Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Oh boy. Fried mozzarella sticks. Another food that I cannot be trusted with. I have no self control around them. Someone has to be the adult, and it’s not me. Ooey gooey cheese sticks covered in bread crumbs, cheese and a little seasoning. All ready to be dunked into some warmed marinara sauce right before the journey into my mouth.

Fried Mozzarella Sticks

As difficult as it is to do, you’ll need to wait a minute or two to let these fried mozzarella sticks cool before devouring them. I try to think about something else, like yard work, to distract me during the painful waiting period.

I use my Fry Daddy fryer for most of my frying ‘tasks’.

Also try my Italian breadsticks and my mozzarella pepper sticks.

Fried Mozzarella Sticks
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5 from 1 vote

Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Oh boy. Fried mozzarella sticks. Another food that I cannot be trusted with. I have no self control around them.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword cheese, deep-fried
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 16 sticks
Calories 569kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the flour into a pie pan.
  • In a separate pie pan beat the eggs with the milk.
  • In a third pie pan combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic salt and seasoning salt.
  • Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
  • Dredge the cheese sticks in the flour, followed by the egg wash and lastly the breadcrumbs.
  • Place cheese sticks into the egg wash and then the breadcrumbs on more time then transfer to the baking sheet.
  • Freeze for 1 hour to overnight (longer is better).
  • Heat oil to 350 F.
  • Working in batches, fry the cheese stocks for 30 seconds-1 minute per side until golden brown then flip and fry another 30 seconds-1 minute.
  • Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
  • Serve with warmed marinara sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 49g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 67IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

I must have had a bad fried green tomato experience as a child because I have not eaten them in years and years. My wife and I were in the produce section at the store and saw some really nice looking green tomatoes. My wife loves fried green tomatoes. So I grabbed a few to make fried green tomatoes with spicy Ranch dipping sauce.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

We headed home with the tomatoes. And I have to say, any bad memories I have of fried green tomatoes are now long gone. They were fantastic. Crunchy and tasty, and with a nice lightly spicy sauce for dipping.

I used Panko breadcrumbs for an extra crunchy coating on these fried green tomatoes with spicy Ranch dipping sauce. If you like yours a little less crunchy, just substitute regular bread crumbs. For extra kick, mix a little cayenne (or my favorites, smoked paprika or chipotle powder) into the bread crumbs first.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

Also try my jalapeno bottle caps.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce
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4 from 1 vote

Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

I have to say, any bad memories I have of fried green tomatoes are now long gone. These were fantastic. Crunchy and tasty, and with a nice lightly spicy sauce for dipping.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword deep-fried, tomato
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 7
Calories 248kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

For the Fried Green Tomatoes

For the Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

Instructions

For the Fried Green Tomatoes

  • Heat a few inches of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
  • Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper.
  • In 3 separate shallow bowls place the flour, the buttermilk and Panko.
  • Working in batches, dip the tomatoes in the flour, covering on all sides. Shake off the excess flour.
  • Next, submerse the tomatoes in the buttermilk.
  • Finally, coat the tomatoes in the bread crumbs.
  • Fry 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

For the Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

  • Combine the ingredients.

Nutrition

Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken using the Vortex

This. Right. Here. Absolutely divine ‘fried’ chicken, hot off my charcoal grill. Yes, grill. Before I got a Vortex, I had no idea that not only could I make fried chicken on a grill, I could make it with almost no effort at all. No deep fryer, no mess.

This spicy buttermilk fried chicken using the Vortex is beyond tender and juicy. It has a wonderful spicy kick to it, but it’s not overwhelming. And the skin? Oh, crunchy and delicious. Perfection without the oil.

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken using the Vortex

There’s absolutely nothing I would change about this recipe for spicy buttermilk fried chicken using the Vortex. I enjoyed every single bite immensely. I think it’s the perfect fried chicken, and considering that I made it on my Weber grill without deep frying it, I just could not possibly be happier with it.

To make sure the skin crisps up good and that the chicken pieces cook evenly, do not over-crowd them on your grill. Also, I do not flip my chicken as it cooks. I put it on, close the lid, and don’t mess with the chicken for 45 minutes. Just let it do it’s thing.

I also make a crazy good spicy BBQ chicken using the Vortex. And Granny’s Secret fried chicken and my Korean fried chicken are amazing too!

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken using the Vortex
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5 from 1 vote

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken using the Vortex

This. Right. Here. Absolutely divine ‘fried’ chicken, hot off my charcoal grill. Yes, grill.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword fried chicken, Vortex
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 12 hours 45 minutes
Servings 10 pieces
Calories 565kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the buttermilk marinade

For the seasoning mix

For the chicken coating

For the egg wash

For cooking

Instructions

  • Combine the buttermilk marinade ingredients (except for the chicken) in a large resealable container.
  • Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
  • Combine all of the seasoning mix ingredients. Divide into two equally-sized batches.
  • Fire up your charcoal grill with the Vortex in the center. Make sure the lid and bottom air vents are open.
  • Whisk together the coating ingredients and place into a large resealable bag.
  • Whisk together the egg wash ingredients and place into a pie pan or large bowl.
  • Working in batches, remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off the excess.
  • Sprinkle with one half of the seasoning mix.
  • Transfer to the egg wash and coat well.
  • Shake off the excess and add to the baggie. Seal and shake to coat.
  • Arrange chicken around the edges of your grill (once the coals are hot and ashed over). Cover and cook for 45 minutes, rotating the lid every 15 minutes.
  • The last 5 minutes of cooking lightly brush the tops of the chicken with the oil to help crisp the skin even more.
  • Once chicken is done (165 F as measured in several places), remove and let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

To cook 10-12 pieces of chicken at once you’ll need at least a 22″ charcoal grill

Nutrition

Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 4690mg | Potassium: 721mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1313IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 371mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Pineapple Donuts

Wow. My mind was telling me “Hey, look! A donut!”. But my taste buds were telling me “Those aren’t donuts! Those look really different and cool!”. Pineapple donuts! Woo hoo!

Pineapple rings coated in a simple batter that cooks up golden brown delicious (GBD), reminiscent of ‘normal’ donuts, are fantastic. Drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkled with confectioners sugar, they are sweet with a crazy pineapple twist.

Pineapple Donuts

These little slices of heaven make for an outstandingly good dessert.

I bought this really cool pineapple corer from Amazon the other day that I’ve been just waiting to use so I picked up a pineapple on sale, got the corer out of the box, and in about a minute I had perfect fresh pineapple rings for these pineapple donuts.

The corer can also be used to make a pineapple ‘bowl’, great for serving things like fried rice and grilled shrimp with pineapple. It’s a fun little gadget.

Also try my glazed baked mini-donuts.

Pineapple Donuts
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4 from 2 votes

Pineapple Donuts

My mind was telling me that I was about to devour donuts. But my taste buds told me that, hey, these aren't donuts!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword deep-fried, pineapple
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 143kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 365 F.
  • Whisk together the Bisquick, egg and milk.
  • Dip pineapple rings into the batter and coat completely.
  • Fry the rings until golden brown, turning once.
  • Serve immediately sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Fried Smoked Wings

Visit my other site, For The Wing, for all things chicken-wing!

Wonderfully smoky, tender meat with a lightly crispy skin, these smoked and then fried chicken wings were a thing of beauty. These are one of most dangerous things you could ever put in front of me. I don’t even need any sauce to toss or dunk them in, either. Just give me a big basket of them and get out of the way!

Fried Smoked Wings

Smoke ’em

The process is simple. Season your wings, and place them onto your smoker. No messing around with them either. Just smoke for 2 hours.

Fried Smoked Wings

Fry ’em

When the wings are done you toss them into a deep fryer for a minute or so, until golden brown and lightly crispy. You can also make a big huge batch and freeze the smoked wings (before frying). All you have to do is thaw them and deep fry them when you’re ready to serve them at a later time. I was worried that making them from the frozen smoked wings would result in over-cooked, tough wings, but oh no, they were fantastic!

Fried Smoked Wings

Grill ’em (optional)

There’s a brewpub by our house that makes crazy-good chicken wings. They smoke them first over a mix of mesquite and cherry woods, then flash fry them. They sauce them then place them over a hot flame to finish them off. My approach is similar, but I don’t always put them onto the grill at the end. They are fantastic either way, but grilling them real quick does help set the sauce.

For smoked wings that seem like they were fried, but weren’t, try my almost-fried smoked wings. Same great crunch and flavor without the oil.

I absolutely love chicken wings, cooked any way, with any sauce (or without). I love them so much that I created a free eCookbook that is full of my favorite wing recipes.

Fried Smoked Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Fried Smoked Wings

Wonderfully smoky, tender meat with a lightly crispy skin, these smoked and then fried chicken wings were a thing of beauty. 
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword deep-fried, smoked, wings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 2 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 12 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 272kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for 225 F. Use any wood you like. I used Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrel chunks because I wanted a good, noticeable smoke flavor. Use a lighter wood if you want your wings to be a little less smoky.
  • Toss the wings in the seasoning.
  • Place the wings onto the smoker and smoke for 2 hours. No need to rotate or flip them.
  • When done, remove from the smoker. You can deep fry them immediately or freeze them for thawing and frying later.
  • To fry, heat canola oil to 350 F.
  • Working in batches, add the wings and fry for 1-2 minutes or until they are the desired color.
  • Let cool slightly. Serve tossed with your favorite sauce and your favorite dipping sauce on the side.
  • Optional: Toss the wings onto a hot grill for 1 minute after saucing them to set the sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal | Protein: 22g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 191mg | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

‘Fried’ Chicken using the Vortex

This is the first time I tried making ‘fried’ chicken using the Vortex insert on my Weber charcoal grill. I use my Vortex a lot for making chicken wings, which are always fantastic, but I wasn’t sure how mimicking that great fried flavor would come out.

My worries were completely unfounded since the chicken came out absolutely fantastic. I swore I was eating chicken right out of a deep-fryer. Great Southern-inspired coating, tender meat and yes, very, very crunchy skin.

Fried Chicken using the Vortex


Since this was my first time I didn’t want to over-crowd my Performer with chicken. But now that I’ve got the process down, I could’ve easily added a few more pieces. And you don’t have to just use split bone-in chicken breasts like I did. Wings, legs, thighs… you name it, all will come out great ‘fried’ using the Vortex. Just don’t let the pieces overlap, because wherever they touch, they won’t get crispy.

See my full Vortex ‘menu’ by clicking here!

Fried Chicken using the Vortex

Making ‘fried’ chicken (some folks call it KFC – Kettle-Fried Chicken) really can’t get any easier. Also, check out my Nashville hot chicken recipe and my crispy fried chicken on the Vortex.

And nothing beats my fried chicken with gravy, also using the Vortex!

Fried Chicken using the Vortex
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5 from 1 vote

‘Fried’ Chicken using the Vortex

I swore I was eating chicken right out of a deep-fryer. Great Southern-inspired coating, tender meat and yes, very, very crunchy skin.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword fried chicken, Vortex
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings
Calories 437kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fire up your Kettle grill with the Vortex loaded with charcoal. Don’t start cooking until the coals are all lit and starting to ash over.
  • Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
  • Mix the remaining ingredients in a large baggie.
  • Lightly brush the chicken with vegetable oil.
  • Working in batches, place chicken pieces in the bag. Seal and shake. Shake off excess.
  • Transfer chicken to the grill along the edges, skin-side up.
  • Cover and cook for 40 minutes, turning the lid 90 degrees every 15 minutes.
  • Lightly brush the chicken with more vegetable oil. Use caution as the grill will be hot. Note: If you are using pieces other than split chicken breasts, you’ll want to rotate the pieces at this time.
  • Cover and cook another 5 minutes or until the chicken hits 160 F.
  • Remove and let rest and come to 165 F before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 2863mg | Potassium: 929mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Deep-Fried Chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas just won’t stay crunchy for long. As they cool they get soft and mushy. Ewwwww! The only way to get really crunchy, really great chickpeas is to deep-fry them. Then hit them with your favorite seasonings. Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper are perfect. You don’t have to go crazy with them, you can keep them simple. Then devour.

Deep-Fried Chickpeas

I suggest you double the recipe when making these deep-fried chickpeas as you’ll eat half of them while you are finishing cooking the other half. They’ll stay crunchy longer than roasted peas, but they will get softer as time goes on. You won’t have to worry about that because they won’t last that long.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

Also try my Kale chips.

Deep-Fried Chickpeas
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5 from 1 vote

Deep-Fried Chickpeas

The only way to get really crunchy, really great chickpeas is to deep-fry them. Then hit them with your favorite seasonings. 
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword chickpeas, deep-fried
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 1kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Empty can into a sieve. Rinse and drain well.
  • Dump beans out onto a kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towels. Pat beans dry. Be thorough – they need to be as dry as possible.
  • Heat 1/2″ of oil in a Dutch oven to 325 F.
  • Working in batches, SLOWLY add the beans to the hot oil. The beans will most likely splatter, specially if they aren’t very dry, so keep your face and hands back as you add them to the hot oil.
  • Fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with seasoning while they are still hot.
  • Serve hot or cooled.

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Bayou Fried Shrimp

These Bayou fried shrimp are absolutely incredible. I’m quite sure that they are the best shrimp I’ve ever made or had. The coating is nice and light, with just a bit of crunch, and a bit of a spicy kick. The shrimp are tender, moist, and cooked perfectly. They are the perfect appetizer, but would be even more insanely good on a shrimp po boy sandwich.

Bayou Fried Shrimp


The marinade and coating mixture I used on this Bayou fried shrimp would also be fantastic on other fried seafood, from oysters to any kind of fish. It’s really great stuff, adding flavor to just about anything.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

Also try my copycat of Applebee’s Sriracha shrimp, coconut fried shrimp, southern fried shrimp, and my copycat of Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang shrimp. Did I mention how much I love fried shrimp? Oh yeah, my kickin’ fried shrimp are fantastic too!

Bayou Fried Shrimp
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5 from 1 vote

Bayou Fried Shrimp

These Bayou fried shrimp are absolutely incredible. I’m quite sure they are the best shrimp I’ve ever made or had. The coating is nice and light, with just a bit of crunch, and a bit of a spicy kick. The shrimp are tender, moist, and cooked perfectly. 
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword Cajun, deep-fried, shrimp
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 222kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place shrimp into a resealable container or baggie.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the buttermilk, egg, mustard and 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning.
  • Pour mixture in with the shrimp, seal, and shake gently to coat.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Whisk together the fish fry mix and remaining Creole seasoning.
  • Heat 3″ of oil in a Dutch oven to 325 F.
  • Working in batches, remove shrimp from container. Shake off excess marinade then transfer to the fry mix. Roll and coat. Shake off an excess coating and place in hot oil.
  • Fry shrimp 1 1/2 minutes per side then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.
  • Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or on a po boy.

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 306mg | Sodium: 944mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 228IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Southern Fried Shrimp

These southern fried shrimp are darned good shrimp. I love shrimp, cooked any way you can imagine. Fried or boiled are my favorites. One of my favorite ways to devour shrimp is on a po boy sandwich. Tender with just a bit of coating and plenty of spicy flavor, I cannot stop devouring them shrimp after shrimp. I was already a borderline shrimp addict before these came along.

Southern Fried Shrimp

If you can’t find Tony Cachere’s fish fry in your grocery store you can use other fish fry mixes or just substitute all-purpose flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. You want the good stuff for these southern fried shrimp.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

Also try my copycat of Applebee’s Sriracha shrimp, Bayou fried shrimp, coconut fried shrimp and my copycat of Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang shrimp. Did I mention how much I love fried shrimp?

Southern Fried Shrimp
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5 from 1 vote

Southern Fried Shrimp

These southern fried shrimp are darned good shrimp. I love shrimp, cooked any way you can imagine.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword crispy, deep-fried, shirmp, southern
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 3 pounds
Calories 563kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place shrimp into a resealable container or baggie.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the buttermilk and mustard.
  • Pour mixture in with the shrimp, seal, and shake gently to coat.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Whisk together the fish fry mix and cayenne.
  • Heat 3″ of oil in a Dutch oven to 325 F.
  • Working in batches, remove shrimp from container. Shake off excess marinade then transfer to the fry mix. Roll and coat. Shake off an excess coating and place in hot oil.
  • Fry shrimp 1 1/2 minutes per side then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.
  • Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or on a po boy.

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 98g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 1161mg | Sodium: 3750mg | Potassium: 613mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 822IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 847mg | Iron: 10mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Nashville Hot Chicken

There’s good and then there’s great. Nothing beats Nashville hot chicken when it comes to great fried chicken. The best, light, crunchy coating that you can imagine. Tender, moist chicken. And of course, heat. Plenty of heat. I could make and eat Nashville hot chicken any day of the week.

Nashville Hot Chicken

Because I prefer chicken wings over say, split chicken breasts, I used wings for this dish. They were crazy good. No need for blue cheese or ranch dipping sauce, either. Just pick them up and get to eating.

I don’t recommend being too shy with the spicy coating that you brush on the chicken just before serving. It’s hot, trust me, but I didn’t find it to be so hot that I couldn’t stand it. But don’t get me wrong, your eyes will water. At the minimum.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

You’ll find that the coating is so good you’ll want to use it for other things, like chicken nuggets or fingers.

Also try my Nashville hot pickles.

Nashville Hot Chicken
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5 from 1 vote

Nashville Hot Chicken

There’s good and then there’s great. Nothing beats Nashville hot chicken when it comes to great fried chicken. The best, light, crunchy coating that you can imagine. Tender, moist chicken. And of course, heat. Plenty of heat. I could make and eat Nashville hot chicken any day of the week.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken, deep-fried, spicy
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 12 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 532kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

For the dry brine

For the dip

For the dredge

For frying

For the spicy coating

For serving

Instructions

For the dry brine

  • Season chicken and place into a baggie or resealable container.
  • Seal and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

For the dip

  • Whisk together the milk, eggs and hot sauce in a pie pan or shallow bowl.

For the dredge

  • Whisk together the flour and salt in a pie pan or shallow bowl.

For frying

  • Heat a few inches of oil (enough to cover the chicken) in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 325 F.
  • Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the flour. Shake off excess.
  • Dip chicken into the milk mixture. Shake off the excess.
  • Return the chicken to the flour and dredge again. Shake off excess.
  • Transfer chicken to the hot oil and fry until done (165 F internal temperature), flipping occasionally, 10-15 minutes.
  • Place on a rack to cool and drain. (I kept my chicken in a hot warming drawer while I finished cooking the rest of the chicken.)

For the spicy coating

  • When you’re done frying the chicken, ladle 1/2 cup of the hot oil into a small sauce pan and whisk in the spicy coating ingredients.
  • Brush mixture over the chicken. The more you brush on, the hotter it’ll be.

For serving

  • Serve garnished with Dill pickle and white bread slices, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 3593mg | Potassium: 532mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 958IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional values are approximate.