I’ve been reading about Nashville Hot Chicken for ages now. I’ve imagined it, wondered about it, doubted it, wanted it. I’ve even heard about a Nashville chain scouting potential locations here in L.A. But even if that comes to pass, it won’t be happening any time soon. And I don’t have a single trip to Nashville on the calendar. So at some point I had to ask myself: how am I gonna get me some of that Nashville Hot Chicken?
I could make it, of course! I found a recipe and asked Mister if he was in to give it a go. That guy got more excited than I! So the project was set.
We found our recipe, gathered our ingredients and got to cooking! The recipe we used was from Bon Appetit magazine and I really liked it. Mister and I both kept saying how complex and wonderful the flavors were. Because we’re talking about fried chicken, it was messy. I tell you this because if you decide to make it (and you should), I don’t want you to be caught off-guard.
I want to tell you something else about this recipe. It uses 6 tablespoons of cayenne! We had our doubts about that much heat, and we like spicy food. But here’s the thing – it wasn’t too hot. In fact, if I make it again, I may up the cayenne. Do I think you should do that your first time out? No. If you decide to try this recipe, I recommend following it. Then you can decide if you want to try adding more heat. You know, the next time.
This creative food project was fun and delicious. As the primary cook in our house, I always enjoy having Mister in the kitchen with me. It’s rare. It’s also nice. And in the case of making Nashville Hot Chicken, it was divine.
