Raise your hand if hot chicken from Nashville is on your bucket list of things to eat. You're not alone. Why we willingly and enthusiastically subject ourselves to eating food that makes us sweat profusely, I'm not sure. But I know "hot chicken" is so haute right now.
If a roundtrip ticket to Tennessee isn't in the works for you, homemade hot chicken tenders are the next best thing. It's true you can find the fried fare just about anywhere these days—KFC included—but we think you can do it better. Bonus: when you make it yourself, you control the heat.
For my own version of hot chicken, I took my inspo from somewhere authentic where there's always a line out the door: Hattie B's. From Serious Eats, I learned that two dredges are necessary and the spices get coated after the frying. Figuring out the spice mix was the tricky part. I've seen recipes calling for anywhere from 2 tbsp. to 3/4 c. of cayenne. I went with 1/4 c., which Nashville natives might consider mild but I consider spicy AF. As for coating the chicken, Hattie B's mixes the spice mixture with hot oil to create a spicy paste. After visions of spilled oil and gnarly burns, I tossed the freshly fried tenders in directly in the bowl of spices instead. One crunchy bite and involuntary tear later, I knew I nailed it.
GET THE RECIPE HERE.
PIN FOR LATER.
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