Six Twists on Nashville Hot Chicken

The Princess, Biscuit Love Truck

For those who love both a fresh-baked biscuit and hot chicken—in other words, everyone—The Princess reigns supreme. In their sweet and sassy ode to Prince’s slices, Sarah and Karl Worley open a steaming, jumbo biscuit; spread grainy mustard, a generous drizzle of local honey, and homemade pickles over a plump boneless fried thigh; wrap it snugly in sandwich paper; and pass it through the window of their royal blue Airstream with a smile. Check biscuitlovetruck.com for schedule

Hot Chicken Grits, Bacon & Caviar BBQ

When the Music City Hot Chicken Festival asked Bacon & Caviar BBQ to be the fest’s exclusive barbecue vendor, owners Paul Johnson and Ed Smith readily agreed to bring on the pork. But they also wanted to show their hot chicken love. Already known for their daily grits special, they came up with Hot Chicken Grits, which starts with their garlic cheese grits and builds to a slow burn. It was such a hit that they added it to the weekly rotation in their two stores. 2617 Franklin Pk., Ste. 112, 615-457-3473; baconandcaviar.com

Hot Chicken Pizza, Bella Nashville

Since opening their artisan Neapolitan pizzeria in a corner of the Nashville Farmers’ Market two years ago, Emma Berkey and Dave Cuomo have topped their nine-inch rounds of housemade dough, sauce, and mozzarella with locally produced meats and fresh vegetables grown by the farmers in the outdoor shed. Each pizza has its following, but when the hot chicken pizza with honey-habanero chicken, a peck of peppers from Smiley’s, and queso fresco is on the specials board, social media blows up.
Nashville Farmers’ Market, 900 Rosa Parks Blvd., 615-457-3863; bellanashville.com

Acme Hot Chicken Sandwich, Acme Feed & Seed

When Tom Morales opened The Southern a couple years ago, he told executive chef Matt Farley to put “something hot chicken x93 on the menu; Farley obliged with a Hot Chicken Salad. Busy kitchens don’t lend themselves to salad eating, so during breaks the cooks put a slab of American cheese on the fried chicken breast, slathered it with green peppercorn aioli, added pickles, put it between two thick slices of buttered white bread, and slapped it on the grill. Fast forward to the opening of The Southern’s sister restaurant on Lower Broad, and that messy improv turned into Acme’s “something hot chicken. x93
101 Broadway, 615-915-0888; theacmenashville.com

Hot Chicken Buns, Otaku South

Sarah Gavigan describes her Hot Chicken Buns as an extension of her Otaku South vision—soul food of the South meets soul food of Japan. Soy-sake-marinated boneless thigh meat is tossed in potato starch, spiced, and prepared karaage (which makes a crackly crust), then tucked into a Chinese bao bun (steamed white bread) with kewpie mayonnaise and housemade dill pickles. 805 Gallatin Ave., Ste. 201; otakusouth.com

Roasted Nashville Hot Chicken, Bob’s Steak & Chop House

“Go ahead, scoff. x93 That was my response when someone sent me a screen shot of this menu item on Nashville’s newest upscale steak house. Because when I bellied up to the clubby bar in the elegant restaurant to taste-test the aberration, it was love at first bite. True, it’s not fried, but the russet color of the juicy frenched breast pleases even a skeptical eye, and chefs Toffer Jacob and Daniel Lipinski have mastered the complex layers of pepper flavors inherent to traditional hot chicken. This dish is so beautifully balanced that the side of hot dipping sauce was superfluous to this sophisticated spin.
The Omni Hotel, 250 5th Ave. S., 615-761-3707; bobs-steakandchop.com