These Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders (sandwiches) are as good as the real thing: spicy, crispy, juicy fried chicken encased in soft slider buns along with coleslaw, sliced pickles and a yummy sauce. They are simple to make, hit all the right spots and are the ultimate guilty (not really) pleasure. Even my husband, who is the craziest, most obsessive fan of Nashville Hot Chicken, agrees!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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WHAT IS NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN
Nashville hot chicken is a spicier, hotter version of fried chicken originating from Nashville. Crispy fried chicken gets drenched in a Nashville hot sauce, which is made by pouring hot oil over a mix of spices. This sauce gives the chicken a signature red color and spicy flavor.
Nashville hot chicken is made with different cuts of chicken, with popular chains in Nashville such as Hattie B's, Party Fowl and Prince's serving their own versions. It is usually served with a cooling coleslaw, sliced pickles, honey and a slice of bread to help balance the heat. It also comes in different levels of spice, typically ranging from mild to extra spicy (I usually max out at a medium...).
ELEMENTS OF NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN SLIDERS
These sliders are composed of 6 key elements:
- Fried chicken tenders. You can use breasts or thighs, but I find tenders to be most suitable. The tenders are dredged in a buttermilk and egg white mixture, then double coated in a flour mix before deep frying
- Nashville hot sauce. This is a red, spicy "sauce" made with hot oil and spices. The fried chicken is dunked into the sauce while still hot to get the signature spicy look and flavor
- Coleslaw. I cannot emphasize this enough: you need coleslaw! It adds a delectable crunch and sweetness to the sandwiches and beautifully balances everything out
- Thinly sliced pickles. Again, I don't consider pickles optional. They're essential for a good Nashville hot chicken slider
- Sauce. A simple sauce made with mayo, ketchup and spices is added to each slider for an extra oomph
- Slider buns. You can use any kind of light, soft buns for these sliders. I made them using King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Slider Buns, which are a bit on the smaller size
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST, EXTRA CRISPY NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN
How to get fried chicken crispy is an age old question, and becomes even more pressing when it comes to Nashville Hot Chicken, since the added element of the hot oil makes it trickier. After a lot of research and trials, I've determined that it comes down to 7 easy tricks / steps:
1. Use egg whites instead of whole eggs for the dredge
Instead of whole eggs, the dredge uses egg whites along with buttermilk. They help bind the chicken to the flour coating, and omitting the egg yolks reduces the amount of fat, which can make the coating a bit more greasy instead of crispy.
2. Use a mixture of flour, cornstarch and baking powder for the coating
Instead of just flour and seasoning, this recipe adds a little cornstarch and baking powder for the coating. The cornstarch provides starchiness which makes the coating crispier, and the baking powder creates little air bubbles during frying which also add to the crispy texture.
3. Double coat the chicken in flour ("breading")
There's usually a lot of debate between a single coating and a double coating when it comes to fried chicken, but I find that 2 thin coats yield the best result. The chicken is dredged in a buttermilk and egg white mixture, then coated in the flour mix, back into buttermilk and back into the flour, the excess shaken off between each coat. This ensures all parts of the chicken are well coated.
4. Rest the breaded chicken before deep frying it
Wait for 10-20 minutes before frying the chicken, resting it on a wire rack. This time allows the flour to absorb any moisture, and makes it stick better to the chicken. Rushing the frying can result in the flour coating peeling off.
5. Double fry the chicken
This is the single most effective thing you can do for the crispiest fried chicken! The first fry allows the chicken inside to cook, but the coating does not yet get crispy and deep golden. The chicken is then fried again in hot oil after resting for 10-15 minutes. During the second, shorter fry, the coating gains color and becomes crispy quickly without the chicken getting overcooked. Frying the chicken in one go requires quite a long time for the coating to get crispy, during which time the chicken can overcook.
6. Use hot oil for the Nashville hot sauce
Use oil straight from the wok while deep frying the chicken and pour it over the spices to make the sauce. This should be done when the chicken is almost done frying. If the oil is not hot, the sauce will seep into the chicken coating and make it soggy and oily.
7. Dunk the chicken into the Nashville hot sauce straight after frying
Just like you need to use hot oil for the Nashville hot sauce, the fried chicken needs to be hot when you dip it into the sauce. Ensuring both are hot and similar in temperature yields the best, crispiest result.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Here's a video tutorial for this recipe:
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PROCESS WITH PHOTOS
The detailed recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's quickly go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything:
Prep the chicken tenders and marinate them in the buttermilk dredge by mixing all the ingredients:
While the chicken marinates, prep the coleslaw, slice the pickles, and make the quick sauce:
Mix the flour coating ingredients together in a low bowl:
Once the chicken is ready, it is time to coat / "bread"! Working one piece at a time, shake off any excess dredge, and coat the chicken in the flour coating:
Shake off the excess, dip the chicken back in the buttermilk dredge, and then give it a second coating of the flour mix:
Rest the chicken on a wire rack while the oil heats up:
When the oil is hot, carefully transfer the chicken to the skillet and fry until it becomes a light golden color:
Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes, then fry it again in hot oil until it is a deep golden color and crispy:
When the chicken is almost done, take hot oil from the skillet and pour it over the spices to make the Nashville hot sauce, giving it a good whisk:
While the chicken is still hot from frying, quickly dunk it in the Nashville hot sauce, making sure you get spices on it:
Assemble the sliders with the buns, sauce, Nashville hot chicken, coleslaw, and sliced pickles. Serve & enjoy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, you can use any boneless chicken you like for this recipe, although the frying time may vary.
I would consider this Nashville hot chicken to be a "medium" level of spice which is quite tolerable when combined with all the other ingredients. However, spice levels are definitely subjective, so you can add or reduce the amount of cayenne pepper in the Nashville hot sauce.
No, resting the chicken before frying it is necessary to ensure a crispy coating that sticks to the chicken and does not peel off. Similarly, I do not recommend skipping or speeding through any other step.
Yes, you can brush the sauce onto the chicken, which allows spreading the spices in a more controlled way. However, this takes a lot longer, and if you're making a full batch, the oil and chicken will start to cool down and become soggy as you go through this step.
I highly recommend reading the section above on "how to make the best, extra crispy Nashville hot chicken" for all my tips on getting your chicken crispy. If you follow those tips but the chicken is still soggy or oily, it is likely due to the oil not being hot enough, or not draining the chicken properly after frying.
Yes, you can make just the chicken and serve it with coleslaw and pickles. You can also use this recipe to make bone-in chicken, but make sure to fry until the chicken reaches 165F inside.
Yes! Just like any fried chicken, you can complete all the steps before frying it. Then lay it out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove the pieces from the sheet and then store in a ziploc. You can fry straight from frozen, but will need to increase the time of the first fry.
Nashville hot chicken is best eaten fresh. However, if you need to store it, keep it in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat in the air fryer at 300F for a few minutes until it is warmed up and crispy on the outside again.
RELATED RECIPES
Here are a few other recipes you'll like if you enjoyed this one!
THE BEST NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN SLIDERS RECIPE
- Total Time: 1 hour + resting time
- Yield: 6-8 large sandwiches or 12 mini sliders
Description
These Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders are as good as the real thing: spicy, crispy, juicy fried chicken encased in soft slider buns along with coleslaw, sliced pickles and a yummy sauce
Ingredients
Chicken marinade / dredge:
- 6-8 chicken tenders
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup buttermilk (make your own with 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar / lemon juice) (240g)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Flour coating / breading:
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130g)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Deep frying:
- 2" of vegetable oil in a large skillet / wok for frying
Nashville hot sauce:
- 2-3 tablespoon cayenne pepper, according to your preference for spice
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup hot vegetable oil, straight from the deep frying skillet
Coleslaw:
- 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage (mix of purple and green)
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Slider sauce:
- ¼ cup mayo
- ¼ cup ketchup
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
Assembly:
- 12 mini slider buns or 6-8 full sized buns
- 2-4 pickles, thinly sliced
Instructions
Marinade:
- Prep the tenders by removing the tendons / fat. If using mini slider buns, cut each tender into 2 halves so they fit inside the buns
- Mix the buttermilk, egg whites, salt and pepper in a bowl, whisking to break down the egg whites
- Add the chicken tenders and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight
Prep:
- While the chicken is marinating, prep all the other components of the sliders. Make the coleslaw by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix the slider sauce ingredients in a separate bowl. Thinly slice the pickles
Coating / breading:
- When the chicken is done marinating, it is time to coat / bread it
- Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper in a low bowl / plate
- Working one chicken piece at a time, remove from the buttermilk dredge and shake off any excess liquid. Dip into the flour mix, and use your other hand to coat thoroughly with flour on both sides. Lift, shake off the excess, and dip back into the buttermilk dredge. Lift, shake off any excess liquid, and then give it another coating of the flour mix. Place on a wire rack
- Repeat until all the chicken tenders have 2 coatings of the flour
- Rest for ~20 minutes while the oil heats up
Deep frying:
- Heat the oil on medium high heat until it reaches 350F (it should be quite hot)
- Carefully add a third to a half of the chicken tenders into the hot oil. Fry for 5-6 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. This is the first fry, it will get the chicken cooked inside but it will still be a light color. Remove, drain, and rest on the wire rack while you give the rest of the chicken its first fry
- Wait 10-15 minutes after the first fry, then fry the chicken again. Make sure the oil is still very hot (~350F) and fry for 2-3 minutes this time. The chicken should get a deep golden color and crispy texture quickly during this second fry
Nashville hot sauce:
- Add the cayenne, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a bowl
- When the chicken is almost done with the second fry, carefully remove ½ cup of hot oil from the skillet and pour it over the spices. Whisk thoroughly. This is the Nashville hot sauce
- As you remove the chicken from the skillet (when it is done cooking), quickly dunk each piece into the Nashville hot sauce with tongs, making sure to get each side coated with the spices. Rest on a wire rack as you work through the chicken with a baking sheet underneath to catch the oil drippings
Assembly:
- Warm up the sliders buns on the stovetop or microwave
- Slather a generous amount of the slider sauce on the bottom half of each bun, then layer some sliced pickles. Add the Nashville hot chicken, then top off with a generous amount of coleslaw and cover with the top half of the bun
- Serve the sliders while still hot and enjoy!
Notes
- Nashville hot chicken sliders are best eaten fresh. You can make a half batch of this recipe, or freeze the chicken after coating it with flour to fry and eat later. If you need to reheat the chicken, I recommend doing it in the air fryer at ~300F until it is crispy again
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Sana says
Hopefully will try it soon inshaAllah!!!
Zoha says
Did you end up making them!?
Saira says
Love them!
Zoha says
Thank you!!
Zoha says
Thank you!
Zareen says
Looks fab! Will Definitely Tryy....
Zoha says
Hope you love them!
Zoha says
Hope you love them! 🙂
Alina Ali says
Looks delicious.. will try it soon.
Zoha says
YAYYY
Shereen ishmail says
yummy will definitely try
Zoha says
Yay!
Sobia says
looks yummy and easy recipe
Stephanie says
Reviews from people who have not made the dish are not helpful. Since apparently no one has made these, I will make them on Monday and leave an actual review.
Stephanie says
I made these exactly according to the recipe. A bit time-consuming but definitely worth it if you love Nashville Hot Chicken. Next time I would use only 1 Tbsp. of cayenne in the Nashville Hot sauce, I used 2 and it was a bit much. That slaw is to die for! I'm replacing my normal slaw recipe with it! Not sure the slider sauce adds much. I would probably just go with mayo. Thanks for the killer recipe! Hattie B's has nothing on you!
Zoha says
Awww, Stephanie, this is SUCH a kind review! I am glad you liked the recipe and also know now how to modify it for your preferences in the future 🙂
hajra nauman says
LITERALLY TURNED OUT SOOOO GOOD
LITERALLY AMAZING
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY LOVED IT
Zoha says
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
shahzeb says
loved these!