Nashville-Style Spicy Chicken

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6

Tennessee hot chicken has become popular everywhere. Eric Greenspan's version of the recipe enhances its heat by basting each cooked chicken piece with hot chili oil and then sprinkling it with a mixture of cayenne pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, paprika, and brown sugar.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Chicken

2 cups of sour milk or kefir
2 tbsp hot sauce
12 chicken fingers or 3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
Vegetable oil for frying

Chili oil

1.5 cups of vegetable oil
3 dried guajillo peppers, whole
1/4 cup dark chili powder
1/4 cup smoked paprika
1/4 cup cayenne pepper
1/4 cup crushed red pepper

Spice mix

110 gr. brown sugar
80 g of cayenne pepper
30 g of ground cinnamon
30 g dark chili powder
30 g smoked paprika
30 g of ground white pepper
30 g coarse salt

Breading

450 g of premium flour
60 g coarsely ground black pepper
30 g smoked paprika
30 g celery salt
30 g coarse salt
15 g garlic powder
15 g onion powder
15 g dried thyme

For serving

12 mini Hawaiian buns
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Pickled cucumber slices for serving
Special equipment: deep fryer or deep fryer thermometer

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: chicken nuggets

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Chicken:

Preheat a deep fryer or large Dutch oven filled with 3 inches of oil to 325°F (160°C). Place a rack on a baking sheet. Place the chicken in a shallow dish, pour the sour milk and hot sauce over it. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Chili oil:

In a medium saucepan, combine the oil, chili pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes and place over medium heat. Bring the oil to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the chili steep in the oil for 5 minutes. Strain and let cool.

Spice mix:

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, smoked paprika, white pepper, and salt. Set aside.
In a very large bowl or shallow dish, combine the flour, pepper, smoked paprika, celery salt, coarse salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme. Add the marinated chicken pieces, one at a time, and coat.
Shake off any excess breading and drop the chicken into the hot oil. Fry a few pieces at a time, turning occasionally, until lightly golden brown and an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), 3–5 minutes. Remove the pieces from the oil and transfer them to a wire rack to cool to the touch. Return the chicken to the fryer and fry a second time until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Return to the rack.
Pour the chili oil over the fried chicken in a shallow dish. Sprinkle each piece with the spice mixture until the oil is completely covered. Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half. Place a piece of chicken between the two halves, then add chopped onion and 1-2 slices of pickle.