There are a handful of foods or cuisine styles in the US that can be tied to a specific city or region - Cajun and Creole to New Orleans, chicken wings to Buffalo, California cuisine and Tex-Mex to the southwestern US to name a few.

With America’s increasing fascination with heat, one fairly new entry to the national scene is Nashville Hot Chicken. This style of fried chicken is the Music City’s claim to culinary fame and fits the bill of a unique food tied closely to a city or region. Our Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning is a great way to give your chicken a nice blast of fiery heat that more and more of us are craving in our everyday meal planning.

There are numerous restaurants throughout the Nashville region that serve up their version in a variety of clever ways. Nashville Hot Chicken has become such a hallmark of the local scene that in 2007 they launched their first Annual Music City Hot Chicken Festival and it has been going strong ever since.

The Legend

As with most unique regional foods, this one has a great story. It is believed by most of those well versed in the city’s culinary heritage that hot chicken originated back in the early 1900’s when a local wife, who believed that her husband was out spending time with his girlfriend, decided to teach him a lesson. One fine Sunday, the wife made her husband his regular Sunday morning fried chicken breakfast, but this time she added quite a bit of additional cayenne pepper to it, in hopes that it would burn his mouth. The legend goes that he liked it so much that he started sharing it with his brothers, and by the mid-1930’s the brothers started a restaurant called the Barbecue Chicken Shack advertising this spicy chicken as their signature dish.

Some of the city’s old timers believe that another local restaurant, called Bo’s, started serving hot chicken around the same time. Over the years the Barbecue Chicken Shack called several locations throughout Nashville home. In the 1980’s ownership of the restaurant was passed down from uncle to niece and the restaurant’s name was changed to Prince’s Hot Chicken.

For decades hot chicken was more likely to be found only in the predominantly African American areas of Nashville, but in the last 10 years it has crossed racial and cultural boundaries and taken a more prominent role in the city's psyche. This wider “acceptance” has led to a surge in new restaurants specializing in hot chicken popping up throughout the city including Hattie B’s, Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish, Two Boots, Pepperfire and 400 Degrees.

Even national chains are starting to get into the act of this growing culinary trend, as KFC and Captain D’s have jumped into the fray. Now as is the case whenever the “national chains” jump into a culinary trend in order to take it mainstream, they’re looking to maximize corporate profits (understandably). The fear of Nashville’s hot chicken devotees is that these corporate players will start diluting the dish’s signature flavor in order to appeal the widest audience possible and instead of hot chicken Nashville style they will instead start passing off more of a pepper chicken while calling it Nashville Hot Chicken.

How to Use

Now while Hot Nashville Chicken Seasoning has traditionally been used for fried chicken I have also used it as a rub for grilled chicken. My reaction to our first grilled chicken taste test - Oh my! Simply amazing!

To use with fried chicken this is what you’ll need:
• 1 whole fryer, cut up
• 2-3 cups of frying oil (healthier options include coconut, avocado and peanut oil)

For the Milk Bath you’ll need
• 1 cup of whole milk or buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning

For the flour mix
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning

Fill your Dutch oven or cast iron skillet with approximately 2" of oil and heat to 350 degrees.

Make the milk bath and flour mixes. In one bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and 1 tablespoon of Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning (this will be the milk bath). In a second bowl, mix together the flour and 1 tablespoon of Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning.

Dredge the chicken in the flour mix, then dip in the milk bath, then in the flour mix again, shake off the excess after each step. Carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil. Be sure to only fry a few pieces at a time so that the chicken isn't crowded in the pan. Partially cover and cook until one side begins to brown. Turn the chicken and cook until golden brown. For optimum food safety use a thermometer and make sure that the internal temperature of your cooked chicken reaches at least 165°. Remove the cooked chicken from the oil and drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Cook in batches until all is done.

In Nashville, they like to add a mustard like paste or sauce to their hot fried chicken. To make this paste combine about ¼ cup of the hot cooking oil with 1-2 tablespoons of the Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning. Brush the paste on the chicken before serving.

To use as a rub we recommend 1 tablespoon of seasoning for each pound of chicken.

You could also use this to make Nashville style chicken wings.

For more heat you can either use more seasoning or add some ground cayenne to any (or all) of the three stages where the Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning is added.

Flavor Profile

A burst of upfront heat that dissipates quickly with a hint of sweetness and pungency.

What’s In It

Hand blended from cayenne, sea salt, demerara sugar, yellow mustard, garlic, black pepper and domestic paprika.

Helpful Hints

If you are a fan of regional US cuisine then you might be interested in some of these popular best sellers - Buffalo Wing Rub, Creole Seasoning, Jambalaya Seasoning, and Kansas City BBQ Rub.

Related Blog Posts

Cajun and Creole Cuisine: Southern Louisiana Comfort Food
Battle of the Bayou: Jambalaya or Gumbo
Pizza Face Off:Chicago Style vs. New York Style
A Spicy Guide to New Mexican Cuisine


Nutritional Information
Serving Size 1 Teaspoon, Amount Per Serving: Calories 6.7, Fat Cal. 2.7, Total Fat 0.3g (0% DV), Sat. Fat 0g (0% DV), Trans Fat 0g (0% DV), Cholest. 0.0mg (0% DV), Sodium 134.6mg (6% DV), Total Carb. 1.2g (0% DV), Dietary Fiber 0.4g (2% DV), Sugars 0.4g, Protein 0.3g (1%DV), Vitamin A (11.2% DV), Vitamin C (1.8% DV), Calcium (0.4% DV), Iron (0.9% DV), Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.