Awaken your senses with a powerful punch of heat coating a perfectly fried piece of chicken.
At this point, you probably have recognized that I absolutely love hot and spicy food. That’s why in my soul I truly believe that Nashville Hot Chicken is the pinnacle of fried chicken. Not only does it taste good but it has other, let’s say “medicinal” uses, including pumping up the adrenaline to sober up and bring a friend back to life after a long day of drinking on the Vegas strip. .
I’ve single handedly witnessed the adrenaline rush from the Extra Hot at Hattie B’s in the Cosmopolitan bring more then one friend from the brink to bed to a few more hours on the blackjack table
This version isn’t quite adrenaline pumping hot, but just know that you can take it to extreme levels by adding additional cayenne pepper, or jump it into the stratosphere with optional ground ghost pepper powder.
Nashville HOT Chicken, Baby.
Total Time: 2 Days
Active Time: 1 Hour
Ingredients
3 Lbs Chicken
If using breasts, slice into .5ish inch filets, if using thighs, which I also highly recommend, trim any grissle that remains from the deboning process, and cut in half.
1 Qt Buttermilk
2 Tbs Hot Sauce
1 Tbs Gochujang
3 Tbs Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
3 Tbs Kosher Salt
2 Tbs Garlic Powder
1 Tbs Ancho Chile Powder
1 Tbs Guijillo Chile Powder
1.5 tsp Cayenne Powder
1 Tbs Onion Powder
1 Tbs Thyme
.5 Tbs Oregano
.5 Tbs Mustard Powder
.25 Tbs Coriander
.25 Tbs Celery Salt
3 C All Purpose Flour
1 C Corn Starch
.5 C Corn Meal
1 QT Rendered Chicken Fat (Substitute Peanut or Vegetable Oil if you desire)
.25 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
White Bread Slices
Bread and Butter Pickles
Technique
Start by creating your spice blend in a plastic deli container, mix the fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, garlic powder, ancho chile powder, guijillo chile powder, cayenne pepper powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, mustard powder, coriander, and celery salt. Shake to combine and set aside.
Add the buttermilk, hot sauce, gochujang, and half of the seasoning blend to a large ziplock bag, pour .5 Qt of the buttermilk into the bag and combine with the spice blend.
Add the chicken to the buttermilk marinade. If the buttermilk is not completely submerging the chicken, add just enough to cover the tops. After seaking the bag, shake and massage the marinade into the chicken, reserving in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Prepare your dredge. In a doubled up large brown paper grocery bag, add the all purpose flour, corn starch, corn meal, the remaining spice blend (Reserve 1 Tbs), and one additional Tbs Kosher Salt. Shake gently to distribute all ingredients.
Prepare to dredge the chicken by placing a large wire cookie/ baking rack on the counter. The rack should be large enough to hold all of your chicken without touching. Work in batches if necessary.
Before placing the chicken in the dredge, dunk your fingers to the buttermilk mixture and allow for it to drip into the dredge. Lightly toss the dredge to create little sticky flakes of the dredge, this will help develop the crispy bits on the crunchy surface you are looking for.
Working in small batches so as to not overcrowd the chicken in the bag, place 3 pieces of chicken at a time into the dredge. Do not allow all of the marinade to drip off the chicken as you are removing it from the buttermilk. Roll the top of the bag closed and shake aggressively, keeping on hand on the bottom of the bag at all times to avoid ripping.
Remove the chicken from the bag and place it on the wire baking rack. Repeat until all chicken has been floured and is on the rack.
Allow chicken to rest on the wire rack for 20 minutes. This will allow the gluten to develop to create a perfect crust, and will also allow the chicken to reach room temperature for more even cooking.
While the chicken is resting, bring 2.5 inches of chicken fat, peanut or vegetable oil to 375F over high heat in a cast iron skillet or stock pot. You will want to make sure the heat is high enough that when adding the chicken to the oil, it will recover to 375F fairly quickly, do not allow the oil to dip below 350F. You may have to adjust the heat as it cooks to keep it in the proper range.
Preheat the oven 200F. Place a clean wire baking rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper next to the stove top.
Working in batches, fry 2-3 pieces of chicken at once. Ensuring to never over crowd the chicken in the pan.
Fry for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden, and flip. Fry the other side until the color develops and the exterior is crusty. About another 3-4 minutes.
Remove from the oil and place on the prepared baking rack. Sprinkle with kosher salt. While working in batches, place the prepared baking rack in the oven to keep warm.
When you are ready to serve, place the reserved spice blend and brown sugar into a heat proof bowl. Remove .5C of the frying oil and pour over the spice blend, stirring vigorously. Allow the spice to steep in the hot oil for about 3 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and stir.
To serve, place down two slices of white bread, place two pieces of the fried chicken on the bread. Using a maranite brush, brush the hot oil and spices onto one side of the chicken. Flip the chicken and brush the opposite side. Top with a few pickles and an additional drizzle of the hot oil.
Bask in spicy glory.
