Nashville Hot Chicken

If you've never had Nashville Hot Chicken, we're talking about mouthwateringly, ultra-crispy, fiery fried chicken with a cayenne-infused glaze of melted lard (or frying oil). Serve chicken pieces on white bread and brush with extra sauce if you like. Serve with pickles.

If you are ever in Nashville, head to Prince's Hot Chicken for the OG Nashville Hot experience. Tell them Nashville Joe sent you.

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Additional Time:

8 hours

Total Time:

8 hr 45 min

Servings:

Ingredients:

Dry Brine:

1 whole chicken, cut into quarters
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dip:

1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)
¼ cup pickle brine (can leave out if preferred)
2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce
2 large eggs

Flour:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons fine table salt
1 teaspoon of Nashville Joe's Nashville Hot (Not Just) Chicken Seasoning

Spice Paste:

½ cup lard, melted and heated (or hot frying oil)
4-8 Tbsp of Nashville Joe's Nashville Hot (Not Only) Chicken Seasoning (Depending on heat level)

Directions

Step1:

Arrange chicken pieces in a large bowl.

Step 2:

Dry-brine the chicken: In a bowl, toss the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1½ teaspoons black pepper; cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

Step 3:

Mix flour, salt, Nashville Joe's Seasoning together in a shallow flat dish. Remove chicken from brine and blot with paper towels. Toss chicken in flour until thoroughly coated. Return chicken to dip, coating all sides; remove chicken from dip 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.

Step 4:

Place Lard (or frying oil) in a large pot. Wisk in Nashville Joe's seasoning. Place over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until fats melt. Remove from heat; keep sauce warm.

Step 5:

Fill cast iron skillet about ⅓ of the way with vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken into hot oil, skin side down. (Alternatively, you can use a deep fryer. Heat the vegetable oil in the deep-fryer to 325 degrees F.)

Maintain an oil temperature of 325 degrees F, adjusting heat as need. Fry until instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side (or in the deep fryer,15 to 17 minutes for breast quarters and 18 to 20 minutes for leg quarters.) Remove the chicken and let it drain on the rack.

Step 6:

Toss chicken in the spice paste several times to coat well . Place the finished pieces onto slices of white bread, top with pickles and serve immediately. You can sprinkle of some Nashville Joe's if you want a little more heat.

Step 7:

Enjoy!