Nashville Hot Chicken
Dinner · Meat & Poultry Mains
Nashville Hot Chicken
Crisp fried chicken gets a cayenne glaze made with butter, lard, brown sugar, and smoked paprika. Plan ahead for the refrigerated buttermilk marinade and fry in small batches.
- Prep
- 25 minutes
- Cook
- 40 minutes
- Refrigerated marinating and coating rest
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Total
- 3 hours 20 minutes
- Serves
- 6 people
Bring it to the table
About this recipe.
Buttermilk-marinated fried chicken brushed with a spicy cayenne, butter, and lard glaze.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Check your pantry before you begin. Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken (raw, bone-in and skin-on, cut into 8 pieces)
Marinade
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- ¼ Cup Pickle Brine
- 2 Tbsp. Hot Sauce (Louisiana style of course)
- 1 Large Egg
Flour
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tsp. Salt
Sauce
- ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
- ¼ Cup Lard
- 2 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar (packed)
- 1 Tsp. Smoked Paprika
- ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ Tsp. Kosher Salt
- ½ Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- Vegetable Oil (as needed for frying; about one-third of the skillet depth)
Check every piece
Chicken pieces vary in size. Use a food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, and cook each piece to 165°F before removing it. Keep the glaze in a separate saucepan and stir before brushing.
Adapted from Chef John at Allrecipes, with smoked paprika.
The cooking plan
How to make Nashville Hot Chicken.
Whisk buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg. Coat the chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate 2–4 hours. Keep separate from ready-to-eat food.
Mix the flour with the 2 teaspoons salt in a shallow dish. Lift chicken from the marinade and let excess drip off. Coat in flour, dip back into the marinade, then coat in flour again. Set on a rack for 15 minutes while the oil heats. Discard leftover raw-chicken marinade and coating flour after breading.
In a separate small saucepan, melt butter and lard over low to medium-low heat. Stir in cayenne, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Heat gently just until combined, then remove from the heat. Stir again before brushing; the fats may separate.
Use a deep, heavy skillet with enough vegetable oil to reach about one-third of its depth, leaving room for the chicken and bubbling. Heat to 350°F (175°C), monitoring with a frying thermometer. Carefully lower in only a few pieces, skin-side down; avoid crowding.
Maintain the oil near 325°F (163°C), adjusting the heat as needed. Turn the pieces and cook about 8–10 minutes per side as a guide; large pieces can take longer. Check each piece in its thickest part, avoiding bone, and continue cooking until it reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove pieces individually as they are done. Let the oil return to temperature between batches.
Use clean tongs to transfer cooked chicken to a clean rack over a sheet pan. Stir the spicy glaze, then brush both sides. Serve promptly; white bread and pickle slices are optional accompaniments.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
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Nashville Hot Chicken
Buttermilk-marinated fried chicken brushed with a spicy cayenne, butter, and lard glaze.
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Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken raw, bone-in and skin-on, cut into 8 pieces
Marinade
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- ¼ Cup Pickle Brine
2 Tbsp. Hot Sauce Louisiana style of course- 1 Large Egg
Flour
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tsp. Salt
Sauce
- ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
- ¼ Cup Lard
- 2 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar packed
- 1 Tsp. Smoked Paprika
- ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ Tsp. Kosher Salt
- ½ Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- Vegetable Oil as needed for frying; about one-third of the skillet depth
Equipment
Equipment images are illustrative. Exact products may vary.
Instructions
- Whisk buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg. Coat the chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate 2–4 hours. Keep separate from ready-to-eat food.
- Mix the flour with the 2 teaspoons salt in a shallow dish. Lift chicken from the marinade and let excess drip off. Coat in flour, dip back into the marinade, then coat in flour again. Set on a rack for 15 minutes while the oil heats. Discard leftover raw-chicken marinade and coating flour after breading.
- In a separate small saucepan, melt butter and lard over low to medium-low heat. Stir in cayenne, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Heat gently just until combined, then remove from the heat. Stir again before brushing; the fats may separate.
- Use a deep, heavy skillet with enough vegetable oil to reach about one-third of its depth, leaving room for the chicken and bubbling. Heat to 350°F (175°C), monitoring with a frying thermometer. Carefully lower in only a few pieces, skin-side down; avoid crowding.
- Maintain the oil near 325°F (163°C), adjusting the heat as needed. Turn the pieces and cook about 8–10 minutes per side as a guide; large pieces can take longer. Check each piece in its thickest part, avoiding bone, and continue cooking until it reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove pieces individually as they are done. Let the oil return to temperature between batches.
- Use clean tongs to transfer cooked chicken to a clean rack over a sheet pan. Stir the spicy glaze, then brush both sides. Serve promptly; white bread and pickle slices are optional accompaniments.
Notes
The listed total includes the minimum 2-hour refrigerated marinade, 15-minute coating rest, and an estimated 40 minutes for frying in batches. Larger pieces or more batches need longer; use the thermometer endpoint. The original chicken, coating, glaze amounts, and six-serving yield are retained. The two tablespoons cayenne make a very hot glaze; brush on to taste. Oil quantity depends on the skillet. No nutrition calculation is supplied.
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