Nashville Hot Chicken is everything its name promises – it’s sticky, juicy, and the perfect amount of spice that will light up your taste buds. This delicious air fried chicken is smothered in a tangy Nashville sauce that’s good to lick off the spoon!
I love spicy fried chicken. Well, let’s be honest, I love ALL fried chicken. And chicken recipes in general! You can make so many amazing meals with chicken, which is why I can’t get enough of it. Some of my current favorites are this Easy Chicken Lombardy recipe, this tender and juicy chicken ready in minutes, and this honey sesame baked chicken full of flavor!
Nashville Hot Chicken
Alright, let’s talk about the name. Nashville Hot Chicken is from, you guessed it, Nashville! It gets its name from the Nashville hot sauce that is slathered on this delicious and crispy fried chicken. The sauce has a base of cayenne pepper, which gives it a nice kick. You can make the sauce at home! I linked a recipe in the recipe card. You can also adjust the spice level by adding or removing cayenne pepper, which is a big plus if you like it one way or another.
I’m not a spicy food junkie so I would call the recipe a medium spice level. But I fell in love with this dish as soon as I took the first bite! I’m a big fan of deep fried chicken, I even cooked a whole chicken in it! From air fryer chicken thighs to adding frozen chicken wings, I’ve never tried air fryer chicken I didn’t like. This recipe was particularly good! If you don’t have an air fryer, don’t worry. I have some tips for frying delicious, crispy chicken in your oven or on the stove below.
Ingredients
You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make this Nashville Hot Chicken recipe! It will truly become one of your favorite recipes because it is simply too good! Honestly, I can’t wait to make this recipe again. Find the exact measurements listed in the recipe box below.
- Bone-in chicken thighs and thighs: You make fried chicken, and those are my favorite parts! Of course, you can use whatever part of the chicken you prefer, but I feel like the thighs and thighs have the most flavor. You would need to adjust the cooking time if you were making smaller pieces like wings.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is a lightly fermented milk. It has a great tart yogurt-like flavor and really packs the flavor! If you don’t have it on hand, you can make it at home with whole milk.
- Eggs: I always use large grade A eggs in my recipes.
- Plain flour: This is for the breading on the outside of the chicken.
- Garlic powder: You will want to use dry garlic as it is mixed into the flour in your dough.
- Onion powder: The dried powder adds a lot of flavor to the breading!
- Paprika: It just adds a little kick to the breading.
- Salt: You will use it to season the chicken as well as the breadcrumbs.
- Pepper: You will use it to season the chicken as well as the breadcrumbs.
- Olive oil spray: This is for pulverizing the chicken in the air fryer.
- Nashville Hot Chicken Gravy: This is the best hot sauce you will ever have! It’s made with cayenne pepper, other spices and brown sugar, it’s sweet and spicy and perfect over fried chicken!
Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe
Fried chicken is so easy to make in the air fryer! Don’t worry if you don’t have any, below in the tips box I’ve added other ways to fry chicken. This hot sauce is so amazing, I can’t wait for you to taste it!
- Whip: Salt and pepper the thighs and thighs of chicken. In a medium sized bowl, add buttermilk and eggs and whisk. In another medium sized bowl, add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Drag: Using tongs, dredge the chicken in the flour, then the buttermilk, and finally in the flour. Place in the bottom of the air fryer basket.
- To cook: Bake at 360 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Open basket and spray flour with cooking spray. Turn the chicken and cook another 5-10 minutes until it is 165 degrees and no longer pink.
- Make the sauce: Prepare the Nashville Hot Chicken Sauce according to the instructions in the link while your chicken cooks.
- Water: Immediately baste the hot chicken with the sauce and enjoy!
Ways to fry chicken
You can totally make this recipe if you don’t have a fryer! Here are a few different methods for frying chicken that I like and have used before.
- Fried: The classic and probably the best in tasting! Who doesn’t love a good ol’ piece of fried chicken? You can use this exact recipe, but instead of putting the chicken in the air fryer, you’ll heat a large pot of oil (vegetable oil works great) to 350 degrees. Only cook 3-4 pieces at a time, you don’t want the oil temperature to drop too low or the chicken to cook poorly. They should take about 14 minutes to cook, and be sure to flip the pieces halfway through cooking. Bake until internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- Oven fries : Preheat your oven to 390 degrees. Prepare the chicken as directed until you place it in the air fryer. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and spray with cooking oil. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Storing leftovers
We all know how good leftover fried chicken is, and Nashville Hot Chicken is no exception! It’s hard to keep crispy, and it’s never the same as when it’s fresh. So of course I recommend making it the same day, but if you end up with leftovers, here are some tips.
In the refrigerator: Store your leftover chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. To reheat, you’ll want to reheat them slowly in the oven to help the breading get crispy again.
Other Air Fryer Recipes to Try
Having dinner
Perfect air fryer steak
Accompaniments
The BEST Air Fryer “Roasted” Potatoes
Accompaniments
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Having dinner
Crispy spring rolls for air fryer
To print
Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe
Nashville Hot Chicken is everything its name promises – it’s sticky, juicy, and the perfect amount of spice that will light up your taste buds. This delicious air fried chicken is smothered in a tangy Nashville sauce that’s good to lick off the spoon!
Servings 4
calories 512calories
Ingredients
- 1-2 pound sterling bone-in chicken thighs and thighs
- salt and pepper, season the chicken
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 coffee spoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- olive oil spray
- Nashville Spicy Chicken Gravy (link)
Instructions
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, add buttermilk and eggs and whisk until combined.
In another medium sized bowl, add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
Using tongs, dredge chicken first in flour mixture, then buttermilk mixture, then finally back in flour mixture.
Place in the bottom of the air fryer basket.
Bake at 360 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Open basket and spray flour with cooking spray. Turn the chicken and cook another 5-10 minutes until it is 165 degrees and no longer pink.
Prepare the Nashville Hot Chicken Sauce according to the instructions in the link while your chicken cooks.
Immediately baste the hot chicken with the sauce and enjoy!
Nutrition
calories: 512calories | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 28g | Big: 18g | Saturated fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated fats: 3g | Monounsaturated fat: seveng | Trans fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 796mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 920UI | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 177mg | The iron: 4mg
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