| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 12 chicken tenders, or 3 chicken breasts sliced into tender strips
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 3 dried guajillo chiles, left whole
- 1/4 cup dark chili powder
- 1/4 cup smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup crushed red pepper
- 4 ounces brown sugar
- 3 ounces cayenne pepper
- 1 ounce ground cinnamon
- 1 ounce dark chili powder
- 1 ounce smoked paprika
- 1 ounce ground white pepper
- 1 ounce kosher salt
- 1 pound all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces coarse black pepper
- 1 ounce smoked paprika
- 1 ounce celery salt
- 1 ounce kosher salt
- 1/2 ounce garlic powder
- 1/2 ounce onion powder
- 1/2 ounce dried thyme
- 12 Hawaiian sweet slider rolls
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- Pickled cucumber slices, for serving
Instructions
- For the chicken: Pour the buttermilk and hot sauce over the chicken in a shallow dish. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Preheat a deep-fryer or a large Dutch oven filled with 3 inches oil to 325 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack.
- For the chile oil: Add the oil, chiles, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne and crushed red pepper to a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Allow the oil to come to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the chiles steep in the oil for 5 minutes. Strain and let cool.
- For the shake: Add the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, smoked paprika, white pepper and salt to a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside until later.
- For the dredge: Add the flour, pepper, smoked paprika, celery salt, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme to a very large bowl or shallow dish. Add the marinated chicken pieces, one by one, and pat the dredge onto the chicken, creating little crackles in the chicken piece.
- Shake off any excess dredge and add the chicken to the fryer. Fry in batches, turning occasionally, until just slightly golden and it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and let rest on the wire rack until just cool to touch. Add back to the fryer and double-fry until super golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain again on the wire rack.
- Dip the fried chicken in the chile oil and add to a shallow dish. Dust each piece with the shake thoroughly until no oil is apparent on both sides.
- To serve: Split the Hawaiian rolls in half. Put a tender between each roll, then top with the sliced onion and a pickle chip or two.
Reviews
WOW!I I was afraid to try this recipe because it looked like a lot of work! It really wasn’t! It all went so well together! It needed nothing else!
Well Eric,, you’ve done it again! I think it is the layers and depth of flavor that does it for sure!! I did change it up a bit,,,, used a traditional dredge,,,flour, egg & PANKO crumbs. I just had those items that I really needed to use up. And I do love a good Panko crust! I couldn’t fine my dried chillies so I just used all the different chili powders I had,,,Ancho, Chipotle,, reg Regular chili powder. It came out smashing!!!
I have been searching for an authentic Nashville Hot Chicken recipe and this is it! Omg, amazing! Wouldn’t change a thing! I have leftover oil and dry rub and plan to make some wings next! Winner winner Nashville Hot Chicken Dinner!
Delicious! Husband loved it too. (Question for Eric- if he reads these- can the pepper oil be saved and if so – for how long?)
He NAILED it!! I live in Nashville and have tried a lot of recipes and seasoning mixes in search of an authentic flavor profile. Hattie B’s is our preferred hot chicken establishment. This recipe is very similar to theirs. I was worried it was going to be ridiculously hot, but it wasn’t. The heat was nice and steady through every bite. The heat didn’t build, but instead remained constant. For my spice averse guests, I did not use the last two steps (chili oil and shake). They thought the chicken was delicious and not hot at all. For my hot chicken lovers, they thought it was the perfect amount of heat. This will be our permanent “go to” hot chicken recipe!!
I’m from Nashville & like it hot. But this is too smokey and uncomfortably hot. The crunchy coating falls off. I would suggest regular paprika and cut back on the cayenne in the dry coating at the end.
OUT…OF…THIS…WORLD…GOOD!
This was my first time ever trying Nashville Hot Chicken and it was better than I imagined! Not trying to hype this up too much but honestly, make it, it’s THAT good!
For those who don’t like spice/heat beware, this recipe brings the heat, but a good heat! I love lots of heat so it was perfect but if you aren’t used to this kind of heat, you will be in tears (again, in a good way).
I actually ended up making this gluten free (the joys of being a celiac) and it ended up perfect.
This is my first saved recipe on FoodNetwork and it’s gonna be a tough one to beat!