Best Nashville Hot Chicken
Feel the Heat: Nashville’s Top Hot Chicken Spots
Nashville, a city famed for its vibrant music scene and Southern charm, is equally renowned for its signature dish: hot chicken. This fiery, flavorful delight has become a culinary icon, drawing food enthusiasts from all over to experience its unique heat and taste. Originating from a family recipe passed down through generations, Nashville hot chicken is now a must-try for locals and visitors alike. From legendary institutions to innovative new eateries, the city’s hot chicken spots offer a variety of heat levels and mouthwatering sides.
Restaurants may not be the focal point of the Nashville entertainment scene. Nonetheless, the city is quite well known for its hot chicken being a rite of passage and a staple on many Southern tables. In this article, we’ll guide you through the best Nashville hot chicken restaurants, showcasing where to find the most delicious and spicy renditions of this beloved dish in Music City.
Discover your favorite hot chicken at one of the following locations:
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#1: 400 Degrees
This permanently parked food truck is great for a beverage and hot chicken. Only the stoutest palate would consider the maximum spice level of 400 degrees, but the 200 degrees order also has a kick.
615.244.4467
#2: Dino’s Bar & Grill
Dino’s is the hot chicken king. It wears its dingy mantle, and smoking is allowed in the backyard. It’s where you can end the day after a busy 9-5. The food is typical student fare: burgers, Velveeta Frito pies topped with an egg, and Joe’s hot chicken.
615.226.3566
#3: Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish
Food critics rave about this place where ambiance comes second to good southern cooking. Have some hot chicken with baked beans, pork chops, and fried fish. Bolton’s Spicy Chicken is a lunch spot for many blue-collar workers with their quick-service policy. It is a place to pick up picnic dinner, impress an out-of-towner, or tuck into the down-home cooking yourself.
615.254.8015
#4: Party Fowl
Party Fowl pushes Nashville’s heat to another level. The hottest chicken is the Poultrygeist. It hits 2.2 million on the Scoville Heat Scale. Rest assured, Southern Fried with no heat is also an option. They offer nine hot chicken sides, like the foul balls lacquered lollipops (roasted chicken skewers smothered with whiskey BBQ sauce). This establishment is a haven for college students searching for calories and football fanatics on Sundays. With the NFL Sunday Ticket, you get to watch any exclusive games.
615.624.8255
#5: Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
This Nashville icon has a location a few blocks from the Vanderbilt campus. Hattie B’s is one of the restaurants that put Nashville Hot Chicken on the map. Locals and tourists form lines that wrap around the building to taste the spicy, savory goodness. They offer signature bone-in wings, tenders, chicken sandwiches, or even 1/2 of a chicken. They offer six levels of heat, from the “Southern” no heat to the “Shut The Cluck Up,” their spiciest. For first-timers, ordering one level lower than desired is best because the chicken is spicy already.
615.802.5700
#6: Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack
As Nashville’s hot chicken has become a national trend, many folks visiting the Music City are curious about where this phenomenon started. The answer is at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack. The hilarious origin story began as an act of revenge when peppers and spices found their way into a batch of fried chicken. The plan backfired, and the legend of hot chicken was born. Nearly 100 years later, it’s a menu staple at all southern restaurants. But while everyone else gets in on the hot chicken business, Prince’s remains home to the gold standard original.
615.810.9388
#7: Pepperfire Hot Chicken
The mild and medium is where most diners dabble. Grab a seat at a long table in the dining hall and try the chicken tenders. Dinner is served with two sides with heat ranging from none, medium, and high.
615.915.4441
#8: Edley’s Bar-B-Que Restaraunt
A Nashville classic draped in American flags where the milkshakes spike with everyone-families, dog owners, and college kids on dates who visit for the hot chicken. If you feel ambitious, get a few slices of smoked briskets, pork, chicken, and turkey.
615.953.2951
#9: Red’s 615 Kitchen
Native Red’s 615 kitchens are known for their fried chicken sandwiches. He begins with 36-hour buttermilk and hot sauce brine, then breads it and lets it rest for two hours before frying it for your order. It is then doused with the secret Nashville seasoning. A hot chicken sandwich slathered with comeback sauce and crowned with slaw balances the heat well.
615.400.1454
#10: Helen’s Hot Chicken
Hellen’s started as a food truck in Germantown. It became so popular that she opened a few others in the greater Nashville area and Texas. The sauce spice levels range from plain to “Hella hot,” which can be ordered on either chicken or fish. As the Nashville food scene grows, hot chicken has been re-invented more than once. The easiest way to know if a trend has taken off is if food chains adopt it. The hot chicken had the most successful product testing in the history of music city.
615.964.7331