Active Time
1½ minutes
Total Time
4½ hours
Nashville hot chicken is nothing new. The fiery take on classic Southern fried chicken has been a staple of the Black community in Middle Tennessee since at least 1945 when Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack first opened its doors. Still, many don’t realize that the primary source of heat comes not from a tingle-inducing marinade or an ultra-spicy breading. Instead, the final flourish for this iconic spicy fried chicken is a wash of chile-infused hot oil, introduced to the crispy pieces of chicken after they come out of the fryer. This version, from the relative newcomer but already ubiquitous Hattie B’s, calls for adding 6 Tbsp. of cayenne and other spices to the sauce. They consider it “medium”; if you’re worried about your ability to take the heat, reduce the cayenne to 2 Tbsp..
Like many of the best fried chicken recipes—making Nashville hot chicken is a bit of a process. Don’t try to take shortcuts by swapping in boneless meat; bones ensure the chicken stays moist and flavorful. If you don’t care to break down the bird on your own, ask your butcher to cut a whole chicken into 10 parts (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and 2 wings, plus 2 breasts that have been halved into equal portions). You can get ahead on your prep time by seasoning the chicken (simply with salt and pepper) a day ahead. You can also apply the breading and slide the (uncovered!) baking sheet into your fridge for up to 2 hours before frying.
This Nashville hot chicken recipe makes enough for a party or picnic. The classic sides of white bread and pickles (dill pickles are the go-to, but sweet bread and butter pickles also make a nice contrast) help to cool your palette. Finish off the spread with a big bowl of coleslaw or a mustardy potato salad, plus plenty of paper towels. If you make the chicken a day ahead, don’t bother reheating it. It’s just as delicious cold...or, um, hot and spicy...right out of the fridge.
Looking for a hot chicken sandwich? Try this one, which stacks crispy boneless chicken thighs with a gochujang glaze.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Deep-Fry Thermometer
$29 $16 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Texas Pete Original Hot Sauce
$10 At Amazon
Large Bowl
$18 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Ingredients
8 servings
2
1
2
4
2
2
4
6
2
1
1
1
special equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Toss 2 (3½–4-lb.) chickens, each cut into 10 pieces with 1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper with 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 3 hours (and up to 24).
Step 2
Whisk 4 large eggs, 2 cups buttermilk or whole milk, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar-based hot sauce in a large bowl. Whisk 4 cups all-purpose flour and remaining 4 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2 tsp. Morton kosher salt in a second large bowl.
Step 3
Fit a Dutch oven with thermometer; pour in vegetable 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 lined with a wire rack.
Step 4
Working in 4 batches and returning oil to 325° between batches, fry chicken, turning occasionally, until crust is deep golden brown and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of pieces registers an internal temperature of 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 6 Tbsp. cayenne pepper, 2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. paprika in a medium bowl; carefully whisk in 1 cup frying oil. Brush fried chicken with spicy oil. Serve with white bread and sliced pickles.
Do Ahead: Chicken can be seasoned 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Editor’s note: This recipe for hot chicken was first printed in our June 2014 issue. Head this way for more of our spiciest recipes →
Nutrition Per Serving
Leave a Review
Reviews (371)
Back to TopImagine gatekeeping hot chicken based on skin color... y'all wild.
Crow
7/5/2022
I'm going to go out on a limb Clay and guess you're white.
fdfefe
Lawson, AR
6/9/2022
First, what kind of pinhead brings what race owns what into the discussion? Can we please judge based on character and not the color of your skin? And Bolton's isn't the OG. Only Prince's is the OG. That being said, Hattie B's IMHO is the worst tasting hot chicken of all the main ones in Nashville. The best is 400 degrees, although I go to Prince's the most due to proximity. The recipe is OK, but as stated before, too sweet.
Clay
Nasvhille, TN
3/9/2022
Hattie B's is whitewashed and gentrified hot chicken. Support the BLACK OWNED and OG businesses like Prince's and Bolton's hot chicken.
Nicholas Cullen
Nashville, TN
3/5/2022
The sauce is too sweet, half the sugar is much for appropriate. Some people in comments said they had trouble with the spices and oil: just make sure you whisk it together before you apply it, the spices will eventually settle to the bottom, but if that happens you can just whisk it again to mix.
Anonymous
Nashville
2/14/2022
Turned out great for us. I can't help but wonder what would happen if I just mixed the spices in with the flour instead of making a spice oil and brushing it on at the end. I will try that next
Anonymous
Portland, OR
11/28/2021
My husband travels to Nashville all the time. He always gets this style of chicken while he's there from Hattie B's and other renowned hot chicken restaurants. He says this recipe is as good if not BETTER!
Edie
Knoxville, TN
11/5/2021
Your recipe is not that great, I have better one LOL. :P
EaSports69
THe LAnD dOwN UnDEr
7/26/2021
Wow - this was good! I recently was in Nashville and had Hattie B's shut the cluck up (I had to try it but I couldn't feel my face for an hour afterward!) so wanted to try a more mild version. I've always had the problem of undercooked chicken in a deep fryer, so before making this I did some research and patched together a few different suggestions and success! I brined the chicken pieces overnight in pickle juice, buttermilk and bit of Nevisian hot sauce (a little bit because that stuff is powerful. I poached the chicken in the brine until almost cooked through, then dried it and proceeded to the battering. After battering the chicken, I put it on racks and in the fridge to allow the batter to air out for a few hours before deep frying it. I reduced the cayenne to 4 TBSPs and added a TBSP of brown sugar to the recipe to balance out the heat. It came out perfectly. Best fried chicken I've ever had!
Anonymous
Langhorne, PA
3/25/2021
I have made Nashville Hot on a number of occasions and came across this recipe and decided to give it a go. Very good recipe my wife said it was her favorite version to date. That said instead of the hot oil used for frying the chicken I use half butter and half lard heated and added to the spices. I found on previous attempts that the oil from the fryer was too hot and burned the spices.
TheViewFrom9072
2/4/2021
Had to dump out the sauce, it was so bad : ( Disappointed!!
SySid
Woodland Hills, California
12/28/2020
good for summer picnics when it's early evening - needs to be a bit more kicky For winter - hmm make home made scotch bonnet chilli sauce or sone carolina reaper chutney Would suggest heating up a dutch oven and stacking the chicken to keep hot As for the white bread - ha - spread with nice french salted butter
Spatzl73
England
11/28/2020
The combination of crunchy skin, sweet and savory leveled off with the spicy finish make this a must try chicken recipe. The only change was I made was Two tablespoons of of Cayenne instead of 6. Overall I highly recommend this fun dish!
ddarty2000@gmail.com
Dallas
9/14/2020
My husband (before Covid-19) has to travel to Nashville monthly. He always gets the Hot Chicken from either Hattie B's or a few other excellent sources. He said this recipe was as good as if not better than Nashville!
Anonymous
Knoxville, TN
5/23/2020
Made it this week and it turned out amazing. I've been to Hattie B's and can say that this was nearly identical to getting it at the restaurant (though I dialed down the heat a bit for my wife)
Anonymous
Toronto
5/15/2020