Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.
Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches are what happens when you combine the spicy Nashville Hot Chicken, brioche buns, and creamy coleslaw. And as a plus, the chicken’s baked so there’s no frying involved!
For this post, I teamed up with ALDI, where you should go for all your summer food needs. They have everything from fresh meats to BBQ and fresh organic produce for pies. It’s a one-stop shop for summer!
I’ve been wanting to make hot chicken, but in slider-form for a while now, so I figured what better time than now to unofficially kick off summer.
My favorite part about this recipe is that it doesn’t require a fryer or a big pot of oil. This is in the oven, baked, the whole time. I know we’re not fans of lots of oil so this one is pretty simple.
What is a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich?
Nashville Hot chicken sandwiches are a sandwich that utilizes boneless chicken covered in a spicy butter layered in between a bun and coleslaw. Think of a classic chicken sandwich and add a bunch of heat!
Obviously, just like the name they’re from Nashville, Tennessee. I was lucky enough to visit Prince’s Hot Chicken on a visit and was blown away by how delicious it was. (I went to Hattie B’s and it was tasty, too!)
How to Make a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich:
How to Make a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich:- Prep the dredge. Put all the breading components into their own dishes.
- Preheat the oven, and a baking sheet. Turn the oven on and brush a baking pan with oil. Place the pan in the oven to heat up while you prep the chicken.
- Dredge the chicken. Dip each piece of seasoned chicken into all the dishes of breading ingredients. First the flour, then the eggs, and finally the breadcrumbs.
- Bake the chicken. Place the breaded chicken on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Meanwhile, Make the hot chicken sauce. While the chicken bakes, melt down the butter, scooping the milk solids off the top as it melts so you end up with clarified butter. Add the cayenne with the brown sugar and remaining spices. Let the butter heat up until the salt has dissolved and the spices have infused it.
- Baste the chicken. After the chicken has cooked, baste each piece in the hot chicken sauce.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Place the chicken, slaw and pickled on each brioche bottom bun, top with the other half and put a skewer through.
Why Baking Fried Chicken is Better than Frying.
- Less oil and easier cleanup. That being said, I think this really only works for a recipe like this. Classic fried chicken needs to be fried but I like baking for sandwiches or chicken tenders. You’ll never get the same craggy fried chicken skin baking so if I’m making classic fried chicken with bone-in pieces I stick to the classic deep or pan fried method.
Tips and Tricks:
Tips and Tricks:- Make these as sliders like I’ve used them here or you can use larger pieces of chicken and make full sized sandwiches.
- The pickles and slaw are key, the brightness cuts through the spice and richness of the chicken. Make the slaw the day before if you’d like to save on time the day of.
Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
Chicken:Â
- 2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts , cut into 3-inch cubes (this doesn’t have to be cut perfectly)Â
- Kosher salt
- PepperÂ
Chicken Dredge:Â
- 1 cup all-purpose Flour
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
- Pinch freshly ground pepper
- 3Â large eggs
- 2Â tablespoons grapeseed oil , (or other types of neutral oil)
Hot Chicken Sauce:Â
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper, or more or less depending on your heat toleranceÂ
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For Assembly:Â
- 12 brioche dinner rolls
- Cole slaw, optional
- 12 sweet bread and butter pickles
- 12 skewersÂ
Instructions
Prep the Chicken:Â
- 1. Sprinkle the chicken with a few pinches of salt and pepper.Â
To Make the Chicken Dredge:Â
- Prep the chicken dredge by adding the flour to a wide-rimmed baking dish. To another dish, toss the bread crumbs with the salt and ground paprika. To a medium dish, beat the 3 large eggs together. This will give you a good assembly line.Â
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To a clean baking sheet, brush the surface with the oil and transfer to the oven. (The oil will get really hot while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.)Â
- Using tongs, dip chicken, piece by piece, first in the flour, then the egg and, lastly, the bread crumbs. Feel free to sprinkle the tops and the sides of the chicken with the bread crumbs. I found it easier to do it this way. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.Â
- Place the chicken on the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake on the first side for 15 minutes. Flip and cook on the opposite side for another 20 minutes.Â
- While the chicken is cooking, let’s make the hot sauce. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Skim the fat solids offthe top and discard. This will leave you with clarified butter. Add the cayenne pepper, sugar, garlic powder, paprika and salt. Warm until the sugar and salt are dissolved.Â
- When the chicken is done cooking, transfer the pieces to the brioche buns. I added about 1 to 2 pieces to each of the bottom of the buns.
- Brush the tops liberally with the spice/butter mixture. I found that what I really wanted was the paste that sits at the bottom; scoop that stuff out and brush that on. The more the better! Top with a bit of cole slaw, if desired, and add the other half of the brioche bun to the top. Add a bread and butter pickle to the top and poke a skewer through the center so it holds its shape! Serve immediately.  Â
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know on Instagram!
Looking for more sandwich recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Roasted Ancho Chile Cauliflower Sandwich
- Croque Madame
- Fried Green Tomato Grilled Cheese
- Best BLT Sandwich
- Grinder Sandwich
- Sabich
I make these sandwiches all the time. In fact, I am making them tonight for dinner as they are on regular rotation in our house. They are awesome little bites that are super easy to make and are basically fail proof. Finally, they reheat beautifully for leftover lunches. The only difference I make is that dill pickle slices top my sandwiches as I can’t stand bread and butter pickles. I also dip my chicken pieces in the butter mixture vs brushing. It is soaking in that yummy mixture. Thanks for such an awesome recipe.
Definitely missed the clarified butter portion as the format of the site on a laptop (using Chrome) and iPhone (using Safari) cuts this off. Only when I open the site in Safari and use Auto Reader did I finally see this but only after I was done cooking.
Either way, the chicken was still delicious for not being fried!
oh no! you know what i’m going through a blog redesign and i’ll make sure my developer knows this. sorry it gave you trouble! and i’m glad it worked out either way. 🙂
I am making today for opening ND game. I always make them but I am so excited to try your recipe. sounds much healthier and I don’t have to deal with oil and frying….just not into it today. Thanks!!
Please correct the recipe to include the butter in the brushing sauce! Some people may otherwise be confused! (smile) This recipe sounds wonderful.
They are perfect for the weekend! My family will be soooo happy.
Not ashamed to say I’d eat the entire platter, LOL. Can’t wait to try!
Hi, just wanted to let you know that the recipe only appears in full when in print form. If you try to read it as posted, there’s a lot of words missing.
Yum! I want to make these right now!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/aged-cheddar-sliders-with-pineapple-guacamole/
Easy to do and delicious! Perfect for me!