Have you guys heard of Nashville Hot Chicken before? It’s a super popular dish in Nashville, Tennessee (obvi) – kind of like what the Philly Cheesesteak is to Philadelphia. Y’ALL (such Southern language is mandatory in this post) – Nashville Hot Chicken is life.
Here’s what makes Nashville Hot Chicken the beautiful creation that it is:
- Fried chicken (of course)
- A heavily spiced paste versus sauce made from lots of spices, mainly cayenne, and the fry oil.
- A toasted slice of white bread served underneath the chicken (I recommend brioche – the hint of sweet from the bread + the spicy chicken is just too good for words)
- Dill pickles to top the whole thing off
The three unique things that really characterize this dish are the last three bullets – the spice paste + white bread + pickles are what make this different than a typical fried chicken dish you’d find in the south.
And let me tell you y’all, Nashville Hot Chicken is addicting and delicious and everything that I want in my life.
Let me tell you something, friends. Crispy chicken in all its beautiful forms has been my main craving throughout this pregnancy. It doesn’t need to be fried per se, it can be baked, as long as it’s breaded and crispy. Chick-Fil-A and I have been besties for the past few months. But I mean, if we’re being honest, CFA and I have always been TUYTE. You my main, Chick-Fil-A, you my main. But it’s not just Chick-Fil-A – it’s anywhere with crispy breaded chicken.
Why, I wonder? Who knows. #Pregnancy. If I wasn’t keeping the health of the little peanut growing inside me in mind, I’d probs be takin’ down some fried chicken on a daily basis. But, sadly, I must restrain myself and only have it every now and then.
My particular craving lately has been spicy chicken – like a chicken strips with buffalo sauce type situation. I saw a few food videos online where people were making Nashville Hot Chicken and I was like…hello there, friend. I NEED YOU. Thus my journey began.
Now, let me warn you, dear internet friends, this is not a journey you should take lightly. Firstly, making fried chicken is kind of a massive pain and raaaather messy. Secondly, if you don’t like spicy food, stop reading here, because this chicken is no joke in the heat department. I happen to love spicy food, and my hesistant-to-spicy-food husband looooooved this chicken because, yes, there is spice, but there is also mega flavor. You can control the heat big time based on how much paste/sauce you add, but even if you just add a little, there’s definite spice, so…spice haters beware.
(Then again, you could always make this and skip the sauce, but the sauce is BAE.)…
