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Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken

If I’m having fried chicken at a dinner party, I’m typically on Instagram or Twitter while shoving bits of the super hot bird into my mouth, because sometimes the experience gets so hot that your shirt isn’t helping.

Of course, this doesn’t mean I don’t love sweet potato fries (a reminder I didn’t have training as a professional chef) or other fried foods that don’t have to be stuffed — especially when they’re as good as this.

This Nashville-style dish comes from my best friend Veronica Fuentes. It’s crispy, slightly sweet, and as porky as that sounds.

We tried it for the first time this weekend at a dinner party. It was a guest favorite. You won’t be able to hold this down. Try a tortilla, crockpot, serving bowl, or any container you have handy to make sure the chicken is fully cooked. In the demo above, I don’t eat the chicken, but did swirl the sauces on the side.

We experimented with chicken broth (from corn or chicken thighs, which are easy to find), as well as a Spicy Nashville Hot sauce.

Ingredients

:

  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sage, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons powdered Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1 (10.25-ounce) can chicken broth
  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch pieces

    Directions:

    1. Add brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, thyme, ginger, sage, and mustard to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar is lightly melted.
    1. Stir in the fish sauce and rice vinegar. Slowly pour in the chicken broth until you’ve got chicken in the bottom of the skillet. The ratio is about 1 cup and 4 to 6 chicken pieces, or about 5 tablespoons chicken broth for every chicken piece you use. The number of pieces depends on the size of the bird.
    1. Cook chicken until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Check them occasionally and adjust the seasoning as needed.