt
• Vegetable oil
• Melted lard
• Cayenne pepper
• Packed light brown sugar
• Paprika
• Garlic powder

Recipe Steps

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and season them with kosher salt and black pepper. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. Doing this dry brine ahead of time will draw out the moisture from the chicken skin so when you cook it, it turns really crispy.

After the chicken has chilled at least overnight you can prepare the rest of the recipe. Set up the breading bowls for your chicken:

• Stir the milk and hot sauce in a bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk the flour and salt.

To bread the chicken, dredge each drumstick in the flour mixture and then dip them in the milk mixture. Let the excess drip off and then coat them in the flour again followed by the milk mixture.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or large Dutch oven until it reaches a temperature of 325°F. Fry chicken in batches for 18 to 20 minutes. The chicken is done when an instant read thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the chicken. Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack.

In a bowl, whisk the warm lard with cayenne pepper, brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Brush it on the chicken before serving.

At Hattie B’s, they put the fried chicken on top of a slice of white bread that soaks up the oil. I was going to make some waffles to go with our chicken, but we just couldn’t wait that long to dig in.

For some reason, my hot paste didn’t quite have the potency of the version we had at Hattie B’s. I think it’s the cayenne pepper I used. Other than that, this chicken was pretty good—it was just missing the heat.

I will definitely make it again – I think some French fries or potato salad on the side would be great with it. We might try making a hot chicken sandwich, too.

More Fried Chicken Recipes

• Korean Fried Chicken
• Japanese Fried Chicken
• Ad Hoc Fried Chicken
• Baked Fried Chicken
• ​Crunchy Chicken Tenders

Hot Chicken

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Hot Chicken is the local specialty in Nashville, a crunchy fried chicken that is brushed with a spicy cayenne paste. Plan to start this recipe ahead of time because the chicken needs to dry brine overnight.

Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 ½ tsp ground pepper

For the Crispy Coating

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp sea salt

For Frying and the Cayenne Paste

• Vegetable oil for frying
• ½ cup lard melted and heated (see note)
• 3 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• ¾ tsp sea salt and
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

• Place the drumsticks in a large bowl. Toss them with kosher salt and black pepper. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine the milk and hot sauce. In another medium bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Coat each drumstick in the flour and then dip it in the milk mixture. Let the excess drip off before coating it in the flour again. Repeat with the rest of the drumsticks.
• In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil to 325°F. Cook the drumsticks in small batches for 18 to 20 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a rack to drain.
• In medium heat-proof bowl, carefully whisk the warm lard (or frying oil) with cayenne pepper, brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
• Brush the mixture over the fried chicken and serve.

Notes

• You can use lard to make the spicy coating or use the vegetable oil you used to fry the chicken.
• Recipe source: Food Network

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!