Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken Recipe (2024)

Recipe from Rodney Frazer

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes, plus at least 13 hours for brining and resting
Rating
4(741)
Notes
Read community notes

This version of Nashville hot fried chicken, adapted from Peaches HotHouse in Brooklyn, will make your tongue sizzle and fill your eyes with tears from a combination of cayenne and ghost chile powders. (The latter is one of the hottest chiles in the world, reaching 1,000,000 on the Scoville heat scale.) Note that the recipe calls for both granulated and powdered onion and garlic. Try to use both. The powdered stuff is stronger in flavor while the granulated has a little more texture to it. (However if you can’t find both, either kind will work throughout the recipe.) The traditional way to serve this is on top of a piece or two of soft white bread, which helps mitigate the heat. A cold beer wouldn’t hurt, either. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: Brooklyn Provides the Secret to Nashville-Style Hot Chicken

Learn: How to Make Fried Chicken

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 5 servings

    For the Brine

    • ½cup coarse kosher salt
    • cup ground black pepper
    • 3tablespoons onion powder
    • 3tablespoons garlic powder
    • 3tablespoons cayenne pepper
    • 3tablespoons paprika
    • pounds chicken, cut into 10 pieces

    For the Very Hot Spice

    • 3tablespoons cayenne pepper
    • 1 to 2teaspoons smoked ghost-chile powder or smoked hot paprika
    • 2tablespoons granulated sugar

    For the Dredge

    • cups all-purpose flour
    • 3tablespoons granulated garlic
    • 3tablespoons granulated onion
    • 2teaspoons kosher salt
    • 2teaspoons ground black pepper
    • Safflower, corn or vegetable oil, for frying
    • 2large eggs

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (5 servings)

1702 calories; 123 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 72 grams monounsaturated fat; 24 grams polyunsaturated fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 73 grams protein; 1197 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Prepare the brine: In a large bowl, whisk salt and spices in 2 cups boiling water until salt dissolves. Whisk in 6 cups ice water. The brine should be cold; if not, chill until it is. Add chicken pieces to the cold brine and chill for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

  2. Step

    2

    In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the very hot spice mixture. In another bowl, prepare the dredge: combine the flour, granulated garlic and onion, salt and pepper.

  3. Remove chicken pieces from brine, pat dry with paper towels and season with a light dusting of hot spice mixture. Dust pieces with dredge mixture. Reserve both the remaining hot spice mixture and the dredge. Let chicken rest in fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour for the coating to adhere.

  4. Step

    4

    Pour 2 inches of oil into a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a cover. Heat oil to 325 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 cups ice water to make egg wash. Dip chicken in egg wash, then coat with more dredge. Shake pieces lightly so any excess dredge falls off.

  5. Step

    5

    Carefully place chicken in hot oil, about 3 to 4 pieces per batch. Cover pot with lid and let fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden brown on one side. Remove lid and flip pieces. Fry another 5 to 6 minutes, uncovered. Using tongs, transfer cooked chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch the oil drips. Dust with very hot spice as it comes out of the fryer.

Ratings

4

out of 5

741

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Patti

I modified! I omitted the brine and the dredge. I substituted lettuce for chicken. I did not use the hot spice, but I did use ranch dressing. Amazing fried chicken recipe.

Catherine DiNardo

Made this a second time, using sous vide to cook the chicken (155 degrees F, 3 hours for the dark meat and adding the white meat at the 2 hour point) after marinating for 24 hours. Fried the chicken in peanut oil at 375 degrees for 2-3 minutes until the crust was golden brown. Excellent results and less time spent over a pot of hot oil.

Eve

Yes, this isn't my recipe but I have fried a LOT of chicken and having the chicken at room temp makes for a crispier crust

doug

I am former instructor at the Culinary Institute of America. I could make this every day. And the beer is a must. Thank you for a great gustatory experience! Yum!

(PS--my head is still sweating. I love it!)

Javier Plasencia

This was, without exaggeration, the best chicken recipe I have ever cooked. The chicken was juicy and flavorful on the inside and crispy and flaky on the outside. The spicing (including that delectable bit of sugar) made for fantastic flavoring.Before dredging, I let my chicken rest at room temperature for an hour which allowed me to cut frying down to 4 minutes a side. Like many other reviewers, I skipped the dried ghost-chile powder. I also brined for 24 hours which worked wonders.

Susan

Smoked ghost-chili powder is not necessary, between the hot paprika and cayenne it's plenty hot.

KensCooking

There was a time of I'd have agreed Ruth, but these days learning most anything about history, source, retail availability, is just a click away. Unless it's incredibly obscure, in which case I don't want to see it in a recipe at all.

Julia

As a southern girl, I suggest grits to soak up some heat. Most people prefer cheese grits, or cheese grits souffle!

Verna

Remember, there is a difference between kosher salt and regular salt. If you use table salt then you need to reduce the amount by HALF.

Ruth

This recipe prompts a more general idea/request. You list "smoked ghost chile"; I pride myself on knowing lots of cooking trivia but this is one I'd never heard of, and on occasion your recipes list others similarly off beat. Can you keep this in mind when proffering recipes and guide us to how to obtain, e.g. ethnicity, nationality. Thanks.

seoul cooker

Don't go to peaches hot house if you find the cayenne and paprika plenty hot. This dish is about mouth-searing intensity that brings tears to your eyes and a rush of endorphins. And the ghost chilis (naga jolokia) are absolutely essential. Otherwise you just have fried chicken.

Hot Heaven

Hot dang this recipe rocks. Altogether it takes quite a bit of prep time (we brined for the max 24 hours), but none of the steps in themselves are complicated or difficult. We opted for only thighs and drumsticks instead of a whole chicken and got great results. My husband and I both agreed it was the best fried chicken we had ever had — better than Hattie B’s!

Catherine

This packs some seriously delicious heat! I used both the smoked ghost chile powder and the smoked hot paprika as I had the paprika previously homemade on hand. As a fried chicken and spicy food fan, this is a winner recipe!

Millie

Ghost peppers not needed. The cayenne and paprika make it plenty hot. I used whole onion and garlic for the brine instead of powder and it tasted great.

Lori

There's a big difference between ghost peppers and smoked paprika.

Char2024

OMG! Best fried chicken ever. I followed all of the steps and this chicken comes out moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. I’ve never made chicken like this before. It is a bit time consuming, but so worth. Just be careful about the cooking times 4 to 5 minutes each side was not enough to cook through for me. Mine cooking time was closer to 8-9 min each side for bigger pieces.

C Durocher

Have now made this recipe about a dozen times now and it is always very well loved. Have learnt my lesson to NOT over brine the chicken as it will take on a saltiness that can be overpowering. A 4-6 hour brine is better than leaving it overnight where it gets closer to 24 hours. It is a great recipe. I usually through a few boneless pieces into the brine to make sandwiches for the kids

Meredith in Magnolia

I made this for Thanksgiving this year instead of turkey. Couldn’t find ghost chile powder so used hot paprika. Cooked in a fry daddy on our deck. Way better than turkey. Everyone loved it so very few leftovers. Will definitely make again!!

Eric Lingswiler

Properly disappointed in this receipe. So "dusting" should be better defined. I like heat and I found this no better than shaking a little Tabasco on a so so piece of fried chicken. The brine is a lot of work that frankly doesn't infuse the chicken at all. I've brined a lot of turkeys with great success, this brine basically sinks and adds little flavor. I'll prepare this again with a lot of changes as I like spicy foods!

Donna

Delicious, but NOT Nashville style except in heat. True Nashville hot chicken gets a final toss in a paste of hot cooking oil and the finishing spices. It should be drippy with the spice mix and served over bread to soak that goodness up.

Eric Lingswiler

Do you have an authentic Nashville recipe, because I was really disappointed in this? Thanks

Carol

Wonder if this could be completed in the air fryer rather than oil??

Charley

Very good fried chicken. Not very spicy by my lights. I don’t brine. Don’t believe in it. Otherwise made as written. I’m lucky enough to have big, meaty, fresh-killed farm chicken, so it took a bit longer to fry. About 17 minutes in all.

Karen

Boneless breasts made terrific chicken sandwiches, with pickles and honey and a side of cole slaw.

Kari

One of the best fried chicken recipes I've ever made! I brined outside of the fridge for more like 6 hours and didn't dust with the very hot spice at the end. Other than those modifications, my entire family (including kiddos) love this recipe as written!

Frances Leftwich

To me, a Nashvillian, the pickles (shown on the picture) are just about as important as the chicken or the bread..

Chickenfog

What kind of pickle is usual?

Cece

Brined the bird and didn’t feel like frying so I put it on the grill. My family’s new favorite! Hubby asks for it weekly.

Kaybray

This was pretty good. I was worried it was going to be too hot, so I dialed back the heat and I wish I had not. It tasted delicious but I oversold it as spicy, which it was not really at all. Also, it took MUCH longer to cook than 5-6 minutes. Cooking for about 10 minutes gave a yummy crunchy crust and the meat was cooked through.

Jeanne Blumberg

Where are the preparation directions. I know how to make fried chicken, I just thought this cook might have some special technique

ed

This was great. Excellent flavor, moist, not too spicy. Made as instructed and did smoked paprika option for hot spice. Spicy enough for my family. Wife said it was even better than her fried chicken, which is the gold standard at our house.

Margie SS

This is a keeper! Made exactly as written (minus the ghost pepper spice) and it was a hit w/the entire family. Will definitely make again.

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Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken Recipe (2024)

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