- Hot chicken
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Hot chicken 
Prince's hot chickenOrigin Alternative name(s) Nashville hot chicken
Prince's chicken
Nashville-style chickenPlace of origin United States Region or state Nashville, Tennessee Creator(s) Jeffries family Dish details Course served Main course Serving temperature Hot Main ingredient(s) Chicken Variations Deep fried
Skillet fried
Hot fishHot chicken or Nashville hot chicken is a type of fried chicken that is a local specialty of Nashville, Tennessee. In its typical preparation, it is a portion of breast, thigh, or wing that has been marinated in buttermilk, breaded, sauced using a paste that has been heavily spiced with cayenne pepper, and pan-fried. It is served atop slices of white bread with pickle chips. It is both the application of a spicy paste and the presentation that differentiates it from similar dishes, such as Buffalo wings. It can be viewed in similar context to other foods that have been tweaked to be unique in a regional way, such as the slugburger or the Mississippi Delta tamale. It is similar in heat to Caribbean Jerk chicken, but is sauced rather than spiced with a dry rub.
Hot chicken has, in recent years, gained notoriety nationally due to the influence of Nashville's music industry. There are many restaurants in Nashville that serve a variant of the dish, and there is a city-wide festival and competition commemorating it. In 2006, the family that originated the dish was awarded the 'Guardian of the Tradition' designation by the Southern Foodways Alliance.[1] It has been seen on restaurant menus (as Nashville hot chicken) as far north as Michigan.[2]
A related dish popular in Nashville is hot fish, which is prepared in a similar way, but with a large fillet of fish.
Contents
Description
Preparation
Although the components of the dish largely remain the same, the preparation of the dish can differ greatly. A pressure fryer or deep fryer can be used, although most restaurants serve a pan fried product. Nearly all hot chicken is marinated in buttermilk to impart flavor and to retain the meat's juices upon frying. Some preparations of hot chicken are breaded and fried after application of the spice paste; the more traditional method has the paste applied immediately after the chicken is removed from the fryer.
A typical Nashville-style hot chicken spice paste has two key ingredients: lard and cayenne pepper. The two are mixed together, three parts pepper to one part lard, and heated until they form a thick sauce. Some restaurants vary the composition of the paste, adding sugar, garlic, or additional hot sauce. The paste applied to the fried chicken by the server using a spoon and latex gloves; it is lightly squeezed into the finished chicken by hand. The heat level of the chicken can be varied by the preparer by reducing or increasing the amount of paste applied.
All hot chicken is served atop slices of white (enriched) bread, with pickle chips. Since the spice paste is made of lard and applied while the chicken is hot, it will often soak into the bread. Although originally intended to keep the grease contained and the chicken dry, many hot chicken enthusiasts eagerly consume the soaked bread to prove they can withstand the spicy food.
Variations
Nashville-style hot fish
The main variation to traditional hot chicken is in the application of the spice paste: before breading or after breading, and whether or not additional spices are applied. Recipes, cooking methods, and preparation steps for hot chicken are often closely guarded secrets, proprietary to the specific restaurant, so the look of the chicken may vary widely.
Sometimes vendors will substitute a hamburger bun for the slices of white bread.
A variation of the hot chicken theme is "hot fish", typically a breaded and fried white fish (usually whiting or trout) or a catfish filet prepared using a similar cayenne paste as hot chicken, or using a cayenne power blend sprinkled liberally over the filet. Some hot chicken restaurants also serve hot fish, but recently some have begun to specialize in hot fish only.[3][4]
History
Anecdotal evidence suggests that spicy fried chicken has been served in Nashville for generations. The current dish may have been introduced as early as the 1950s, however, the current style of spice paste may only date back to the mid 1970s. It is generally accepted that the originator of hot chicken is the family of Andre Prince Jeffries, owner of "Prince's Hot Chicken". She has operated the restaurant since 1980; before that time, it was owned by her great-uncle, Thornton Prince. Although impossible to verify, Jeffries says the development of hot chicken was an accident. Her great- uncle Thornton was purportedly a womanizer, and after a particularly late night out his girlfriend at the time cooked him a fried chicken breakfast with extra pepper as revenge. Instead, Thornton decided he liked it so much he came up with his own extra-spicy recipe and served it in his restaurant.[5][6]
Ironically, what began as breakfast revenge is now considered to be a staple food for late-night diners. On weekends, most restaurants dedicated to hot chicken are open very late (some past 4AM). At present, Nashville plays host to over half a dozen restaurants dedicated to serving hot chicken. Several others offer it as an item but do not focus solely on it.[7][8] The local popularity of the dish has attracted some rather famous attention. For a time, country music stars Lorrie Morgan and Sammy Kershaw owned and operated a now-defunct hot chicken restaurant called "hotchickens.com".[9] The former mayor of Nashville Bill Purcell is a devoted fan, sponsoring the Music City Hot Chicken Festival and giving numerous interviews touting the dish. While in office, he frequently referred to his table at Prince's Hot Chicken as his "second office".[10]
Appearances
The American alternative rock band Yo La Tengo released three songs about Nashville hot chicken ("Flying Lesson (Hot Chicken #1)" and "Do not Say A Word (Hot Chicken #2)" from the album Electr-O-Pura and "Return to Hot Chicken" from the album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One). The band, while recording several albums in Nashville, became devoted consumers of the dish.[11]
The Travel Channel TV show Man v. Food Nation showcased hot chicken during a Nashville-themed episode.
See also
- Cayenne pepper
- Fried chicken
- Jerk chicken
References
- ^ "Tabasco Guardians of the Tradition: Nashville, TN". southernfoodways.com. http://www.southernfoodways.com/documentary/oh/nashville_eats/index.shtml. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Hot Chicken - What the Heck is it?". southernfoodways.com. http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/26/hot-chicken-what-the-heck-is-it/. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Restaurant Guide - Nashville Hot Fish". nashvillescene.com. http://www.nashvillescene.com/restaurants/search/?cuisine=Hot%20Fish. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Eastside Fish - The Splendid Table". splendidtable.com. http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/whereweeat/stern_eastfish.shtml. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "The Quest for Spicy Chicken". npr.org. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91041024. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Andre Jeffries". southernfoodways.com. http://www.southernfoodways.com/documentary/oh/nashville_eats/andre_jeffries.shtml. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "The Hot Chicken Story". nashvillehotchickenfestival.com. http://www.nashvillehotchickenfestival.com/Contact_Us.php. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Restaurant Guide - Nashville Hot Chicken". nashvillescene.com. http://www.nashvillescene.com/restaurants/search/?cuisine=Hot+Chicken. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Hot Chicken Burned Kershaw". nashvillepost.com. http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2007/2/9/hot_chicken_burned_kershaw. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Prince's hot chicken make list". ezrapoundcake.com. http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/1755. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Hot Chicken No. 3". weeklywire.com. http://weeklywire.com/ww/08-30-99/nash_music-notes.html. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
External links
Categories:- American cuisine
- Chicken dishes
- Cuisine of the Southern United States
- Culture of Nashville, Tennessee
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