First, I am so sorry for not being active. I have been distracted by family issues. However, I have missed you all.
A friend took a trip to Nashville some time ago and told me about Nashville chicken. It is a fried chicken that is brushed with hot oil that has cayenne bloomed in it. The original is fiery hot. I didn’t know if I would like it quite that hot but decided I could do a version in my smoker that would approximate the dish. of course, you can also do it in an oven but I find the air circulation in my pellet smoker gives a wonderfully crisp crust.
I just cut back on the amount of cayenne they would use. You can feel free to add the full amount of cayenne if you are tougher than me!
I started with a 3 pound chicken and cut it into pieces (see how at How to Cut a Whole Chicken Into Pieces). You can use 3 pounds of precut chicken pieces if you prefer.
I made a marinade for the chicken by mixing:
Mix the following in a shallow casserole dish:
Put the chicken back in the marinade. Lift it out with your left hand into the flour again. Shovel flour over it with your right hand and put it on a rack.
Repeat with all pieces of chicken.
While your smoker or oven is preheating to 400 F (205 C), heat 40 ml (3 tbsp) oil in a small pan until it is shimmering. Add betweem 5 ml (1 tsp) and 15 ml (1 tbsp) cayenne (depending on your heat tolerance), 3 ml (1/2 tsp) paprika, 1 ml (1/4 tsp) garlic powder, and 3 ml (1/2 tsp) sugar to the oil and stir for 30 to 40 seconds, until you can smell the cayenne. Remove from the heat and set aside.
If cooking in a smoker, put the chicken on the rack, skin side up. If cooking in an oven, put it on a rack over a tray.
Cook for 30 minutes and brush with vegetable oil. Do not turn.
Continue cooking until the thickest pieces of chicken have an internal temperature of 170 F (75 C) or higher and the chicken is golden brown. Between 15 and 30 minutes depending on your smoker or oven.
Brush the chicken with the cayenne oil and serve.
The Verdict
This was delicious! I love fried chicken but the additional Sriracha in the marinade and the cayenne oil gave a wonderful touch of burn. I love this!
Disco
A friend took a trip to Nashville some time ago and told me about Nashville chicken. It is a fried chicken that is brushed with hot oil that has cayenne bloomed in it. The original is fiery hot. I didn’t know if I would like it quite that hot but decided I could do a version in my smoker that would approximate the dish. of course, you can also do it in an oven but I find the air circulation in my pellet smoker gives a wonderfully crisp crust.
I just cut back on the amount of cayenne they would use. You can feel free to add the full amount of cayenne if you are tougher than me!
I started with a 3 pound chicken and cut it into pieces (see how at How to Cut a Whole Chicken Into Pieces). You can use 3 pounds of precut chicken pieces if you prefer.
I made a marinade for the chicken by mixing:
- 500 ml (2 cups) milk
- 50 ml (2 tablespoons) Sriracha or Buffalo wing sauce
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) salt
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) sugar
- 1 egg
Mix the following in a shallow casserole dish:
- 350 ml (1 ½ cup) flour
- 5 ml (1 tsp) cayenne
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) your favourite barbecue rub
- 6 ml (1 ¼ teaspoon) salt
- 6 ml (1 ¼ teaspoon) onion powder
- 6 ml (1 ¼ teaspoon) garlic powder
Put the chicken back in the marinade. Lift it out with your left hand into the flour again. Shovel flour over it with your right hand and put it on a rack.
Repeat with all pieces of chicken.
While your smoker or oven is preheating to 400 F (205 C), heat 40 ml (3 tbsp) oil in a small pan until it is shimmering. Add betweem 5 ml (1 tsp) and 15 ml (1 tbsp) cayenne (depending on your heat tolerance), 3 ml (1/2 tsp) paprika, 1 ml (1/4 tsp) garlic powder, and 3 ml (1/2 tsp) sugar to the oil and stir for 30 to 40 seconds, until you can smell the cayenne. Remove from the heat and set aside.
If cooking in a smoker, put the chicken on the rack, skin side up. If cooking in an oven, put it on a rack over a tray.
Cook for 30 minutes and brush with vegetable oil. Do not turn.
Continue cooking until the thickest pieces of chicken have an internal temperature of 170 F (75 C) or higher and the chicken is golden brown. Between 15 and 30 minutes depending on your smoker or oven.
Brush the chicken with the cayenne oil and serve.
The Verdict
This was delicious! I love fried chicken but the additional Sriracha in the marinade and the cayenne oil gave a wonderful touch of burn. I love this!
Disco