Nashville Hot Chicken Strips

It’s winter here in Ohio, with our first lake-effect snow. I had a lovely morning by skidding into a telephone pole/wire so I figured I deserved all the treats for the rest of the day. I was craving something spicy and fried so I decided to take a shot at making my own Nashville hot chicken, with the help of Delish. The key here, like always, is to BRINE YOUR CHICKEN IN PICKLE JUICE. I am telling you it’s a game changer. I only made a single serving of this so obviously, double if you are making for more.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• Reserved Pickle Juice
• 1 Chicken breast, sliced into tenders
• 1 Cup Milk
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 TBSP Hot Sauce of your choosing
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 TSP Paprika
• 1 TSP Cayenne Pepper
• Salt + Pepper
• 4 Cups Vegetable Oil for frying

For Nashville Hot Sauce:

• 2 TBSP Cayenne Pepper
• 1 TBSP Brown Sugar
• 1 TBSP Paprika
• 1 TSP Garlic Powder [ I didn’t have so I used one clove of garlic]
• 1 TSP Chili Powder
• 1 TSP Salt

Let’s Get Cooking

Brine your chicken in pickle juice for about 2 hours. I keep my leftover empty pickle jars and put the chicken into the jar to brine.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and a metal rack.

In a shallow bowl whisk together milk + eggs + hot sauce. In another bowl combine flour + paprika + cayenne + salt + pepper. Pat the chicken dry & cut into slices. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then the flour once again and place on the wire wrack. Place in the fridge once all dredged for about 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the oil until it reads 350F. Scoop out 1/2 cup hot oil and add to a pot. Working in batches if needed, cook the chicken for about 6 minutes each side.

To make the Nashville hot sauce add the cayenne + brown sugar + paprika + garlic powder + chili powder + salt to the pot with the hot oil. Mix well to combine.

Once the chicken is cooked, brush the Nashville hot sauce over the chicken. Don’t forget to serve with pickles!

Made with Love,

Hannah