Fireworks displays are a national tradition on July 4th; The Music City Hot Chicken Festival is now a Nashville tradition, launched in 2007 and — a happy thing for Nashvillian food lovers — still going strong.
This year’s fest is again held at East Park in East Nashville, kicking off at 11 a.m. with a fire truck parade and a collection of the city’s finest hot chicken producers (including East Nashville’s own Pepperfire, newer hot-chicken star Hattie B’s and the original, Prince’s) sharing samples. Those samples go to the first 500 people in line, and the crowd reaches that number quickly, so if you want in, best to get there early.
There’s also an amateur cooking competition and loads of other vendors (like Pied Piper Creamery and Yazoo Brewery, to cool you down after lunch). The fest is free, and wraps up at 3 p.m. so you can head off to something involving fireworks.
Given the Hot Chicken Festival — and the fact that National Fried Chicken Day is Monday, July 6 — it seemed like a good time to do a little hot chicken research and maybe learn how to make it at home.
If you’ve ever had an urge to try your hand at hot chicken, here’s some inspiration — five recipes that should get you on the right track.
5 Nashville-style Hot Chicken Recipes
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken recipe from the Food Network
Don’t feel up to waiting in that (much deserved) line in Midtown? Try approximating Hattie B’s awesomeness at home — just bear in mind, you’ll need to get at this the day before, and a craving for hot chicken often just launches at full intensity.
Nashville Hot Chicken recipe from Saveur
The Hattie B’s recipe is a dry brine; this one’s a wet brine. You’re also working with butter rather than lard. Which is the best approach? Only one way to find out…
Peaches HotHouse Extra Hot Fried Chicken recipe from The New York Times
OK, before you roll your eyes at a hot chicken recipe from New York (specifically, adapted from Peaches HotHouse in Brooklyn), there’s an interesting twist that might be worth a try for you super-super-hot chicken lovers. Specifically, the use of ghost peppers, i.e. the hottest chile on earth.
Nashville Hot Chicken recipe from Good Housekeeping
So celeb chef Carla Hall — who was born and raised in Nashville, and is apparently working on opening a hot chicken place in New York — told the Good Housekeeping folks they had to try hot chicken. So they sampled Prince’s, Bolton’s and Hattie B’s, and used that research to develop their own recipe.
Carla Hall’s Hot Chicken recipe
Speaking of Carla Hall, she shared her own recipe for her hometown’s favorite food, too, in her 2014 book Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World. She was generous enough to also share that recipe (and a how-to video) on the Kickstarter page for her in-the-works restaurant. Fittingly enough, it sure looks legit.
Let us know if you try any of these out — and see you at the Hot Chicken Festival!
Photos: hot-chicken.com; FoodNetwork.com; Saveur.com; NYTimes.com; CarlaHall.com; MyNameIsNotMatt.com