Nashville Hot Chicken

Nashville Hot Chicken is known as the 'bird that bites back' because its heat can be pretty intense. That's why it's served with a cool dressing and some tangy pickles. A beer along side helps too!

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Nashville Hot Chicken

  • Prep Time: 20 m
  • Cook Time: 47 m
  • Total Time: 1 h 7 m
  • Servings:
    4

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds chicken, cut into 6 pieces (2 breasts, 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • vegetable oil
Nashville Hot Sauce:

Instructions

  1. Cut the chicken breasts into 2 pieces so that you have a total of 8 pieces of chicken.
  2. Set up a two-stage dredging station. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together in a bowl. Combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper in a zipper-sealable plastic bag. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg-buttermilk mixture, then toss them in the seasoned flour, coating all sides. Repeat this procedure (egg mixture and then flour mixture) one more time. This can be a little messy, but make sure all sides of the chicken are completely covered. Spray the chicken with vegetable oil and set aside.
  3. Pre-heat the air fryer to 370ºF. Spray or brush the bottom of the air-fryer basket with a little vegetable oil.
  4. Air-fry the chicken in two batches at 370ºF for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces over halfway through the cooking process. Transfer the chicken to a plate, but do not cover. Repeat with the second batch of chicken.
  5. Lower the temperature on the air fryer to 340°F. Flip the chicken back over and place the first batch of chicken on top of the second batch already in the basket. Air-fry for another 7 minutes.
  6. While the chicken is air-frying, combine the cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan and when it is very hot, add it to the spice mix, whisking until smooth. It will sizzle briefly when you add it to the spices. Place the fried chicken on top of the white bread slices and brush the hot sauce all over chicken. Top with the pickle slices and serve warm with lemon-dill buttermilk dressing to cool the heat. Enjoy the heat and the flavor!

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Comments (5)Post a Reply

  1. I nearly slobbered all over myself when I first saw this recipe BUT as an overweight diabetic, I’ll need to do some rework. 🙁 Per serving: >1000 calories and an Effective Carbohydrate Count = 60.5?

    What I love about the internet is that you can find “ideas” and tailor them to personal needs without hurting anyone’s feelings. I’ve wondered for some time about “Nashville” chicken. Thank you for the basis.

    PS: I am going to need to spend quite some time rummaging through your recipes. 😉

  2. 5 stars
    Fantastic recipe! Our chicken came out crispy and when brushed with the Cayenne sauce, OMG!!! Thanks for this recipe … it set us on fire, but was perfect!

    1. Hi Jared. It can be tricky, but it is possible if you’re careful. Make sure you coat all sides of the coated chicken in oil. It’s better if you coat the food rather than the air fryer basket, but make sure you get a complete covering of the underside with oil before placing it in the hot basket. Then, just flip it carefully and you should be ok.

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