Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
Make the ultimate Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich! Juicy, tender chicken with a thick crunchy coating that's truly spectacular. A generous brush of spicy oil will make your mouth burn -- in the best possible way! Enjoy with butter pickles, creamy mayo, and crisp green cabbage. YUM!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp Tabasco
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 Tbsp cayenne
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 8 White Buns/ 16 slices white bread
- 1 jar flat sandwich-style pickles
- mayonnaise
- 1/2 small head green cabbage, finely shredded
Instructions
- 1
Prep dredging station: Whisk eggs, buttermilk, and Tabasco in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- 2
Dredge chicken: Dredge chicken thighs, starting and ending with flour mixture. First, coat chicken with flour. Then dip chicken into buttermilk mixture. Finally, dip into the flour mixture once again. Set aside finished pieces on a clean plate until all chicken thighs are dredged.
- 3
Deep fry: Attach a candy thermometer to the side of a large Dutch oven. (You can also use a regular pot. I recommend a stock pot with high sides.) Fill with 2 inches neutral oil (I use grapeseed oil). The goal is for the chicken to float (slightly) in the oil. Once the oil reaches 350F, fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes total. Flip about halfway through to make sure both sides are evenly fried.
- 4
*Make sure not to crowd the pan so that the oil temperature does not fluctuate too much.
- 5
Transfer cooked chicken to cooling rack fitted over a sheet pan.
- 6
In a medium, heat-proof bowl, combine the cayenne, smoked paprika, brown sugar, and garlic powder.
- 7
Gently add 1/2 cup of hot oil from the dutch oven. The oil should bubble up and foam. Mix gently with heat-proof spoon (not plastic).
- 8
Brush the spicy oil onto fried chicken while it's still hot. Be generous with the oil. For spicy lovers, brush both sides of the chicken. For less spicy eaters, brush only 1 side of the chicken. If the oil gets too chunky, add more oil.
- 9
Butter and toast brioche buns. Set aside on a sheet pan.
- 10
Assemble hot chicken sandwiches in layers: bread, hot chicken, cabbage, mayo, bread.
- 11
Serve immediately and enjoy!