By Christie Vanover | Published July 23, 2019 | Last Updated February 22, 2023
Over the years, I’ve made fried Nashville Hot Chicken a few times. I tried different online recipes, but I was never fully excited about the results.
The seasoning blends were usually obnoxiously too spicy (and I like heat) or the chicken skin got too greasy.
With some research and practice, I finally knocked this at-home recipe out of the park.
Why is It Called Hot Chicken?
Nashville Hot Chicken is traditionally fried and then dunked in oil combined with ground hot peppers.
In Nashville, you can get a hot version that literally kills your tastebuds. While that’s an experience you might want to try just once, I prefer a spice level that’s more tolerable.
My buddy Derek Wolf from Over the Fire Cooking launched a Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning that hits the mark. You can taste a blend of robust peppers with a little heat on the backend. It also has some undertones of a barbecue potato chip, which I dig.
Nashville Hot Chicken Ingredients
Substitutions: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make it by combining 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Or combine 3/4 cups of Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup of milk. That’s the combo I use in my homemade biscuits.
Nashville Hot Chicken Equipment
How to Get Crispy Fried Chicken
This might be the only time in your life when it’s okay to double dip. Actually, you need to triple dip.
Start by seasoning your flour with some of the chicken seasoning, and mix the buttermilk with some Tabasco sauce.
Then, dunk the chicken in the flour mixture, the buttermilk and hot sauce and then back into the flour.
That double layer of flour is going to get you the double layer of flaky, crispy skin that will be screaming for the hot dunk.
Perfect Fried Chicken Requires the Right Temperatures
The temperature of your oil will ensure your chicken cooks through while the skin is perfectly crispy. You can use a Thermoworks Thermapen to measure both the oil and chicken meat.
OIL TEMPERATURE | 350-375F / 176-190C degrees |
FINAL MEAT TEMPERATURE | 165F / 74C degrees |
How to Fry Chicken
The Kentucky girl in me learned to make fried chicken many years ago. In addition to the triple dip, you’ve got to cook at the right temp.
Whenever I fry food, I like to do it outside. That way my house doesn’t smell like cooking oil, and I don’t splatter grease all over the kitchen.
The KUDU Grill is a good choice for frying. It comes with a large skillet that easily holds 4-5 pieces of chicken.
If you’re cooking with oil over charcoal, be extra careful. When I need to raise and lower the pan to adjust the heat, I take the pan out of the ring first. That way, it won’t accidentally slide down and create a grease fire.
If you prefer to cook this on the stove, set your burner to medium heat and adjust the temperature up or down, until your oil reaches 350-375F degrees. A good way to measure the oil temp is with your Thermapen.
Once your oil reaches 350-375F degrees. Carefully add the chicken to the pan.
I don’t really cook on time. Instead, I wait for the bottoms of the chicken pieces to get golden brown. If your oil is too hot, this will happen too quickly, so make sure to check the oil before adding chicken.
Also, your oil temperature will drop when you add the raw chicken, since it’s colder. That’s okay. If you keep the coals going (or the burner on if using the stove), the temp will rise back up.
When they reach that point, I give them a flip.
If I feel they need it, I’ll flip them a few times for even coloring.
How to Know When the Chicken is Done
The goal is to reach an internal temp of 165F degrees. I test the temperature with my Thermapen. It’s also what I use to test the oil temperature.
The total cook time is probably about 15 minutes. It will depend on how hot your oil is and how many pieces you add to the pan.
Instead of worrying about the time, just pop open a beer and kick back and enjoy the outdoors. That’s my grilling philosophy.
How to Avoid Greasy Fried Chicken
Here’s where a Nashville Hot Chicken recipe can either suck or rock your world.
If you stop at this point, you’ll have great Kentucky fried chicken recipe, but to make it Nashville Hot Chicken, you need to dunk it in a mix of ground peppers and oil.
You need to use hot oil. If you use room temperature oil, I guarantee you you will have greasy chicken.
Spoon out some of that hot oil you fried the chicken in. Carefully, pour it over a strainer into a bowl. Working quickly, stir in more of the seasoning.
Then, dunk each piece in the chile pepper oil.
Since the oil is still hot, it will basically fry the pepper flavor onto the skin.
To help remove any excess grease, place the chicken on a rack over a sheet pan.
Then, make it an official platter of Nashville Hot Chicken by serving it on white bread with pickles.
That bread will soak up any excess hot oil, and it’s scrumptious. I like using Texas toast.
There ya have it. All it takes is six ingredients and some honky tonk music, and you can transport yourself to Nashville just like that.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be. If you order it at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where the recipe received, notoriety you can order it anywhere from light mild to XXX hot. This recipe however isn’t too spicy…if you can handle a little heat. The seasoning is made with sugar, chili powder, garlic and paprika. To make it spicier, add cayenne to the sauce.
If this happens, that means your oil is too hot. Be sure to heat the oil to 350-375F degrees. Then, add your chicken and flip it as it browns to ensure even cooking.
Absolutely. Use any cut of chicken you like. If you use skinless tenders or chicken breasts, you’ll still get a great outer crunch with that triple dip in the flour mixture and buttermilk hot sauce.
Love this recipe. Then, try Grilled Nashville Hot Chicken or Nashville Hot Honey Chicken and Biscuits.
What to Serve with Fried Nashville Hot Chicken
Want even more great grilling recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for my latest grilling adventures. If you make this recipe, I’d love for your to leave a comment and rating below. Thanks.
Fried Nashville Hot Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp Derek Wolf Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
- 5 cups peanut oil
- 1/4 cup Derek Wolf Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning
Optional Sides
- 4 slices white bread
- pickles
Instructions
- Prep Chicken: Break the chicken down into 8 pieces (2 breasts, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings).
- Prepare Dredge: In a medium bowl, combine the flour and 2 tablespoons of Derek Wolf Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and Tabasco sauce.
- Dredge Chicken: Place each piece of chicken in the flour. Shake it off. Dip in the buttermilk. Shake a bit. Dredge back in the flour. Shake it again. Place on a rack over a sheet pan.
- Heat Oil: Pour the peanut oil in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Heat it to 350-375F degrees.
- Fry Chicken: Add a few pieces of chicken at a time to the skillet. Once the underside becomes nice and golden, give it a flip. Continue cooking to an internal temperature of 165F degrees.
- Drain: Place the cooked chicken pieces on a clean rack over a sheet pan.
- Make Dipping Sauce: Place a strainer over a medium bowl. Ladle 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the hot oil through the strainer into the bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of Derek Wolf Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning.
- Dip Chicken: Dip each piece of chicken into the hot oil, and return it to the rack to drain. Serve over white bread with pickles.
Video
Notes
- Instead of buying and breaking down a whole chicken, you can also buy chicken pieces like breasts, drumsticks, legs and wings.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, see the substitution suggestions above.
- When using a 12-inch skillet, the oil should be about 3/4-inch deep.
- If using a smaller skillet or pot, you will use less oil and you may need to cook in batches. When it’s time to cook the second batch, make sure the oil heats back up to 350-375F degrees.
- If you like your hot chicken even hotter, add some cayenne to the hot oil.
Nutrition
This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator
How do I get your Recipes Thank you
They’re all posted on this website. You can also sign up for my email list. The sign up form will pop up when you first visit the site.
Looks amazing. What if I can’t get the seasoning? Do you have a simple receipe?
You should be able to find it on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2KjnIWs