The Top 12 Spots for Nashville Hot Chicken in the US

Nashville hot chicken originated, of course, in Nashville, Tennessee. Although it’s still considered the hotbed of hot chicken, you don’t have to be in Music City to feast upon these superbly saucy birds. A spicy chicken preparation that can feature a wing, thigh, breast, or leg, Nashville hot chicken is classically served with bread and paired with pickle slices. However, whether you’re making Nashville-style hot chicken from scratch or having it in a restaurant, online recipes and chefs’ interpretations have broadened over time.

Today, cooking methods vary, including pan-fried, pressure-fried, or deep-fried. Other alterations involve seasoning, spice, and pepper combinations, how much is used, and when it’s applied (before breading or after). Recipes and techniques aside, hot chicken is a unique dish that should deliver a common denominator of being tasty, crispy, tender … oh, and did we mention hot? For some, a dab of heat will do them, but for others, the hotter, the better. 

We’ve scoured the internet, starting with the origins of Nashville hot chicken and then traveling across the U.S. to find the best places to eat hot chicken — by way of Google reviews, Yelp rankings, and researching just about as many online hot chicken articles as a chicken has feathers. So, grab some wet naps, and let’s get started.

When visiting Music City, resources are plentiful to help visitors find the best hot chicken in town. Since our list is country-wide, we’ll limit our Nashville pick to one iconic spot and kick it old school with a visit to the spicy OG, Prince’s Hot Chicken — where history teaches us that if you love Nashville-style hot chicken, you may just have a jealous woman to thank!

The story of Nashville hot chicken dates back to the 1930s and a philandering Nashvillian named James Thornton Prince. Prince apparently came home too late one night, and the following morning, his hot-under-the-collar lover prepared his favorite fried chicken breakfast. Only she wanted to teach him a lesson, so she sabotaged the chicken with copious amounts of hot pepper. The problem was that Prince loved it, and after some recipe reconnoitering and sampling with family and friends, he opened what was known as the BBQ Chicken Shack in 1945. 

Prince’s great-niece, André Prince Jeffries, who currently runs the business, renamed the eatery to Prince’s Hot Chicken in 1989. It has since expanded to several locations both in and outside of the Nashville area, including a spot in Greenville, South Carolina. The menu selections are limited, but the heat choices are plentiful. Whole, half, and quarter chickens are available alongside wings and tenders, and all options can be devoured in a choice of eight mouth-watering (or eye-watering) temperatures, from plain to XXX-Hot. Meanwhile, the mild André chicken sandwich with slaw and pickles takes center stage.

princeshotchicken.com

Multiple locations in Tennessee and South Carolina

With hot chicken recipes flying their Nashville coop far and beyond Tennessee borders, a 290-mile trip east to Asheville, NC seems to have made for a perfect landing. Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack has been, as it brags, “Giving you the bird since 2009.” And with additional locations and its Wings and Strings live music program during the summer, Rocky’s is showing no signs of slowing down. 

The parking lot’s take-out pickup shack has an attendant ready for a hand-off; but by going inside, one can catch up on the local chatter and check out the daily specials. Spice charts give diners eight heat options for the chicken, ranging from plain to extra hot (the latter for which this spot quips, “You’re just crazy and have a fondness for ghost peppers”). You’ll have your choice of sauces to dip your chicken in, from classics like ranch and blue cheese to honey lemon pepper or mango habanero aioli. 

Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack’s website likes to boast about what the local food critics say about this spicy dish. The restaurant has also been featured in other nation-wide lists of the best fried chicken in the United States.

rockyshotchickenshack.com

Multiple locations in North and South Carolina

Royals Hot Chicken has been famously serving Louisville, Kentucky chicken with what it’s dubbed “endorphin-ringing heat” since it was first opened by owner Ryan Rodgers in 2015. A rep for the restaurant tells us that the chicken is brined for 24 hours before being breaded, open-fried, and then dunked in hot chili oils. It can be served in a sandwich, over a kale salad, with creamy mac and cheese, or in an over-stuffed taco. Not to mention, plant-based eaters have their choice of Impossible Tenders. While you can also go the no-heat route, the four hot options start with some heat and quickly rise to Gonzo, which features three of the hottest chili peppers available: the Carolina reaper, Trinidad scorpion, and ghost, which comprise over 30% of the blend. The trio is joined with five other peppers for flavor and Sichuan peppers for an extra tingle.

This spot also has some fun reinventing the hot chicken in its sandwiches of the month, which more recently included honey buttered, apple butter bacon, and green chile. House-made dipping sauces include Mississippi comeback, Kentucky honey mustard, Royals ranch, feast BBQ, Alabama white BBQ, and Carolina gold mustard BBQ. 

Located in the heart of a hip and artsy neighborhood, the massive painted mural of a crowned chicken on the outside of Royals Hot Chicken’s building may stand out as you enter this restaurant. But it’s the sight of the jumbo fried tenders overtaking their soft potato bread housing that stays with you.

royalshotchicken.com

(502) 919-7068

736 E Market St, Louisville, KY 40202

Brothers Jordan and Sam Graf found their inspiration to open a Colorado-based hot chicken restaurant in 2016 from a visit to Nashville, and its Music City Hot Chicken name is the duo’s homage to the Tennessean city. “Before we opened, we did some research, and outside of having a Nashville-style sandwich on the menu, we didn’t come across any specialty restaurants,” Sam told The Denver Post. So, the fact that these two were filling a demand was hardly in question — and their business was luckily given a boost from a rather unlikely place. Sam explained that around this time, “KFC did all the educational leg work for us with the commercials, and marketing, which helped grow familiarity with what hot chicken was.”

A rep for this spot tells us that its chickens are deep-fried in sunflower oil, and the heat index has a barometer that ranges from southern mild to Nashville hot (spiced with chile de árbol) — and eventually blasting heat-seekers into orbit with habanero white hot and finally flammable solid, courtesy of Carolina reapers. 

The Grafs have since opened two additional locations, including a pared-down counter location at Denver’s TRVE Brewing Company. Hot chicken and cold beer, anyone?

mchcco.com

Multiple locations in Colorado

Howlin’ Ray’s chef and co-owner Johnny Ray Zone is no stranger to the heat of a kitchen, having spent time working under culinary A-listers Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, and Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. But his flaming desire for hot chicken was lit in 2014 during a stage while cooking modern southern cuisine at Husk restaurant in Nashville. Sharing the passion for soulful southern food with his wife, Amanda Chapman, the two dug into Nashville’s hot chicken scene with all forks a-blazin’. 

Eventually, the couple packed up their spicy knowledge, returned to Los Angeles, and rolled out a hot chicken food truck. Its popularity grew, as did the food lines, and a brick-and-mortar store seemed imminent. In 2016, Howlin’ Ray’s opened in Chinatown, serving hormone-free chicken in spiciness ranging from mild to Howlin’ hot. Whole, quarter, and half birds are on the menu, as well as hot tenders, wings, and chicken and waffles. 

This spot’s signature finger-licker is the hot chicken sando, a boneless breast with slaw, comeback sauce, and pickles on a butter bun. It now shares the spotlight with the addition of the sando 2.0, with piquillo peppers, bacon, cheese, and sweet honey mustard. If chicken is your thing, you’ll find Howlin’ Ray’s named high in online reviews and listicles of the best fried chicken in LA.

howlinrays.com

Multiple locations in California

It was an unsuccessful quest for the perfect chicken sandwich that gave birth to Birdies Hot Chicken in Brooklyn, NY. The intrepid husband-and-wife team, Moon and Sara Mustafa, took it upon themselves to create a sando that would ruffle their feathers in their home kitchen. The flavors and textures came together within months, and 2021 saw the duo launch what its website calls “NYC’s First and Best Halal Hot Chicken” spot.

Although halal food is typically associated with the Middle East and North Africa, it is no stranger to the NYC streets and can be easily found at restaurants, street vendors, and food trucks. Birdies prides itself on serving certified Zabiha halal chicken, and its chicken is always fresh and never frozen, with each piece breaded à la minute. Although the number of hot chicken options on the menu is limited to the Nashville-style bird in a bun, two-piece tenders on a plate slathered in its special sauce, or ordered à la carte, its equally hot Google reviews are plentiful. Five thick and frosty milkshake extinguishers are available when you need to cool things off. 

bitebirdies.com

Multiple locations in New York and New Jersey

If you’ve ever considered honoring your grandparents, naming your restaurant after them might be the greatest form of flattery. During her childhood, chef Marcie Blaine Turney spent lots of time hanging around her hometown restaurant in Ripon, Wisconsin known as The Spot, which was owned by her grandparents, Blaine (or Bud, as he was known to be called) and Marilyn. Turney would eventually open several of her own restaurants before setting her sights on creating an eatery with southern hospitality under the bright lights of bustling mid-town Philadelphia. That vision became Bud & Marilyn’s, with a menu chock full of comfort food served in a slick, urban setting.

Turney and co-owner Valerie Safran created a family-friendly menu for Bud & Marilyn’s with foods that Turney’s grandparents would likely be proud of. The fried Nashville hot chicken with pickles, burnt scallion ranch, and pickled brine slaw on a potato roll kick off the hot buttered buns section of the menu, and a hot and crispy half-chicken entree is also available. For the early birds, a single $5 offering of the hot buttered bun version is on offer. 

However you order your hot chicken, it might be a good idea to tame the heat with some garlic shallot mashed potatoes. Or, try some good old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits with salted honey butter.

budandmarilyns.com

(215) 546-2220

1234 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

What does Ricky’s Nashville Hot Chicken have in common with Google, Apple, and Amazon? They all started in a garage. Ricky Tran acquired a passion for hot chicken on a faithful visit to Nashville. “When I came back to Dallas, I could not find anything that was similar in taste or could be considered Nashville hot chicken,” Tran told Voyage Dallas. “I came from a background of engineering and went about studying how this dish was created and created my own version.” He then began handing out samples from his garage. After two years, when the recipe was ready, Tran opened his restaurant.

Ricky’s Nashville Hot Chicken now has three Dallas-Fort Worth locations, as of this writing. This spot’s Halal-certified chicken can be ordered with a heat-rate index starting with no heat to mild, the latter of which is dunked in a spiced oil, followed by the medium with jalapeños, the hot with habanero peppers, and the XHOT with added ghost and Trinidad scorpion peppers. Finally, the A-Bomb level features all those mentioned above, with Carolina reapers joining the party. 

Five-star Yelp reviews are plentiful but with some friendly warnings concerning heat hiccups. The faint of heart are recommended to set their sights below the A-Bomb level unless, as one reviewer suggests, “You don’t like breathing.” 

rickyshotchicken.com

Multiple locations in Texas

Self-proclaimed as serving “South Florida’s best hot chickens,” Cluck Face is flying high on Yelp’s highest-rated fried chicken spots, where big tenders come in small packages. The menu of this mostly fast food-style joint fully embraces the slider trend, offering chicken sliders with several decision-making situations that must be handled at the counter before the staff hands you a pager to buzz you when your food is ready. 

The first choice is your heat level, starting at country style and progressing through mild, medium, hot, and the extremely hot Cluck it! level. Chicken seasoning decisions must also be made between Nashville, Buffalo, Korean BBQ, and mango habanero. Comeback, blue cheese, nacho cheese, spicy mayo, and ranch are available for sauces. 

If you’re a “Crazy Cluck” (this spot’s words, not ours), you can have a plate of crispy fries covered in macaroni and cheese, chopped hot chicken tenders, and comeback sauce. There’s also the loaded ranchy rice option with hot chicken served over rice with ranch dressing. Or, order the triple carb and combine it all (and don’t forget the pickles). For the more Nashville hot chicken traditionalists (and guests who watch their carbs), Cluck Face’s oversized hot chicken tenders are available without all the fuss.

cluckface.com

Multiple locations in Florida

If you’ve got a hunger hankering for a good ol’ honky tonk Nashville-style night out, we’ve already established that you don’t have to go far, and if you’re in the Chicago area, you are definitely in luck. Bub City features a live music stage, two bars open until the wee hours, and a wide selection of craft beers, cocktails, and whiskey labels. Classic southern fare meets Texas-style barbecue as the star at Bub City, where pimento cheese and chips, fried pickles, smoked Texas hot links, and meat-n’-three barbecue is part of what’s cookin’. 

All of Bub City’s fried chicken sandwiches and chicken tender baskets come with the option of being served Nashville hot. Whichever way you like your bird, a rep for the restaurant tells us that the chicken is wet rubbed with cayenne pepper and other spices mixed with fat. Once the chicken is fried, it’s dropped into the hot and spicy vats for a fiery finish. 

If you can’t stand the heat, don’t worry about staying out of any kitchens. Cool off with a big helping of Bub City’s salted caramel butterscotch pudding. A traveling Nashville experience is also available, courtesy of The Rig, a mobile BBQ truck that can pull right up to your next boot-scootin’ shindig.

bub-city.com

Multiple locations in Illinois

Hot chicken restaurant owner Joe Ford wanted his spot, Hot Chicken Alley, to be located in his own North Phoenix neighborhood — which is, in fact, in an alley. Designed by sister-in-law Raegan Ford, the interior has what she’s called an “urban, edgy, and industrial” vibe, which is brightened with humorous chicken-themed photos lining the walls and a colorful custom-painted mural courtesy of Robert Gentile, per Phoenix magazine. Search on Yelp or take a scroll down Google lane, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a review that’s not five stars.

One interesting thing that sets Hot Chicken Alley apart from many other Nashville hot chicken joints is the option of having your dry-rubbed hot chicken tenders wrapped in a warm tortilla. The punny Tender Loving option includes two chicken tenders on fresh, warm tortillas with the classic accompaniments of pickles, french fries, and Alley sauce. You can also bump it up to three wraps by ordering … wait for it … the three tenders. 

To cool things off, reviewers are knocked out by the vanilla ice cream cone they’re handed after the heat wave … compliments of the house. Joe Ford seems to like to serve up a healthy helping of fun with his hot chicken.

hotchickenalley.com

(602) 675-2407

13636 N Tatum Blvd, Ste 10, Phoenix, AZ 85032

If you’re in Birmingham, Alabama’s uptown district and hankering for some Nashville hot chicken, the stars will line up, as will the star reviews. Eugene’s Hot Chicken was first launched by owner and chef Zebbie Carney in 2015 as a food truck that would feed people at Birmingham area pop-up events. “I was going back and forth from Birmingham to Nashville to visit my mom,” Carney, who hails from Nashville, told Bham Now. “And I’m like, ‘Man, Birmingham really needs hot chicken!’ Even then, Birmingham was a real foodie town — and I had always wanted my own restaurant.”

As of this writing, it seems Carney has both embraced and overcome the hurdles of running a food truck, as Eugene’s still has a truck that can be pulled up to your private party or special event, along with two brick-and-mortar locations in Birmingham and Hoover. These spots all offer Nashville hot chicken in the form of tenders or sandwiches (along with vegan options), with a spice index that starts at southern (or, no heat) and ends with either hot, hot damn, and finally, stupid hot. 

Pair with dipping sauces like comeback, Alabama white, chili mayo, or blue cheese, classic southern sides like collard greens, mac and cheese, or cornbread, and finish with some banana pudding or bundt cake. Eugene’s Hot Chicken is also cater-ready, with an extensive selection of platters and boxed lunches.

eugeneshotchicken.com

Multiple locations in Alabama