Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches

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:

1. Prep the dredge. Put all the breading components into their own dishes.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Bake the chicken. Place the breaded chicken on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, flipping half way through.
5. 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.
6. Baste the chicken. After the chicken has cooked, baste each piece in the hot chicken sauce.
7. 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:

• 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.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders

Author: Adrianna Adarme

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!

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients

Chicken: 

• 2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut into 3-inch cubes (this doesn’t have to be cut perfectly) 
• Kosher salt
• Pepper 

Chicken Dredge: 

• 1  cup  all-purpose Flour
• 1  cup  Italian bread crumbs
• ½  teaspoon  kosher salt
• ½  teaspoon  ground paprika
• Pinch  freshly ground pepper
• 3  large eggs
• 2  tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other types of neutral oil)

Hot Chicken Sauce: 

• ½  cup  unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon  ground cayenne pepper or more or less depending on your heat tolerance 
• 1  teaspoon  brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon  garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon  paprika
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt

For Assembly: 

• 12 brioche dinner rolls
• Cole slaw optional
• 12 sweet bread and butter pickles
• 12 skewers 

Instructions

Prep the Chicken: 

• 1. Sprinkle the chicken with a few pinches of salt and pepper. 

To Make the Chicken Dredge: 

• 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. 
• 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.) 
• 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. 
• 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. 
• 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. 
• 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.   

Notes

Equipment:

Chef's Knife | Pie Dishes | Cutting Board| Tongs | 

Nutrition

Serving: 12g | Calories: 320kcal (16%) | Carbohydrates: 12g (4%) | Protein: 4g (8%) | Fat: 3g (5%) | Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) | Cholesterol: 23mg (8%) | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 4g (4%) | Calcium: 23mg (2%)

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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

(This post is sponsored by ALDI. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep A Cozy Kitchen cozy.)