Have you ever had Nashville hot chicken? If not, you really have to give it a try. It’s basically the moistest, most delicious fried chicken ever, covered in a super spicy sauce.
I’ve been following Chef John from foodwishes.com for over a year now, and his recipes always turn out insanely delicious.
So when I saw he did his own version of Nashville hot chicken, I knew I had to give it a try. It’s pretty easy to put together and it’s probably one of the best fried chicken recipes I’ve ever had.
Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, tossed with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and refrigerated overnight.
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup pickle brine
- 2 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups AP flour
- 2 teaspoons fine table salt or 4 teaspoon kosher salt for the breading
- 1/4 cup lard
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt for the sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Oil of your choice for frying
First, toss your chicken in some salt and leave it in the fridge overnight. Next, you’ll make your marinade. In a bowl, add the buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg. Mix until well combined.
Add the chicken to this marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. In a separate bowl, combine your all purpose flour and salt for the breading.
Take your chicken out of the marinade and dab it off on a paper towel. Dredge it in the flour. Place it back in the marinade, dripping off the excess, then put it back in the flour.
Rest the chicken on a rack for 15 minutes to dry out, then you’re ready for frying. During these 15 minutes, make your sauce. You’ll want to keep the sauce warm until you need it.
Over your stove, add your butter, lard, cayenne, light brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Melt the fats and mix in the spices until it creates a uniform-looking sauce.
Heat oil to 350 F. and maintain temp of 325 F. during frying. Cook to at least 160 internal temp. This should be about 8-10 minutes per side.
According to Chef John, to make the chicken extra crispy, flip the chicken after about 5-6 minutes. Cook the other side for 5-6 minutes, then flip the chicken again to cook each side for the remaining time.
Toss, dip, or brush your hot sauce to the chicken. Chef John places the chicken on plain white bread and tops it with bread & butter pickles.
I like to dip mine in ranch. I know this chicken is already covered in fat, so there’s no shame in adding more. Plus the ranch cools it off a bit, which is always great.
Check out Chef John’s video below, or read his blog post for more info on this awesome fried chicken.
How are you going to eat yours?