Hot Chicken

Hello all,

I know the recipe for Nashville hot chicken is a guarded secret, but does anyone have a copycat recipe? or a guess at how they cook it? Seattle is a long way from Nashville, and I would love to try this dish. Any suggestions would be great.

This what you want? (If not, try THIS: http://www.hotchickens.com/orders.html )

Hot Chicken Wings


24 Frozen Chicken Wings

1 Cup Crystal Hot Sauce

1/4 cup Sugar

1 Tablespoons of Butter or Margarine

1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

A couple splashes Tobasco Sauce

A Couple Squeezes of Honey

Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes until sauce thickens and turns dark red (almost maroon). Fry chicken wings on high in vegetable oil until they are a dark golden brown. Set on paper towells until they are free of excess oil. Put wings in wing sauce and ENJOY! Very easy to make!

Recipe courtesy of WSMV Nashville (Google is your friend)

sounds interesting, what is it? I have an idea it's similar to Popeye's spicy, fried chicken, if that's the case, what about doing a search for Popeye's recipe?

No, it's not like Buffalo wings, I think they take raw chicken and soak it in a firey pepper marinade, dredge it in seasoned flour, then fry skillet fry it in oil laced with cayenne pepper. It is served atop white bread with pickle slices. I think the most famous place in Nashville for this stuff is called prince's.

McDaddy---try this--it works for me,
HOT FRIED CHICKEN

2 lbs. skinless chicken breasts or 1 to 2 1/2 lb skinless chicken cut
up.
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. flour
1/2 bottle of "Crystal" hot sauce (6 oz.) size
Peanut oil for frying

Salt chicken well, put in bowl and cover with hot sauce. Cover chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours (longer if HOT chicken is desired). Turn chicken several times. Drain chicken, roll into flour, salt, pepper mixture. Heat enough peanut oil to deep fry, in heavy iron pan. Heat oil until a pinch of bread dropped into it will brown in 60 seconds. Fry chicken until done, drain well.

Thank you Tiki. That looks good. I will give it a shot.

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

McDaddy---try this--it works for me,
HOT FRIED CHICKEN

2 lbs. skinless chicken breasts or 1 to 2 1/2 lb skinless chicken cut
up.
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. flour
1/2 bottle of "Crystal" hot sauce (6 oz.) size
Peanut oil for frying

Salt chicken well, put in bowl and cover with hot sauce. Cover chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours (longer if HOT chicken is desired). Turn chicken several times. Drain chicken, roll into flour, salt, pepper mixture. Heat enough peanut oil to deep fry, in heavy iron pan. Heat oil until a pinch of bread dropped into it will brown in 60 seconds. Fry chicken until done, drain well.

Any thoughts as to how hot (temp wise) the oil needs to be in order to properly cook the chicken? I am thinking 350 but not certain if that is too cool to properly cook the chicken breasts.

I had heard that somehow the oil is infused with Cayenne as well. Wouldnt that just burn the pepper? Or could you just pour some Cayenne in the Peanut oil? Or is there Cayenne Perrer Oil you could add?

You can make it like the standard way of making Chinese Hot Oil--or just buy that: Take some peanut oil (preferably Lion & Globe from Hong Kong which has MUCH more flavor/aroma than any American oil I've tried) and put 3 cups or so in a saucepan. Add enough dried red chiles (I use Thai peppers but you could use any hot red chile certainly including cayenne) to fill the pan but still be covered by the oil. Heat the oil until the chiles blacken and begin to smoke. Turn the heat off and let the oil cool. Store it in an old recycled glass jar someplace cool and fairly dark (but not refrigerated). After a few days, you can strain the oil off the chiles or not. If you leave the chiles in the oil, it will gradually get a bit hotter but that's OK by me.

Generally, this would not be used for cooking in Asia but rather combined into a dipping sauce or used straight as a table condiment. Certainly it COULD be added to other oil in frying or you could do it the Asian way and just add a handful of dried red chilis to the oil while you are frying. They will indeed blacken but you aren't going to eat them directly and it won't hurt the flavor of the food--just add a little heat. I'd remove them at the end of the frying.

Here's Lion & Globe peanut oil and one brand of commercial hot oil:


Here's the peppers I use but Mexican ones (Chiles japones) may be easier to find:

I do dare say I'm confused... What the heck is Nashville Hot Chicken to start with (Pardon my ignorance, but I'm from the North).. Then I see a couple sauce recipes.. Are these marinades or something you roll your chicken in when done? Seems it's been explained both ways and then some.. Oh, one final question.. Is there a substitute for Crystal Hot Sauce? (Like Franks, Louisianna, etc)? Never seen that brand around here..

quote:

Originally posted by Macdaddy

Hello all,

I know the recipe for Nashville hot chicken is a guarded secret, but does anyone have a copycat recipe? or a guess at how they cook it? Seattle is a long way from Nashville, and I would love to try this dish. Any suggestions would be great.

Are you talking about hot chicken like at Princes Hot Chicken Shack? If so one thing that I have heard is that Prince’s fry there chicken in lard. This helps to hold the “hot coating” in your mouth and for a longer period. Thay also pan fry in cast iron pans not deep fry.

UncleVic- I use Crystal only because it's available every where here, and there is a brand of hot sauce called "Louisiana Hot Sauce," but would think any hot sauce made in Louisiana, including Frank's, would be just as good as Crystal.

quote:

Originally posted by BelleReve

UncleVic- I use Crystal only because it's available every where here, and there is a brand of hot sauce called "Louisiana Hot Sauce," but would think any hot sauce made in Louisiana, including Frank's, would be just as good as Crystal.

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

I do dare say I'm confused... What the heck is Nashville Hot Chicken to start with (Pardon my ignorance, but I'm from the North).. Then I see a couple sauce recipes.. Are these marinades or something you roll your chicken in when done? Seems it's been explained both ways and then some.. Oh, one final question.. Is there a substitute for Crystal Hot Sauce? (Like Franks, Louisianna, etc)? Never seen that brand around here..

Here is a review of Prince's Hot Chicken from hollyeats.

http://www.hollyeats.com/PrincesHotChicken.htm

There are several hot chicken places in Nashville. There are different styles (some spice the coating, some spice the oil, some add a hot sauce afterwards, some do all three) and many different levels of intensity. The heat levels go way beyond Popeyes. All guard their recipes closely. The basic rules of eating hot chicken are: keep your hands away from your eyes/face, don't choose a carbonated beverage to accompany the meal, and don't plan on traveling a long distance for at least 24 hours...

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

I do dare say I'm confused... What the heck is Nashville Hot Chicken to start with (Pardon my ignorance, but I'm from the North).. Then I see a couple sauce recipes.. Are these marinades or something you roll your chicken in when done? Seems it's been explained both ways and then some.. Oh, one final question.. Is there a substitute for Crystal Hot Sauce? (Like Franks, Louisianna, etc)? Never seen that brand around here..

Crystal is similar to the others but I find it not as hot as Tabasco. I'm very surprised you don't have it, though. I've seen it just about everywhere I've been. Since it's a little cheaper than Tabasco, you tend to find it used by restaurants instead, but it's every bit as "authentic" (i.e. it is from Louisiana too). If you have a place that supplies restaurants, you might check if they have it or just use another brand of Louisiana style (not Mexican) hot sauce.



By the way, I'll let somebody more familiar with it explain about hot chicken.

I will get the spicy chicken from Popeye's on occasion. I noticed they put some of their spices(looks like cayenne to me)under the skin.

I have found that if you start the oil at 375, it will cool down to about 350 when you put in cold chicken. I fry between 350 and 375 degrees. If you fry too cold, the chicken will absorb oil. My favorite way to fry chicken now is on the gas grill. I use my favorite cast iron skillet, and stick it on the grill, heat up and pour in oil. It takes a while to get to temp, but it is worth it. No heat in the house.

and if the bottled red vinager isn't to your liking you could always use a REAL hot sauce for the marinade!

I was thinking of brining the chicken in H2O, Salt, and a little sugar for 2 hrs. then soaking it in Buttermilk, and cayenne pepper sauce over night. Then pat dry and allow to air dry in the fridge for a few hours. Then dip back into the spiced buttermilk, dredge in flour laced with garlick powder, onion powder, and pepper. Then fry in oil or lard that has cayenne pepper infused in it.
Does that sound like it would work?

quote:

Originally posted by Macdaddy

I was thinking of brining the chicken in H2O, Salt, and a little sugar for 2 hrs. then soaking it in Buttermilk, and cayenne pepper sauce over night. Then pat dry and allow to air dry in the fridge for a few hours. Then dip back into the spiced buttermilk, dredge in flour laced with garlick powder, onion powder, and pepper. Then fry in oil or lard that has cayenne pepper infused in it.
Does that sound like it would work?

What time should I show up??? I'd still try the cayenne under the skin thing. In fact, you may have given me a dinner idea for tomorrow.

Well I spent all day Saturday making Hot Chicken, and all day Sunday cleaning my kitchen. It was well worth it. I put dried Chilis in the fry oil and it turned out great. A nice cool potato salad to ease the heat, and ice cold Roling Rock to wash it down.
Sublime...
thanks for all the tips.

quote:

Originally posted by Macdaddy

Well I spent all day Saturday making Hot Chicken, and all day Sunday cleaning my kitchen. It was well worth it. I put dried Chilis in the fry oil and it turned out great. A nice cool potato salad to ease the heat, and ice cold Roling Rock to wash it down.
Sublime...
thanks for all the tips.

Nothing like a happy ending!!