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I’ve been to Nashville quite a few times in the past year, and on every trip, I have to grab a basket of Nashville Hot Chicken. I grew up in Kentucky, so I’m no stranger to amazing fried chicken, but Nashville does things a little differently. After they fry their chicken, they dump it in a bowl of melted fat and spices.
Some use lard, others use oil or butter combinations. And the spice level ranges from mild to XXXHot. You can read more about Nashville Hot Chicken, and why a bitter, revengeful woman created it in the 1930s.
Try my recipe for fried Nashville Hot Chicken.
Or, instead of frying the chicken, this recipe mimics the Nashville Hot Chicken approach with grilled chicken wings.
I love the Char-Broil Oil-less Turkey Fryer for wings. You can set the wings in the canister and cook them without having to nurture them. They are super crispy outside and nice and juicy inside every time.
If you don’t have a Char-Broil Oil-less Turkey Fryer, you can grill the chicken wings on a gas or charcoal grill. Heat the grill to medium heat and cook the wings turning occasionally for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165.
After grilling the wings, give them a dunk. This Nashville hot chicken sauce is medium to medium hot, and it makes enough to sauce about a dozen wings. If you prefer things a little more mild, reduce the cayenne pepper and replace it with paprika.
Grilled Nashville Hot Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 chicken wings
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Nashville Hot Sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- pickle slices
Instructions
- Combine the kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle on all sides of the chicken wings.
- Heat the Char-Broil Oil-less Turkey Fryer. Add the wings to the basket in a single layer and cook for 35 minutes. Add the lid and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, or until the skin is golden brown.
- Heat the oil in a saucepot over medium heat. Whisk in the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and continue cooking for 1 minute to make the Nashville Hot Sauce.
- Immediately after you pull the chicken from the oil-less fryer, dip each wing into the Nashville Hot Sauce.
- Serve with pickles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
