06.13.17

Nashville Un-Fried Hot Chicken

This Nashville Un-Fried Hot Chicken is gooooood. Trust me!

Since I certainly wasn’t going to make fried chicken in my kitchen for a weeknight meal, I decided to do a whole30 + paleo rendition of this famous Nashville-style chicken. This chicken thigh recipe is absolutely to die for and every time I bite into the crispy skin on the top, I kinda feel like I am eating fried chicken. So, I used that same method to get the chicken extra crispy and tossed it with a spicy hot ghee mixture and threw it on a plate. Easy as can be and it’s absolutely delicious.

So for all of you spicy food lovers out there like me, give this easy Nashville Un-Fried Hot Chicken recipe a try! You won’t regret it!

Nashville Unfried Hot Chicken

2017-06-02 05:08:15

Serves 3

A fantastic Whole30 + Paleo approved rendition on the classic soul food "Nashville Hot Chicken"

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

2 tbsp. Tabasco
1 tsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. ghee
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. coconut aminos
6 bone-in skin on chicken thighs
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. avocado oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Pat dry chicken thighs. Season them all over generously with kosher salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot (but not smoking), place chicken, skin side down, and sear, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Transfer skillet to oven (chicken should still be skin side down) and cook 10 more minutes.
Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.
While chicken is resting, heat the ghee, tabasco, vinegar, coconut aminos, minced garlic, cayenne, paprika, and chili powder over medium heat. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes, you may need to reduce the heat a bit, until it is fragrant and flavors have combined.
Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Pour sauce over the top and toss to coat.
Serve immediately!

By Alex Snodgrass

The Defined Dish https://thedefineddish.com/

18 Comments

Joanne Novey

May 27, 2021 at 7:52 pm

These are delicious! What a great recipe, making it again for dinner tonight!

Elizabeth

March 4, 2021 at 8:49 pm

I made this last night, so delicious! The family loved it.

Sydney

February 3, 2021 at 1:17 am

Can’t believe you hadn’t been to Nashville before you made this chicken! You nailed it (as always). These are a regular in our house

Kimberann

January 7, 2021 at 10:43 pm

OhMyGOSH! So easy and so delicious! Craving comfort food but make it spicy? This is IT!!!!!! Roasted some carrots until they were tendercrisp, chopped up some celery and mixed that with some butter lettuce and added Balanced Bites ranch seasoning. All done in less than 30 min!
I used thighs with bone and skin but cut out the bones for the hubby’s preference, cooked according to directions, and it was PERFECT!

Jackie

January 6, 2021 at 1:25 am

I got your cookbook and just made this. I have never made fried chicken this tasty. I’m not usually a fan of skin, I planned on taking it off after cooking. I did that but I just tried a little. My GOSH!! The best! Worth the calories. Next time I see organic chicken on sale I may just do this again, enjoying all the skin. Your instructions were especially good for my gas stove and cast iron skillet. I did cook a little longer but I think the time would be exactly right for organic chicken. The sauce was great, but I subbed some things using up hot sauces in my fridge. With a little thought and planning there are may tasty variations.

Jacquelyn Conrad

December 29, 2020 at 2:35 am

I had some bone in skin on breasts and had no idea what to do with them but knew you wouldn’t lead me astray. Hands down best chicken I’ve ever made. Didn’t even use the sauce (for kids) and it was gobbled up. Thank you for being such an accessible chef.

Jessica Haus

October 27, 2020 at 4:05 pm

Should I cook this for less time if the chicken thigh is smaller and not bone in?

Reply
Alex
October 27, 2020 at 7:09 pm
yes, if they are boneless– they’ll take less time to cook. I’d say 4-5 mins per side. You also won’t need to transfer to the oven. I’d just sear stove top and toss.