Take Your Nashville Hot Chicken To The Next Level With These 9 Chef Tips

Hattie B's or Prince's? It's a question that has plagued Nashvillians for over a decade, though the origin of the object of their shared affection — the Nashville hot chicken sandwich — dates back nearly a century. What was once a regional food only available in the city has quickly spread to all corners of the United States and even prompted fast food chains to sell their versions to hungry customers. And it's easy to see why; who wouldn't love a juicy piece of fried chicken that's been smothered in a piquant oil and sandwiched in a delectably soft bun with toppings?

The good news is that you won't need to travel to Music City or a Dave's Hot Chicken franchise to get your hands on a tantalizingly juicy, spicy Nashville hot chicken sandwich; you can make it yourself. Of course, we had to get some expert insight into preparing, assembling, and personalizing this iconic American sandwich, which is why we turned to Alfredo Perez, executive chef and director of food and beverage for the Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown. He shared some of his hottest tips (get it?), so let's get that frying oil fired up (okay, one more) and ready for homemade Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. 

Getting a great Nashville hot chicken sandwich starts long before the spicy chicken hits the bun. Chef Alfredo Perez is a big fan of brining the chicken ahead of time to make it super juicy and flavorful. "A few hours in a buttermilk brine seasoned with salt and spices will make a noticeable difference in tenderness and flavor," he says.

Buttermilk is an excellent ingredient to marinate your chicken in because its acidity tenderizes the meat, making it softer and allowing the seasoning to penetrate it. Some recipes recommend brining chicken for upwards of a whole day, while others say that between four and 12 hours will suffice — so do what you can when preparing Nashville hot chicken at home. If you don't have buttermilk handy, you can make it with two everyday ingredients: milk and either lemon juice or vinegar. Be sure not to rinse off the brine before moving it to the egg wash, as you don't want to get rid of that delectable saltiness.

When most of us cook with spices in the kitchen, we rarely do more than look in our spice cabinet, pick out the ones that seem suitable, and add them to a recipe. However, failing to bloom your spices before you use them in your Nashville hot chicken recipe can result in a flavor that's less than optimal. Alfredo Perez is a fan of adding the spices to hot oil rather than pouring them in dry. "It creates a richer, more flavorful coating," he says.

It's important to note here that blooming and toasting are not the same thing. When you add the spices to a pan with oil (blooming), you encourage the release of fat-soluble compounds. Blooming also allows for better distribution of flavor throughout the dish, which is ideal for a concentrated, spicy sandwich like Nashville hot chicken. The spices you use in your recipe, including cayenne, paprika, and chili powder, can all benefit from about 30 seconds in a hot pan with oil. Be sure not to cook them any longer than that, as it's easy to burn them and release an acrid and unpleasant aroma.

Anyone who has made fried chicken at home before knows it's almost like an assembly line process. The chicken moves from the flour to the egg wash, then to the breadcrumbs before going into the oil. For Alfredo Perez, that egg wash step is critical. "For the perfect crunch, I start with an egg wash before flouring, my mix of flour with seasoning, cornstarch, and fine panko," he says. "That combination gives the chicken an extra crispy crust that holds onto the hot, seasoned oil instead of letting it run off." The egg is what helps the panko bind to the chicken, so it isn't a step to skip.

Perez uses panko for his chicken, which is not the same as plain breadcrumbs. Panko has large flakes, which create more crevices for the spicy oil to hide. It's flakier than regular breadcrumbs and usually yields a more pronounced crunch, making it perfect for Nashville hot chicken and fried chicken as a whole. 

One of the most important things you can do when frying anything is to pay attention to the temperature; it's one of the tips and tricks Alfredo Perez recommends following when making Nashville hot chicken specifically. Although it might not seem like a few degrees matter, it actually plays a big role in the texture and greasiness of your food.

When we add cold (or comparatively cold) food to hot oil, the temperature decreases. If the temperature dips too low, then it won't fry the outside of the food properly. Instead, that grease will soak into the food itself, causing an unpleasant mouthfeel and poor texture. 

There are a couple of ways that you can maintain the temperature of your oil when frying the chicken. For starters, you should fry in small batches — not just so that you can keep an eye on all the pieces and cook them to your liking, but also because it keeps the oil's temperature more consistent. Keep a candy or instant-read thermometer nearby, and check to make sure it's up to temperature when you add your next batch. To combat oiliness, we also recommend transferring the chicken to a paper towel afterward; it will soak up more oil being placed there first rather than if you let the chicken cool immediately on a wire rack. 

Does cheese belong on a Nashville hot chicken sandwich? It depends on who you ask. Alfredo Perez says that while it's by no means traditional, "there's nothing wrong with adding cheese if it complements the sandwich." However, that cheese really needs to add something rather than just distract from the flavors at play. 

Perez prefers to add pepper jack to his sandwich. "Personally, I love to kick the heat up even more with a slice of [pepper jack] cheese. Adding [pepper Jack] is great for those that love the extra kick," he says. That's not to say it's your only choice, though. Some folks have gotten really creative, going so far as to add pimento cheese to their sandwich. Whether you prefer your cheese extra spicy or want something to mellow out the intense heat of this sandwich, you'll surely find an option that meets your needs.

As its name suggests, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich is all about the "hot." However, solely focusing on the "hot" and not trying to balance those notes with some much-needed acid would be a mistake. One of the ways this is done is with pickles. "They're essential for balancing out the richness of the fried chicken and cheese. That hit of acidity really brightens the whole sandwich and keeps it from feeling too heavy," says Alfredo Perez. There are a wide variety of pickles out there, but the ones most commonly served with Nashville hot chicken include dill and bread-and-butter. Dill has a classic pickle flavor and offers a refreshing, zingy bite, while bread-and-butter pickles (which we tried and ranked) offer a more syrupy, saccharine flavor that cuts through the richness of the chicken and spiciness of the oil. Both can work depending on your pickle and preferred flavor profile.

Another condiment that is not to be missed on a proper Nashville hot chicken sandwich is slaw, which Perez says "cools everything down." A proper, creamy coleslaw's dressing offers respite from the heat (along with acidity, depending on its ingredients), while its mix of veggies adds texture and crunchiness to the sandwich.

A sandwich is only as good as its bread. You'll want something that can hold up to the weight of your sandwich fillings and not disintegrate when you go to bite into it. According to Alfredo Perez, there are only two options here: brioche or white bread. 

Brioche, for many, is the superior option. "It's sturdy enough to hold the chicken and toppings without falling apart, while its slight sweetness balances the spice. At the same time, it remains soft enough that the crispy chicken stays the star of each bite," says Perez. Brioche, one of the most common types of bread, is what we consider enriched, meaning it's made with ingredients like eggs, milk, butter, or sugar, which enhance its flavor, pliability, and color. Not only does brioche look great, but it also offers a rich, buttery flavor that meshes well with all of the sandwich components, from the crunchy slaw and pickles to the chicken and spicy oil. If you go the white bread route, just make sure you pick a high-quality one; our taster ranked store brands from worst to best, so you know which one to choose.

The order you place your ingredients on a Nashville hot chicken sandwich matters more than you might think. According to Alfredo Perez, the perfect stack is the bottom half of the bun, followed by the piece of chicken, pickles, slaw, and the other half of the bun. "The pickles go right on the chicken because that tangy crunch is the perfect match for the heat," he says. 

Perez also ups the ante on his sandwich by adding chipotle aioli, which he called a "nod to his Latino roots." "It brings a [smoky], creamy kick that pairs really well with the spice," he says. Regardless of what you add to your sandwich, be sure to avoid adding anything super wet to the bottom of the sandwich (like the pickles or the slaw) to prevent it from disintegrating when you go to eat it.

In case you didn't realize it already, the Nashville hot chicken sandwich offers tons of opportunities for personalization, especially when it comes to seasoning. The mainstays in Alfredo Perez's version include a mixture of clarified butter, lard, and hot canola oil, followed by brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, chili powder, and smoked paprika. But he also gives it a Mexican chili twist. "I also like to put my own spin on it by incorporating ancho and guajillo peppers into the seasoning blend. They add a deeper, more complex flavor profile that goes beyond just making it spicy and gives the chicken its own unique character," he says.

He also adds two toppings that are not typical of all Nashville hot chicken sandwiches: crunchy lettuce and tomato. "The tomato especially helps make it more approachable for guests who want something a little more familiar," he says. While there is nothing wrong with the classic Nashville hot chicken, once you get familiar with it, you'll have plenty of opportunity for culinary exploration.