What Makes Nashville Hot Chicken So Unique?

If Anthony Bourdain thought it was spicy, then you know it was hot. After a visit to Tennessee for CNN's show, "Parts Unknown," the chef and celebrity took to Twitter to tweet, "I'm not complaining or anything but #Nashville Hot Chicken can be a three day commitment. #FuelAirExplosive." While Nashville restaurants like Hattie B's Hot Chicken and Prince's Hot Chicken Shack may be two of the best-known purveyors of the very spicy fried chicken, chain restaurants like KFC, Firehouse Subs, and Boston Market also have put their own twist on the Nashville staple. Not to be left out, home chefs also try their hands at the fiery poultry dish. 

According to legend, Nashville hot chicken was the result of a lovers' quarrel. In 2018, Prince's owner Andre Prince Jeffries told the Tennessean how her great-uncle created it after he was served mouth-searing chicken by a lover who was mad at him. Despite the attempt to ruin Jeffries' chicken, he found that he enjoyed it. He recreated the recipe and opened up a restaurant to sell it in the mid-1930s in Nashville. The popularity has only grown in the past nine decades. It can be found on the menus of some of Nashville's trendy restaurants and there is even a festival devoted to it held each year (per the Tennessean). So, why has the sweat-inducing chicken become so popular?

While Nashville hot chicken has a distinctive taste, there is no "secret recipe" or one way to make it, says author Timothy Davis (via NPR). Basically, Nashville hot chicken recipe only calls for pieces of chicken (breast, thighs, legs, or wings) that are marinated, drenched, breaded, fried, and a final touch of spices added at the end, according to Taste of Home. 

There is not really mild version of the chicken's recipe. Thrillest states that some Nashville hot chicken is so spicy that it glows like lava. Hattie B's sells its fried chicken in six heat levels: Southern (no heat); Mild (touch of heat); Medium, (warming up); Hot! (feel the heat); Damn Hot! (fire starter); and Shut The Cluck Up! (burn notice). While there are many recipes for Nashville hot chicken (including one by Carla Hall), there is a standard practice for serving it. Taste of Home reports that you should put the pieces of chicken on white bread to absorb the extra sauce and to serve the chicken with lots of pickles; preferably cold and briny ones, which go well with the heat. 

Next time you're in Nashville and you want some authentic regional cuisine, make sure to get some spicy Nashville hot chicken, but be prepared for the delicious heat that has earned fans the world over.