Nashville Hot Chicken using the Vortex

I recently made ‘fried’ chicken on my Weber Performer grill using the Vortex insert. The chicken came out fantastic, which inspired me to then try making Nashville hot chicken also using the Vortex. Wow, oh wow, was it absolutely great chicken. Lightly crunchy, and a little spicy, it was a dish to remember. This method is definitely a great substitute for the traditional way of making Nashville hot chicken in a deep fryer.

You can adjust the heat of the chicken by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper. For me, this chicken is a great opportunity to get it as hot as I can get it. I dunno why, but my brain tells me ‘Nashville Hot’ means darned hot. Crazy hot.

Nashville Hot Chicken using the Vortex

Cooking Time Variations

I used split bone-in chicken breasts when I made this Nashville hot chicken using the Vortex. It’s our preferred cut of chicken, but you can use any cut you like. Just keep in mind that if you mix pieces that are greatly different in size some may be done before others. Smaller pieces can be checked for doneness after the 45 minutes cooking time.

Nashville Hot Chicken using the Vortex

What’s The Trick?

Well, there isn’t one. Fried chicken on the Vortex isn’t smoke and mirrors and magic and what-not. I mean it’s really really easy. You can prepare the chicken any way you want. Any traditional (or non-traditional) fried chicken recipe will work just fine. And it really is just as easy as battering up the chicken and putting it on the crazy-hot grill. Then you go away for 45 minutes, though the time might vary depending on how large your chicken cuts are, wind, temperatures, solar activity, etc. You come back to perfectly cooked chicken that you’ll swear was deep-fried in oil.

Vortex Small (in) Direct Cooking Charcoal Grill…
  • ✅ 【SMALL SIZE】 4 methods of cooking…
  • ✅ 【STAINLESS STEEL】 Long Lasting Stainless…

Also check out my recipe for making ‘fried’ chicken using the Vortex. For a more southern twist, try my Buzznbeez southern fried chicken. My Cajun injected chicken, also cooked up perfectly using the Vortex, is another big hit!

Nashville Hot Chicken using the Vortex

Nashville Hot Chicken using the Vortex

Mike
Wow, oh wow, was this ever absolutely great chicken. Lightly crunchy, and a little spicy, it was a dish to remember.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 day 1 hour
Course Main
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 905 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the dry brine

For the dip

  • 1 cup milk I used buttermilk Note: If you have pickle juice on hand, use 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup pickle juice instead
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce

For the dredge

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 cooking

  • Fire up your grill with the Vortex insert full of charcoal.
  • Let the coals get good and ashed over.
  • Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the flour. Shake off excess.
  • Dip chicken into the milk mixture. Shake off excess.
  • Return the chicken to the flour and dredge again. Shake off excess.
  • Transfer chicken to the grill, placing it along the edges of the grill.
  • Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Rotate the lid 90 degrees and cook another 15 minutes.
  • Brush the chicken with the spicy coating. Rotate the lid 90 degrees and cook another 15 minutes
  • Brush the chicken with the spicy coating. Rotate the lid 90 degrees and cook another 15 minutes
  • Check for doneness. Remove when done and let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

For the spicy coating

  • Heat the oil in a small saute pan.
  • Whisk in the remaining ingredients.
  • Keep warm until ready to use.

For serving

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

Notes

You can also serve the sauce on the side for dipping!

Nutrition

Calories: 905kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 42gFat: 57gSaturated Fat: 31gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 222mgSodium: 3172mgPotassium: 541mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1011IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 5mg
Keyword fried chicken, spicy, Vortex
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Genuine Medium BBQ Vortex Gift Pack for wsm Kettle…
  • ULTIMATE GIFT PACK Medium size BBQ Vortex…
  • VORTEX Brand Rub is great for Perfect crispy wings…

Nashville Hot Pickles

Ever since I made a crazy good batch of Nashville Hot Chicken I’ve been jonesin’ for that same great hot crunchy experience on other foods. Like fried pickles. Making these Nashville Hot Pickles was easy, and boy are they packed with a nice kick! I didn’t go the mild route with these, that’s for sure. And to make sure I kept the burn going I served the pickles with a habanero ranch sauce for dipping. If you like spicy, then you’ve come to the right place!

Nashville Hot Pickles

Crunchy And Spicy Perfection

You’re going to see other great dishes like this one for Nashville Hot Pickles here on Life’s A Tomato. I love that great crunchy breading and that fiery hot seasoning. Next up? I’m thinking chicken fingers! Or maybe nuggets! And maybe even chicken wings.

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.

I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.

Amazon Basics 3.2-Qt (3.0L) Electric Deep Fryer…
  • FAST-HEATING & FAMILY-SIZE: This powerful…
  • ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURE & VERSATILE COOKING: With…

Also try my jalapeno bottle caps and my copycat of Hooter’s fried pickles.

Nashville Hot Pickles

Mike
Making these Nashville Hot Pickles was easy, and boy are they packed with a nice kick! I didn’t go the mild route with these, that’s for sure.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 91 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the dip

  • 1 cup milk or buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce

For the dredge

For frying

For the spicy coating

For serving

Instructions
 

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 in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 325 F.
  • Working in batches, dredge the pickles in the flour. Shake off excess.
  • Dip pickles into the milk mixture. Shake off the excess.
  • Return the pickles to the flour and dredge again. Shake off excess.
  • Transfer pickles to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
  • Place on a rack to cool and drain.

For the spicy coating

  • When you’re done frying the pickles, ladle 1/3 cup of the hot oil into a small sauce pan and whisk in the spicy coating ingredients.
  • Brush mixture over the pickles. The more you brush on, the hotter it’ll be.

Notes

You can also serve the coating on the side, for dipping!

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 578mgPotassium: 115mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 357IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
Keyword deep-fried, pickles, spicy
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Amazon Basics 3.2-Qt (3.0L) Electric Deep Fryer…
  • FAST-HEATING & FAMILY-SIZE: This powerful…
  • ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURE & VERSATILE COOKING: With…