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Nashville Hot Chicken

If you've never had Nashville Hot Chicken, we're talking about an ultra-crispy fried chicken doused with a cayenne-infused glaze, and by 'glaze' I mean melted butter and lard. For the record, I've never been to Nashville, so I can't tell you how authentic this is, but it works for me, and is fairly easy to pull off.


Nashville Hot Chicken
source Allrecipes.com
categories main dish, poultry
yield Serves 4
prep time 20 min
total time 10 hrs

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • [Marinade]
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup pickle brine
  • 2 Tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce
  • 1 Lrg egg
  • [Flour]
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp fine table salt
  • [Sauce]
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup lard
  • 2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup vegetable oil for frying, or as needed

    • INSTRUCTIONS
  • 1. Toss chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Transfer chicken to a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • 2. Whisk buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg together in a mixing bowl. Pour marinade over chicken and stir to ensure each piece is thoroughly coated. Cover and let chicken marinate in refrigerator 2 to 4 hours.
  • 3. Mix flour and salt together in a shallow flat dish. Remove chicken from marinade and blot with paper towels. Reserve marinade. Toss chicken in flour until thoroughly coated. Return chicken to marinade, coating all sides; remove chicken from marinade allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Coat the chicken once again in flour mixture. Place on a rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Allow to sit out about 15 minutes to allow coating to dry out a bit.
  • 4. Place butter and lard in a large pot. Add cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Place over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until fats melt. Remove from heat; keep sauce warm.
  • 5. Fill cast iron skillet about 1/3 of the way with vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 °F over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken into hot oil, skin side down. Maintain an oil temperature of 325 °F, adjusting heat as need. Fry until instant read thermometer reads 160 °F, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
  • 6. Transfer chicken to a rack to drain. Brush with the sauce on both sides.

    • NOTES
    Serve chicken pieces on white bread and brush with the sauce. Serve with pickles.

    NUTRITION