This may be little known, but Nashville is known for hot chicken. I have to admit, I had no idea what hot chicken is, until this afternoon. This is not buffalo chicken, it's dry and pan fried in a cast iron pan, like Southern fried chicken is frequently done. Prince's has apparently been around since around WWII, the origin of the hot chicken being a punishment to a little philandering. Backfire, because it turned out to be a big hit, his buddies loved it, and a star was born.
It's a little out of the way, to those of us who live on the southside, but it's worth the trip and the wait.
The wait comes from the fact that everything is made to order, nothing is premade. You want some chicken, you step up and order, they make it right there, and you take it home. It's served on white bread with pickles, the bread sops up the grease, and is pretty tasty itself. I ordered hot, and I don't many people that could have eaten it without a trip to the emergency room.
As far as technique goes, I'm not 100% sure how it's done. My guess would be a well-seasoned cast-iron pan and a paste rub or brine that is heavy on the paprika and cayenne. I don't think there are too many ingredients in the flavoring, but it really does penetrate the meat pretty well. The hotter you order it, the more stuff they put on it. They do run out of chicken which makes me think that they keep them in a brine of some sort allowing it soak up the spices in.
Unfortunately, I had to work during the 3rd Annual Hot Chicken festival here in Nashville on July the 4th. Maybe I can catch it next year!
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