Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
This homemade Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich delivers bold heat with crispy chicken, zesty pickles, and creamy coleslaw on a toasted bun.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- Four 8-12 ounce chicken breasts
- 1 ½ tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ coleslaw recipe, optional
- Sliced bread and butter pickles, optional
- Mayonnaise to taste, optional
- 4 toasted hamburger buns
- Oil for frying
For the Dredge:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 4 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
For the Wash:
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
For the Sauce:
- ¾ cup remaining fryer oil
- 3 tablespoons of cayenne – you can go up to 6 here, if you just love heat
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of onion powder
- 2 teaspoons of coarse salt
Instructions
For the Dry Brine:
- Place the chicken spread out into a 13x9 casserole dish. Evenly season it on all sides with the salt and pepper. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.
For the Breading:
- In a cake tin or wide shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Set it to the side.
- In a separate cake tin or a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, salt, and pepper until well combined. Set it to the side.
- At this stage, add enough oil to a 4- or 5-quart pot to fill it halfway. Heat it over medium to low heat until it reaches 350°F. Keep it at that temperature. Once the cold chicken is added to the oil, the temperature immediately drops to 325°, which is perfect for longer cooking times.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge. Dip a breast one at a time right into the seasoned flour. Press down on it from all sides to ensure it’s evenly coated. Lift it, shake off any excess, then over to the egg wash. Coat it on all sides, completely covering the flour in the whisked eggs. Now, drain off any excess liquid, as before, and return to dredging the flour, pressing down to completely cover it.
- Place them on a rack over a sheet tray and let them sit for up to 15 minutes, then repeat the process to bread everything else.
- Next, place the chicken, 2 to 3 pieces at a time, into the hot oil. Cook them for 10 to 12 minutes for the breasts. They should be golden brown and cooked throughout. I place them on a rack over a sheet tray. Then I place them on a middle rack in the oven at 200 to 225°F. Then I fry up everything in batches. They will hold fine while you do this. While chicken breasts are done around 165°F, it’s okay if you temp them and pull them a few degrees under because they’ll continue to cook as they sit.
For the Sauce:
- While the chicken is cooking, I make the sauce. Add ¾ cup of the cooking oil, cayenne, honey, chili powder, garlic granules, onion granules, and salt to a small saucepot and cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
- Once all the chicken is done cooking, brush or spoon the hot sauce onto both sides of the tenders.
- Add the desired amount of mayonnaise to the bottom toasted bun, then place a piece of chicken on top. Then top off with the coleslaw, pickle slices, and a toasted top bun.
Notes
For the best homemade Nashville hot chicken sandwich, dry brining isn’t just an extra step—it’s a necessary one. It draws out moisture, then reabsorbs it along with the seasoning. This helps your chicken turn out juicy and flavorful all the way through. I usually try to brine the chicken for at least 4 hours in the fridge, but leaving it overnight is even better.
Watch the oil temperature: The oil should be at 350°F before you add the chicken. Adding the cold chicken to the oil will naturally drop its temperature to around 325°F, which is the sweet spot for frying. If the oil is too hot, the breading will brown too fast while the inside stays undercooked. Too cool, and the chicken will absorb the oil and become greasy.
Adjust the spice: I usually add about 3 tablespoons of cayenne to the hot oil for that classic Nashville kick, but you can scale it all the way up to 6 tablespoons for some serious heat.
Air fry or bake it instead: Instead of deep frying, air fry the breaded chicken at 375°F for 16 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through. Or, bake it on a wire rack over a sheet tray at 425°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Make-Ahead: I like to dry brine the chicken and mix the seasoned flour the night before. Just cover and refrigerate them separately. You can also make the cayenne sauce ahead of time and gently reheat it when you’re ready.
How to Store: Store the fried chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to Reheat: Warm the chicken in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes or until hot and crispy again. You can also warm in the air fryer.
Nutrition
Calories: 1262kcalCarbohydrates: 124gProtein: 18gFat: 79gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 22gMonounsaturated Fat: 47gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 206mgSodium: 6434mgPotassium: 979mgFiber: 5gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 2897IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 402mgIron: 6mg