Chef notes
This spin on Nashville Hot Chicken delivers all the heat and flavor of the iconic spicy fried chicken, but with none of the hassle. Instead of standing over a pot of hot oil in your kitchen, head outside — with a cold drink in hand — and let the grill do the work for you.
The steps are simple: Brine the chicken in buttermilk and hot sauce to tenderize and flavor the meat. (I like using boneless, skinless thighs because they brine quickly and are easy to grill without drying out.) Grill the thighs until they’re charred and smoke-kissed. In the final minutes, brush them with a rich, buttery sauce that gives the chicken its characteristic fiery color and heat. Off the grill, slather them with more sauce. From there, serve with pickle chips (a must for Nashville-style Hot Chicken) and your favorite summer sides and salads.
Notably, it’s a dish that’s easy to scale up for a crowd. And you can easily customize the amount of cayenne in the sauce — from barely spicy to inferno! — and serve bottled hot sauce on the side so that your guests can control the heat.
If anyone at your table is sensitive to spice, simply omit the glaze from a portion of the grilled chicken. (This is what I do for my own kids.) The buttermilk-hot sauce brined chicken is mild and delicious on its own.
Prep Tip: To keep all the cooking outside on a hot day, make the glaze in a small saucepan set directly on the grill grates.
Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1/3 cup hot sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- dill pickle chips, for serving
- 8 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1-4 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt, to taste
Preparation
1.In a bowl or plastic zip-top bag, combine chicken, buttermilk, hot sauce, sugar and kosher salt, turning to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
2.Prepare a charcoal or gas grill and heat to medium-high. Brush your grates clean, then lightly oil them.
3.While the grill heats, prepare the sauce: Heat the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. When it is mostly melted, add the remaining sauce ingredients. Whisk to combine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. Set the sauce aside until ready to use; you may need to whisk or rewarm before using if it starts to separate.
4.Remove chicken from the buttermilk (discarding any that’s left in the bowl). Grill until golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reaches 160 to 165 F. In the final minutes of cooking, generously glaze the chicken with sauce on both sides. Transfer to a serving platter, and immediately brush with more sauce. Rest for about 10 minutes, then serve with pickles and extra hot sauce on the side, if desired.
