Juicy fried chicken with the spiciest oil coating stuffed in a Brioche bun along with a hot burger sauce, coleslaw and a slice of cheese.

This was the first time I attempted the famous Nashville-style Chicken Sando, and although it’s not the healthiest, it’s still wonderful. The real deal for your cheat days!

The chicken is marinated in buttermilk overnight which makes it succulent and so tender. It’s flavoured well with many spices and after frying, it is also given a generous drizzle of spiced up vegetable oil (I used sesame oil to feel a little less guilty). This ends up making it super hot, exactly how it should be.

Although this is a hot chicken, I have kept the spice level comparatively on the milder side, you can always add more or less spices depending on your taste.

Use a good quality, soft bun, this will make a big difference in your overall Sando in terms of taste and texture. I made my Brioche burger buns at home which are buttery with the best texture and taste!

Hope you enjoy this sando meal, and don’t count the calories too much. You deserve a cheat once in a while 😉

Nashville-style Hot Chicken Sando

Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Yields

4-6

servings

Marination

hours

Frying time

minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Marination
4-6 pieces boneless chicken thighs or breasts (the size should be medium, cut into half if it’s too large)
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 Tsp salt + 1/2 Tsp black pepper + 1 Tsp paprika
Dry Flour Coating for Chicken
1 1/2 cup flour (more if needed)
1 Tsp cayenne pepper + 2 Tsp paprika +1 Tsp garlic powder + salt and pepper, to taste
Hot Vegetable Oil (for final coating)
1/2 cup sesame oil (or any vegetable oil you used for frying)
1 Tbsp red chilli powder + 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper + 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder + 1 1/2 Tbsp paprika + 1 Tsp chilli flakes
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Burger sauce
1/2 cup ketchup + 1/4 cup mayonnaise + 1 Tbsp mustard
1/2 Tsp garlic powder + 1/2 Tsp Paprika + Salt and Pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste (opional)
For assembling
Coleslaw
Cheese slices (optional)
4-6 Brioche buns (or any other good quality bun)

Directions

Prepare and Marinate the Chicken
Pound the chicken breasts or thighs firmly but not too hard using a meat mallet or a rolling pin until it’s slightly flatter and spread evenly.
Depending on the chicken size, you may decide to keep it as it is, or cut it into half (or into thirds) aiming to get a perfectly sized fried chicken for the bun.
In a medium sized bowl, create the buttermilk marinade by mixing together the buttermilk, hot sauce and the spices, then add in the chicken pieces.
The chicken should be covered in the marinade. Wrap bowl with cling, and let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours, ideally upto 24hours for a better flavour.
Double-Coat the Chicken before frying
In a large tray, make the dry coating by mixing the flour and the spices together. Set aside.
Drain the marinade into another bowl, this will be the wet coating for the chicken.
Add the marinated chicken one at a time in the dry flour mixture, coat it evenly by pressing the flour well on the chicken. Then put the floured chicken into the wet marinade again, coat it quick and evenly. Then repeat the flour coating.
Fry the chicken in a preheated deep frying pan with vegetable oil on medium-low flame until it’s golden brown and cooked all the way through.
Keep the fried chicken on a wire rack when done.
Prepare and pour the Hot oil on the fried chicken
In a heat-proof bowl, mix in all the spices and sugar for the hot oil. Heat and pour in sesame oil or use a cup of the same hot oil that you used for frying.
Pour the prepared hot oil on top of the fried chicken, on both sides.
Assemble the burger and Enjoy!
While the chicken is still hot, add a slice of cheese on top if you want the extra cheesiness.
Slice and toast the Brioche buns in a lightly buttered pan.
Prepare the burger sauce by mixing all the condiments and spices for it, slather it on the top part of the bun.
Add coleslaw on the bottom part of the bun, transfer the fried chicken on top of it and put the buns together. You may use a skewer to keep it in place and then serve.