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Nashville hot chicken should be its own food group. Who can resist this juicy chicken with its crispy skin and fiery hot sauce? Nobody, that’s who.
I didn’t even know that KFC made its own version of Nashville hot chicken, or that its the next best thing to Hattie B’s hot chicken, which you can only get in Nashville.
Turns out, this copycat recipe for KFC’s version comes pretty close to the real thing!
What’s in this Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe
There are three parts to this recipe: the brine, the dry seasonings and the Nashville hot sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:
The Brine
- Chicken. We’re using boneless skinless chicken breast tenders. Buy them already sliced or just slice your own regular chicken breasts.
- Buttermilk
- Pickle Juice
- Hot sauce
- Egg
The Dry Seasonings
The Hot Sauce
How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken
Brine the Chicken
Brining means soaking the chicken in a salty liquid to seal in the juiciness and enhance the flavor. In this case, our salty liquid is pickle juice. We’re mixing it with buttermilk and some hot sauce too.
Brining is really the secret to the best fried chicken! You can brine chicken for days, but even if you only have an hour, it’s worth it.
To brine these chicken tenders, simply place them into the buttermilk and pickle juice mixture. Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
Coat the Chicken in Dry Seasonings
Take all of your dry seasonings and whisk them together in a bowl. Then, double dredge the chicken: remove the chicken from the brine, dredge it in the dry seasonings, then dip it back into the brine and once more into the dry seasonings.
Once you’ve double-dredged your chicken, let it rest on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Put the entire baking sheet into the refrigerator.
Chilling the chicken before frying will ensure that the breading clings to the chicken during frying and won’t fall off.
Fry the Chicken
No need for a deep fryer here. We can make this KFC copycat recipe by using a deep skillet to mimic the deep frying effect. Be sure to fill the skillet with at least 1/2 inch of oil, and heat it over medium heat.
Cook the chicken pieces until the coating is golden brown, flipping as necessary. Let the chicken rest on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off.
Make the Nashville Hot Sauce
Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and then whisk in the melted butter.
Then, you can either gently toss the chicken tenders in the sauce or drizzle the sauce over the tenders.
How to Serve Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
1. The KFC Way: Serve these spicy fried chicken tenders just like KFC with a fluffy buttermilk biscuit and sliced pickles.
2. The Nashville Way: If you ordered these spicy chicken tenders at Hattie B’s or Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville, they’d be served over a simple slice of white bread along with sliced pickles.
3. Side Dishes: To balance the heat of the spicy sauce, consider serving a cooling side dish like coleslaw or potato salad.
How to Store Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, reheat the tenders in a warm oven or air fryer.
When you make these Nashville hot chicken tenders, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more chicken recipes, try these:
- Oven Baked Italian Chicken Tenders
- Blackened Chicken Tenders (Popeyes Copycat)
- Herb Crusted Chicken Recipe (Texas Roadhouse Style)
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders Recipe (Just like KFC!)
Ingredients
Brine
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup pickle juice
- 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
- 1 large egg
Dry Seasonings
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. paprika
Sauce
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cayenne
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Brine the Chicken
- Combine the buttermilk, pickle juice, hot sauce and egg in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Place chicken tenders into the brine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Prepare the Chicken for Frying
- Set a wire rack over a large baking sheet.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the dry seasonings. Remove the chicken from the brine and dredge it in the dry mixture. Dip the chicken back into the brine and back into the flour mixture once more. Set the chicken onto the wire rack.
- Place the chicken into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Fry the Chicken
- Fill a heavy bottomed skillet with at least 1/2 inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Set up a clean wire rack over paper towels.
- Fry the chicken in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides, flipping as necessary. Remove cooked chicken onto a wire rack.
Make the Sauce
- Whisk all ingredients except for the butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter and pour it into the bowl. Whisk to combine. Gently coat the chicken in the sauce.
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