The Story of Our Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning

As with most unique regional foods, this one has an incredible back 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 woman who believed that her husband was out spending time with his girlfriend decided to teach him a lesson. One fine Sunday she 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 friends and brothers. Eventually, the woman exited his life, but the hot chicken stayed a constant! By the mid-1930’s the brothers had 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, which it is still called today.

For decades hot chicken was more likely to be found only in the predominantly African American areas of Nashville, but in the last 15 or so 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.

National chains are starting to get into this growing culinary trend, as KFC and Captain D’s have taken notice of Nashville Hot Chicken and started to recreate it on their menus. Whenever a culinary trend hits the mainstream, the company bringing it to the masses is looking to maximize profit. 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. They fear that instead of hot chicken Nashville style they will instead start passing off less spicy chicken recipes, like pepper chicken, while still calling it Nashville Hot Chicken.

What’s in it?

Our Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning is hand blended from cayenne, sea salt, demerara sugar, yellow mustard, garlic, black pepper and paprika.

Flavor Profile

Our Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning has a burst of upfront heat that dissipates quickly with a hint of sweetness and pungency.

Where to Use

Traditionally, this seasoning has been used for fried chicken, but it’s also incredible as a rub for grilled chicken.

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. In one bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and 1 tablespoon of Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning to make 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 it’s all done. In Nashville, they like to add a paste or sauce to their hot fried chicken after it has been cooked. 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. 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.

Helpful Hints

If you are going to use the Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning as a rub, 1 tablespoon of seasoning per pound of chicken is recommended.

Meeting Your Business Needs with Our Products

Wanting to expand your restaurant’s meat selections to include the ever-increasingly popular Nashville Hot Chicken? Take all the guesswork out of it and buy our Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning in bulk for an incredibly delicious hot chicken taste with the convenience of a premade spice blend to perfectly suit your needs. This is a “hot” blend, but for seasoned hot chicken enthusiasts, this may not be spicy enough. It can be made even spicier with the addition of more cayenne, but this blend is genuinely addictive either way. Don’t think that Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning is a one trick pony- this blend isn’t just for fried chicken recipes. Some of our customers make handcut fries at their diners and use this blend as a fry topper, while other customers use this in a Nashville Hot Chicken inspired flavor profile for their gourmet popcorn shops.

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