The post Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken was originally published on August 23, 2021. Since I was hankering for some of that amazing chicken the other day, I tried to duplicate it using a recipe that I adapted from Lee Brian Schrager and Adeena Sussman. I must say, it turned out really delicious!!!
Read (or reread) about our incredibly delicious lunch at Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken and then scroll to the end of the story for the recipe.
Steve and I were starving after our extensive tour of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Where to eat was a no brainer. Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken was the place!
Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken
The iconic logo on the exterior wall of Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken
For many years I have been reading about this very popular place. Of course, as Locavores, we just had to eat this local dish at the place it all began.
History
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is an American restaurant chain based right where we were, in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded back in 2012 by a father and son, Nick Bishop Sr and Jr. And they specialize in hot fried chicken. That heat comes in all degrees of spiciness from Southern which had no heat, all the up to Shut the Cluck Up!!! which comes complete with a burn notice. Shut the Cluck Up!!! registers at over 1 million heat units on the Scoville scale. What that means it is four times hotter than a habanero pepper.
Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken
The very enticing menu board at Hattie B’s
Locations
The original Hattie B’s Hot Chicken opened in Midtown Nashville on August 9, 2012. It became an instant success so in 2014 father and son team opened a second location in West Nashville. Then they opened a location in Birmingham, Alabama in June 2016, and a third Nashville location opened in November 2017. A new location was opened in Midtown Memphis in April 2018. Which is great news for us because we will be in Memphis at the end of September. And they keep expanding. There’s now a location in Las Vegas and another one is scheduled to open this summer in Dallas Texas. Also great for us because we’ll be in Dallas at the end of November.
The food
Steve was contemplating just how to manage his first bite of this luscious sandwich.
How good was it? REALLY. REALLY. REALLY. GOOD. We both ordered the Chicken Sandwich with Coleslaw, Comeback Sauce, Crinkle Fries and Kosher pickles. Steve and I both chose Medium and could have easily enjoyed Hot to “feel the heat”. That’s what we will order next time. The chicken was so juicy on the inside and wonderfully crispy and flavorful on the outside. I loved dipping my perfectly cooked fries in that yummy Comeback Sauce.
The Hot Chicken Sandwich is so huge it’s hard to open your mouth wide enough. But fear not. We managed!
There were two couples at the table next to us, and the guys ordered Shut the Cluck Up!!! I do believe that I actually saw smoke pouring from their ears, LOL. Why do guys need to prove they are sooooooo macho?
Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken and Recipe
But now I have a treat for you, the recipe is available right here!!! So without further ado here’s Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken and my Copycat Recipe!!!
Print
Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken and Recipe
This spicy, hot and crispy chicken is still juicy and tender inside. Put that fried chicken in a bun with lettuce and tomato and mayo and you have a doppelgänger for Hattie B’s Nashville Hot Chicken!
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Spice Rub/Dry Marinade:
2 pounds skin-on boneless chicken thighs and breasts (2 breasts and 4 thighs)
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground coarse black pepper
For the Dip:
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon Louisiana Crystal hot sauce
For the Dredge:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for frying the chicken
For the Spicy Coating:
1/2 cup hot oil, ladled from the pot the chicken was fried in
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
For Serving:
6 Brioche buns
Shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes and Hellmann’s mayonnaise and pickle slices or spears for serving
Instructions
Place the chicken pieces, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic film and marinate tn the refrigerator overnight (up to 24 hours)
Add the buttermilk, eggs and hot sauce to a shallow pan and whisk to combine. In another shallow pan prepare the dredge by whisking the flour, granulated garlic and salt.
Start coating the chicken by dredging them in the seasoned flour. Next dip them in the buttermilk mixture, being sure to coat completely and allow excess to drip off. Then back in the dredge. Always be sure to shake off the extra dredge and dip after each step.
Pour the vegetable oil into a deep pot and heat until the oil reaches 325º F. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and set aside next to your stove. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pot, carefully add the chicken to the hot oil. Fry until the coating is crisp and golden brown, about 12 to 18 minutes. Remove the chicken and place on the wire rack to allow the excess oil drain off.
While the chicken is draining prepare the spicy coating by ladling the frying oil into a medium sized bowl that is heat resistant. Into the oil, whisk in the cayenne, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, paprika and granulated garlic. Spoon the spice mixture over the hot fried chicken, being sure to coat both sides.
To serve, spread mayonnaise on both sides of the buns. Place the chicken on the bottom half of the bun and top with the lettuce and tomato. Serve hot with a side of pickles.
Notes
This recipe has been adapted from the Food Network recipe by Lee Brian Schrager and Adeena Sussman
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Marinating Time 12 - 24 hours:
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sandwich, Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Deep Frying
- Cuisine: Southern
Trackbacks/Pingbacks