The Nashville hot chicken is an iconic dish from Nashville, Tennessee, considered one of the most representative dishes of the Southern USA.
It originated in the 1930s within the African-American communities of Nashville, with Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack considered the first place to serve it to the public.
According to culinary legend, Thornton Prince invented it after a girlfriend made him an extremely spicy version as “punishment”: instead of being offended, he liked it so much that he perfected the recipe and opened a restaurant.
Traditionally, the chicken is served on slices of white bread with pickles: the bread helps absorb the spicy oils and the pickles balance the heat of the spice, but it can also be a variation of the classic “chicken and waffle”, as we tasted during our trip to Nashville in January 2026.
Chicken and waffles is another classic of American cuisine, particularly appreciated in the South and in soul food culture.
In this version, fried chicken (sometimes hot chicken) is served over soft buttermilk waffles, often with maple syrup or maple butter to contrast the spiciness and saltiness of the chicken.
Originally appearing as early as the colonial period in the Pennsylvania Dutch territories as a dish with stewed chicken and waffles covered in gravy, the version with fried chicken and sweet waffles became popular in the Southern USA and African-American communities.
Unlike simple fried chicken, Nashville hot chicken is distinguished by:
• Buttermilk and spice marinade, which makes the meat tender and flavorful.
• Crispy frying with a light breading.
• Spicy glaze made with cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and sometimes sugar and butter, applied after frying to give that characteristic red color and gradual mouth heat.
The spiciness can range from “mild” to “extra hot” depending on the amount of chili in the sauce
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Frying, Other
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Hot Chicken and Waffle
- 2.2 lbs chicken (thighs and drumsticks)
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (buttermilk)
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- to taste
- to taste oil for frying
- 2 all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk (buttermilk)
- 1/3 cup butter (melted)
Tools
- 1 waffle iron
Steps
1. Marinate the chicken: in a bowl, combine buttermilk, hot sauce, egg, and salt. Immerse the chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours (or overnight).
2. Breading: in a bowl, mix flour, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drain the chicken from the marinade, shake off the excess, and coat it in the spiced flour. Repeat a second time for extra crispiness.
3. Frying: heat abundant oil to 340–360 °F and fry the chicken pieces for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
4. Prepare the spicy sauce: in a small pot, melt the butter and add cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well until the spices are integrated and the sauce is fragrant.
5. Glaze the chicken: generously brush the sauce over the freshly fried chicken pieces to achieve the characteristic red color and spicy flavor
1. Mix the dry ingredients: in a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Whisk the liquid ingredients: in another bowl, beat the eggs, add the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.
3. Combine the mixtures: pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones and mix briefly with a spatula or hand whisk. The batter should remain lumpy (do not overmix!).
4. Heat the waffle iron (or mold) and lightly grease it. Pour about 1/2 ladle of batter (depends on the size), close and cook until the waffles are golden and crispy.
5. Serve immediately, with hot chicken, pickles, and optionally maple syrup or honey butter.
Differences between Waffle and Brussels Gaufre
Same shape, but different dough, both are cooked on the classic honeycomb iron; waffles are made with a semi-liquid batter with baking powder, sometimes buttermilk.
Gaufres, on the other hand, are richer in butter, require yeast, and a fundamental ingredient to get a product as close as possible to the Belgian original (in the Liège version): pearl sugar.
The pearl sugar resembles granulated sugar for desserts, but has the shape of fairly hard irregular grains. “Sucre perlé” doesn’t melt into the dough until it starts to melt at 300°F, leaving the gaufre interior tender and the exterior caramelized.
The name waffle comes from the ancient Belgian language, where “sweet” was said “wafla”.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Is the waffle in the chicken recipe different from the sweet breakfast waffle just because of the buttermilk or also for other reasons?
The waffle served with fried chicken (Chicken & Waffles) and the sweet breakfast waffle are very similar in base, but there are some key differences:
✅ In common:
• Same base of flour, eggs, butter, and buttermilk.
• Cooked in the same waffle iron.
• Crispy outside, soft inside.
🔀 Main differences:
Waffle for Chicken & Waffles: little sugar (or none), sometimes less vanilla or none, butter measured to not overshadow the chicken.
Sweet breakfast waffle: more sugar (up to 3-4 tablespoons), more vanilla, sometimes even lemon zest, more butter.
In essence: it’s the same base recipe, but the amount of sugar and aromas varies.
The “savory” waffle is more neutral, while the sweet one is more fragrant and sugary.
