It’s been a few years now since I first posted my fried chicken recipe, which I usually cook in coconut oil, but I wanted to start fresh with an updated recipe for a spicy Nashville hot chicken recipe, cooked in either coconut oil or avocado oil.
**Don’t care about story time? Go straight to the Nashville hot chicken recipe here!**
My views on chicken and flour haven’t evolved much, still a fan of more originalist choices such as pastured or local chicken and maybe even heritage flour, but will make exceptions when necessary.
I discussed most of my food choices involved in this recipe in my earlier fried chicken post, so will not rehash that here, other than to say that I am not as sold on frying chicken in coconut oil as I once was.
I am still convinced that most modern industrial oils are pretty harmful for humans for a few reasons, namely how processed and chemically derived they are. But they are also way out of whack in terms of what most nutritionists think our omega 3 and 6 intake should be, which is why I prefer more natural alternatives when it comes time to fry.
Alternatives such as chicken fat, pork lard, coconut oil and my new favorite, avocado oil.
Anyway, back to the Nashville hot chicken! Not only have I changed up my cooking oil, I have also adopted a new preparation for the fried chicken. No more brining for hours and hours, but rather have found a procedure that allows me to shorten the entire process to under an hour!
For this recipe, I use three bowls, one for the spices that make this recipe truly Hot Chicken, another for the buttermilk coating and the last bowl for the flour and other dry ingredients for the dredging.
It’s as simple as dredging each piece of chicken in the flour, then through the wet, and finally back through the dry before frying time.
Fry the chicken as normal, about 6-7 minutes per side, or until nicely browned and delicious looking, and then flip and repeat on side two.
If you are preparing quite a few pieces of Nashville chicken, then you should probably have your oven on 200 just to keep things warm while working on subsequent batches.
Once all of your chicken has been fried, it’s time to scoop about a cup or a bit more of oil from the skillet, mix it with the spices you have already set aside, stir thoroughly and then pour over both sides of your fried chicken. This is what makes it spicy hot and Nashville hot chicken!
Nashville Hot Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs about 8 pieces
Buttermilk Brine
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tbsp hot sauce of choice
- 2 tbsp pickle brine optional
- 2 eggs
Flour Dredge
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tsp kosher salt
Spice Mixture
- 4 tbsp cayenne powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1.5 cups hot cooking oil
Instructions
- If you have time, salt chicken on both sides and lay out on plate or tray, in fridge, for between 1-24 hours before proceeding – this helps but not necessary
- Remove chicken from refrigerator as you prepare the rest of the ingredients
- Combine all your buttermilk brine ingredients into a medium bowl
- Combine your dry ingredients into a separate medium bowl
- Combine your spices and set aside until ready to add your hot oil
- Pre-heat oven to 200 to keep chicken warm as you work in batches
- One by one, take each chicken piece into your dry flour dredge, covering all parts of the thigh, then into the buttermilk mixture getting full coverage, and then back into the flour, full coverage, set aside on wire rack to await frying
- Place enough oil of your choice into pot or electric skillet to come up at least half way on the chicken, making sure the oil won't overflow the pan, heat to 350-375 degree F
- Once oil reaches temperature, place chicken in carefully, about 6-7 minutes per side, until each side is nicely browned – work in batches if needed so that you don't overcrowd the pan or skillet
- Keep cooked chicken in warm oven as you work on subsequent batches – use a rack and a tray with parchment paper to help with clean up
- After all chicken has been fried, take about 1 1/2 cups of hot cooking oil – be very careful – and add it to the spices you have set aside
- thoroughly whisk the spices and oil together, the spices will want to sink so keep the whisk moving and then slowly pour this mixture over both sides of all of your fried chicken
- this makes a great sandwich and also great leftovers!
Made this for my husband last night and he raved about it!!! Thank you 🙂
Thanks for coming back and letting me know, I love to hear success stories!