As longtime Nashvillians and therefore devoted fans of our city’s official food, Hot Chicken, we’ve come to look forward to the Nashville Scene’s annual Hot Chicken Week — an opportunity to grab regular/special hot chicken dishes at restaurants all across the city, all for $5, dinner and lunch.
The 2018 event just kicked off, and runs today, January 22, through Sunday, Jan. 28. Over the course of the week, you can go full-on with Hot Chicken Week, testing out $5 hot chicken dishes at all 20-something participating restaurants, snapping food photos to enter the photo contest, voting for your favorites on the Hot Chicken Week website and getting your name in the running for an array of prizes.
You can also just scorch your tastebuds a few times on interesting/unusual hot chicken options that you might not otherwise seek out.
This year, we’re probably going with the latter — it’s a busy week, so we might only make a lunch or three and a dinner or two. If you’re feeling like you’re on our team’s level, here are the 2018 Hot Chicken Week dishes we’re determined to try, below.
Extra side note: Another option, of course — especially if you don’t really have an iron stomach — is just to make a single Hot Chicken Week stop. As always, if you’re picking one, there’s only one to pick: Prince’s Hot Chicken, the original. (All week at their South Nashville location, 5814 Nolensville Road, they’ll have a $5 salad with hot chicken tenders.)
Unique 2018 Hot Chicken Week picks
Nomzilla’s Hot Chicken Bao Buns
At this East Nashville sushi/Asian restaurant (1000 Gallatin Ave.), you can grab two steamed bao buns filled with their “Nomferno” hot fried chicken, pickled shallots, greens and Japanese kewpie mayo.
Subculture Urban Cuisine and Cafe’s Hot Chicken Waffle Cone
Plenty of this year’s participating restaurants are delivering a chicken ’n’ waffles dish — it’s kind of obvious, and necessary. But Subculture cafe in South Nashville (5737 Nolensville Pike) is the only place twisting that concept into a nod to a scoop shop, i.e. a Hot Chicken Waffle Cone (cone’s house-made, naturally, and it’s topped with Asian slaw).
Taco Mamacita Hot Chicken Taco Royale-Style
A hot chicken taco is another smart, now-standard mash-up, and Taco Mamacita in Edgehill (1200 Villa Place) does it one better, stuffing queso between double-stacked soft flour and hard corn tortillas, then piling in hot chicken with honey hot sauce, spicy slaw, bread and butter pickles and cilantro.
Soy Bistro’s Hot Chicken Tostada
Down in Brentwood (5008 Maryland Way), Soy Bistro is putting an Asian/Mexican fusion spin on hot chicken: pan-seared Korean hot chicken with pickled red cabbage and carrot slaw, crisp corn chips drizzled with honey and topped with fresh jalapeños and creamy wasabi.
Slow Burn Hot Chicken’s Stuffed Hot Chicken Loaded Potato
Among the Nashville area’s restaurants with “hot chicken” in the name, Slow Burn in Madison (495B Myatt Drive) tends to be among the more creative — don’t be surprised if, say, a donut or an egg roll gets involved. Among their crafty twists on the form: a baked potato loaded with the spicy stuff, available this week.
Opry Backstage Grill’s Hot Chicken Poutine
Poutine — fries with cheese curds and gravy — is among Canada’s greatest gifts to the world. A round of applause to Opry Backstage Grill (2401 Music Valley Drive) for taking that genius even further, with Hot Chicken Poutine, made with fresh french fries, cheddar cheese curds, hot chicken and spicy white gravy.
Learn more/vote/explore other options at the Hot Chicken Week website.
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