Find your ideal mixture of Hot Fried Chicken

As a chef I try to keep myself informed of the current food trends. Kombucha, oat milk, Japanese fusion and the plant-based “meat” movement are just a few of the things that have been blowing up the culinary scene lately. One trend that I have not been able to ignore is the Nashville hot chicken movement. I love fried chicken, I love spicy food, and I love regional cuisine, so Nashville hot chicken is something that hits all my pleasure receptors.

Nashville hot chicken is a staple of Nashville, Tennessee and is one of the most popular preparations of chicken going on in the culinary world right now. There are many restaurants in Nashville that serve the dish, and the city even has an annual festival and competition celebrating it. I want to know how to be a judge for that contest! It isn’t just a regional phenomenon these days however, the dish is certainly gaining nationwide attention.

Pickle Dijonaise

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 pickle spears, finely diced
• 1 Tablespoon pickle juice
• Black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Allow mixture to sit in the fridge for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend.

Nashville Hot Chicken

To fry the chicken:

• 4 chicken cutlets
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup corn starch
• Oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to taste

Hot Chicken coating:

• 6 Tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Dijonaise is a sauce typically reserved for burgers, but I made a few tweaks to it so that it goes perfectly on a Nashville hot chicken sandwich. Most often dijonaise is a mixture of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. In this case, I left out the lemon juice and replaced it with pickle juice. This will give us the acidity I want to cut through all the richness and spice of the chicken.