Nashville Hot Chicken Burger

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I love me some Hot Chicken.This seriously tastes like a high quality gourmet burger, and it is beyond addictive!!  Just warning you upfront! My kids went as far as saying it’s better then pickl!! 😱 (for those who don’t know its a popular burger joint here in dubai)

This is the ultimate Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe!!  Spicy and crispy golden brown fried chicken with a coating of hot spiced glaze taking it over the top.You know I am all for quick throw together recipes but this is not one of them!! it's definitely more of a project for a home kitchen. I recommend saving it for a weekend when you're not in a rush.

WHAT IS NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN?

Nashville Hot Chicken begins with fried chicken.  It is the base of the recipe and needs to be fabulous on its own to hold up to the sauce.

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Once the hot chicken is fried, it is then topped with a sauce created with several different spices.

For almost 70 years, hot chicken was made and sold primarily in Nashville’s Black communities. Over the last decade or so, not only has the production and sales of this recipe risen but the story of its invention has become a part of local mythology. 

To make incredible fried chicken, I believe you must begin with a marinade. The marinade will add flavor throughout the chicken making sure that every bite is injected with deliciousness.

The base of this marinade is:

  • Buttermilk

  • Hot Sauce

Buttermilk always adds incredible tang to the chicken and also because of the acids, it helps to break it down and tenderize it.  The hot sauce adds salt and heat that also injects into the chicken.

Next the flour mixture is crucial for making sure that the crispy breading is filled with flavor as well.

The sauce for this Nashville Hot Chicken is most important!  Nailing this will take an already great recipe to a higher level of incredible flavor .For me, a good slaw is what really seals the deal on a spicy chicken burger, because it adds the necessary acidity to cut through the rich flavors.

Ingredients:

Nashville Hot Chicken:

  • ButtermilkMilk 1 Cup

  • Hot sauce 3 tbsp

  • Onion powder 1 tbsp

  • Garlic powder 1 tsp

  • Cayenne powder 1 tbsp

  • Egg 1

  • SALT 1 tsp

  • Boneless chicken 4-5 fillets

FLOUR MIX

  • All-purpose flour 2 Cups

  • Paprika powder 1 & ½ tbsp

  • Salt ½ tsp or to taste

  • Cooking oil for frying

Hot Chilli Oil:

  • Red chilli powder 1 tbsp

  • Cayenne powder 1 tbsp

  • Garlic powder ½ tbsp

  • Paprika powder 1 & ½ tbsp

  • Salt 1 tsp or to taste

  • Black pepper powder 1 tsp

  • Honey 1 tbsp

  • Hot Cooking oil ½ Cup

Tangy Mango Coleslaw:

  • 1 raw mango shredded

  • Salt to taste

  • red chilli powder 2 tsp

  • coriander powder 1/2 tsp

  • Carrots shredded 1/2 Cup

  • 1/2 juice of a lemon

Assembling:

  • 8 Burger buns…preferable brioche or potato buns

  • Mayonnaise

  • Sliced tomatoes and onion (rings)

  • Pickled jalapenos

Directions:

To Prepare Nashville Chicken:

In a bowl pour the Butter milk. Add hot sauce, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, cayenne powder and egg, whisk well & set aside

Pound chicken fillets slightly with the help of kitchen hammer or meat mallet and prick it then cut into two pieces.The fillet thickness should be around 1 1/2 inch.

Add chicken fillets in the buttermilk mixture and mix well ,cover & marinate for 4 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

In a separate bowl, add the all-purpose flour, paprika powder, ,salt & mix well.

Now take the chicken fillet bowl with marinade out and strain the marinade. Coat marinated fillet in dry flour mixture then dip into marinade and coat again in dry flour mixture (Press fillet in dry flour mixture &  shake it to make flakes).

In a wok, heat cooking oil to a temperature of 175*C and fry chicken fillets on low flame until golden brown & crispy.About 7-8 minutes on each side. If you have a cooking thermometer, then to make sure the fillet is cooked through, it should read 74*C.

Prepare Hot Chilli Oil:

In a bowl, add red chilli powder, ,cayenne powder, garlic powder, paprika powder, salt, black pepper powder, honey, hot cooking oil & mix well.

After frying the chicken, apply prepared hot chilli oil on all over the fried chicken with the help of the brush.

Prepare Mango Coleslaw:

In a bowl, add all the ingredients & mix well.

Assembling:

On burger bun, spread mayonnaise and grill in pan to get a beautiful toasted bun.Place the fried chicken brushed with the chili oil on top and then layer with the tomatoe, onion, jalapeño and mango slaw and cover with top burger bun.

I also added some store bought Sriracha mayo…clearly it wasn’t spicy enough 💁🏻😉👌🏻. But it totally a personal choice. One could even add lettuce or pickles.

Serve with fries and enjoy 😋😋.

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