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Craggy Nashville-style hot chicken with cayenne coating, plain bread and pickles
Nashville-style hot chicken stacked on white bread with pickles, the spiced oil shining on the crust.

Nashville-Style Hot Chicken

Double-dipped for a properly craggy crust, then brushed with cayenne paste made from the hot frying oil itself.

Prep
25 mins
Cook
20 mins
Total
45 mins
Serves
4
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Kitchen roadmap

Before you cook

The details that make or break this dish, mapped to the exact step where they matter.

  1. Make sureBuild a complete double coat
  2. Food safetyKeep the oil steady
  3. Food safetyHot oil needs a heatproof bowl

Ingredients

  • Hot coating
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Method

8 steps

  1. Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk and one teaspoon AL Mix for 2–8 hours.

  2. Mix both flours with the second teaspoon of AL Mix.

  3. Coat the chicken firmly, dip it lightly back into the buttermilk and coat again.

    Chicken pieces with a thick craggy double flour coating resting on a wire rack before frying

  4. Fry at 170–175°C for 6–8 minutes, depending on thickness.

    Two breaded chicken pieces frying without crowding beside a clipped deep-fry thermometer

  5. Check that it reaches 75°C internally.

  6. Carefully mix 80ml of the hot frying oil with the cayenne, paprika, sugar and ¼ teaspoon AL Mix.

  7. Brush this over the fried chicken while it is still hot.

  8. Serve with white bread, pickles and a cooling coleslaw.

If it does not come out right

The faults this dish actually has. Open one for the fix.

Why is my curry gritty or grainy?

Curry is gritty because the ground spices were never hydrated or cooked in fat, so the particles stay suspended rather than dissolving – spices ground too coarsely, or a masala tipped into an already-boiling sauce, both leave the same sandy texture.

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Why is my curry bitter?

Curry turns bitter for four reasons, in the order they usually happen: burnt garlic, over-toasted ground spices, too much fenugreek – seed or kasuri methi – and too much turmeric, or turmeric fried for too long.

Read the full answer

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Make it with the Authentic Lahori mix

One blend for karahi, curries, marinades, chips and everyday cooking.

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