Restaurants That Take Nashville Hot Chicken to the Next Level
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During the height of the Great Depression, Thornton Prince had earned the reputation of being a lady’s man. It was all fun and games until his lover caught wind, and enacted revenge in the form of fried chicken packed with extra hot peppers and spices. The revenge didn’t come in the form of screaming for relief as she initially thought. Instead, Thornton asked for seconds, and the now-famous Nashville Hot Chicken was born.
While you can still try the original at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack (which has multiple locations in Nashville), the trend has moved far beyond both Music City and even chicken, with restaurants around the globe adapting the trend into dishes ranging from oysters to desserts.
Here are eight hot takes on the Nashville-born trend.
Schmaltzing Matilda | The Bar at the Spectator Hotel
A hot chicken-inspired margarita is sure to raise a few eyebrows, but the food-forward cocktail menu at The Bar at the Spectator in Charleston has been lauded for pushing the boundaries between food and drinks. The Schmaltzing Matilda—an original creation by head bartender Allen Lancaster—starts with Pechuga mezcal, which gets a unique flavor from being distilled with chicken breast. It's then washed with schmaltz (chicken fat) and combined with chili ancho liqueur, fresh lime juice, and hot honey. The cocktail is garnished with a chicken crackling from famed Nashville hot chicken joint, Hattie B’s.
Nashville Hot Oysters | The Good Sport
Charlottesville, Virginia-based restaurant The Good Sport serves up Nashville-inspired hot oysters, which are cornmeal fried and dunked in a Nashville hot sauce, then appropriately served with a dill pickle and a slice of white bread.
Nashville Style BBQ | Edley’s Bar-B-Que
Nashville-based Edley’s Bar-B-Que incorporated the hot chicken trend into their smoked pork. The Nashville Style BBQ brings the heat, influenced by its roots in Music City and Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Make sure you save room for their mouthwatering southern sides like grits casserole, cornbread and banana pudding.
Hot Chicken Bao Bun | Otaku Ramen
With its Tennessee roots, it’s no wonder Otaku Ramen incorporates “Nashville Hot” into its menu items. The southern-inspired delicacy is a combination of chicken with Otaku’s hot spice, kewpie mayo slaw, and a pickle, all folded inside a steamed bao bun. “Every hot spice in Nashville has its own special twist. Ours comes from the dried out bi-product of making soy sauce that has been cured in bourbon barrels by Matt Jamie at Bourbon Barrel Foods. It's umami smokey magic that just put the whole bite over the top,” CEO and founder Sarah Gavigan shared.
Hot Chicken Pizza | Donato’s
With tons of locations nationwide, chances are you’ll be able to snag a hot chicken pizza from Donato’s Pizza wherever you are. Available in thick, thin, hand-tossed or cauliflower crust, the pizza is topped with crispy hot chicken, dill pickles, jalapeño peppers and cheese, then drizzled with ranch for occasional heat relief.
Nashville Hot Lobster | Get Maine Lobster
You can get Nashville hot lobster shipped to you anywhere in the country with Get Maine Lobster’s Hot Lobster Roll kit. The order comes with two pounds of fresh lobster, one pound of Nashville hot honey butter, eight split-top rolls, and an exclusive recipe to make the tasty and innovative dish at home.
Nashville Hot Lamb Ribs | Split-Rail Chicago
Split-Rail Chicago may be known for their fried chicken, but the Nashville Hot trend appears in an unlikely menu item: lamb ribs. The crispy ribs are tossed in Nashville hot sauce, then served with pickles and slaw.
Nashville Hot Donut | Party Fowl and Status Dough
Two Tennessee-based businesses banded together to create the Nashville Hot Donut, a spicy and sweet collaboration between hot chicken joint Party Fowl and bakery Status Dough. The sweet treat is made with the same spice blend Party Fowl uses in its expansive collection of Nashville hot chicken dishes.
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