Nashville Style Hot Chicken

November17

If you love spicy food, I mean, really, really LOVE all things fiery and flavorful, then you’re ready for Nashville Style Hot Chicken.

What makes Nashville Style Hot Chicken so unique is the “sauce” that is brushed, dipped or poured over the chicken just before serving.

I’m telling you, this atomic fried chicken is guaranteed to burn your face off. Ah, the eye-watering pain. The mouth-burning agony. It hurts (and tastes) so good.

Yes, there are a lot of spicy fried chicken recipes out there. But what makes Nashville Style Hot Chicken so unique is the “sauce” that is brushed, dipped or poured over the chicken just before serving. That sauce is so delicious; you have to serve it with a slice or two of good old-fashioned white bread to soak up all the drippy goodness.

Oh, and you definitely need some good pickles to gussy-up the plate. That’s part of the presentation. You don’t want to go to all the trouble of making Nashville Style Hot Chicken and leave off a traditional garnish!

Several (now famous) places in Nashville have been serving Hot Chicken for decades. But as we all know, it only takes one hip website or famous food show star to get the rest of the country clamoring for the next BIG THING RIGHT NOW.

But what in the world is Nashville Style Hot Chicken anyway? How it came into being is absolutely fascinating, but, then again, I love food history and how it defines our culture, and in this case, a city.

Give a read to Dr. Rachel Martin’s post on the website The Bitter Southerner to understand how Nashville’s so-called signature dish stayed hidden in plain sight for so long before exploding into the mainstream.

What makes Nashville Style Hot Chicken so unique is the “sauce” that is brushed, dipped or poured over the chicken just before serving.

Hattie B’s in Nashville, which offers five heat levels, including “Shut the Cluck Up”, inspired my Nashville Style Hot Chicken recipe. I’ve changed it a bit by adding some spices to the flour. Like Hattie B’s recipe, I dredge the chicken pieces (breasts, thighs and legs only) twice in the flour before frying.

But I don’t add quite as much cayenne pepper as Hattie B’s because, well, I may be a little high strung, but I’m not crazy.

Read this recipe all the way through before you begin. I just heard you gasp. That’s right, one of the ingredients in the secret sauce is one cup of the hot oil from the skillet where the chicken is fried.

But, like I always say, you don’t eat like this every day, and I know how much you love fried chicken!

What makes Nashville Style Hot Chicken so unique is the “sauce” that is brushed, dipped or poured over the chicken just before serving.


Zucchini and Feta Fritters with Red Pepper Dip

September1

Now that school has started, I’m back to trying to make Meatless Monday a weekly ritual.Zucchini and Feta Fritters- Mama's High Strung

I found a delicious recipe that not only answers that call, but is also easy to make a day or two in advance and even freeze for the future (when School Year Reality hits hard).

Zucchini and Feta Fritters with Roasted Red Pepper Dip are perfect for this time of year because zucchini is so plentiful. Make sure you really WRING OUT the zucchini after shredding it because the fritters will not hold together… major disappointment.

Summer may be over (according to the school-year calendar), but we can still hold on to some of the delicious flavors of the season with these Zucchini and Feta Fritters!

How To Make Perfect Cobb Salad

August6

Cobb Salad Mama's High Strung

It has been a little cooler than normal around here, so all the fresh summer veggies I crave have been a bit delayed in making their usual appearance at my farmers market.

But that hasn’t stopped me from whipping up my favorite salad of all time: Cobb Salad inspired by the Hotel Bel-Air’s Cobb Salad in Los Angeles.

What’s not to love about this protein-packed totally indulgent salad? Eggs, avocados, tomatoes, roasted chicken, onion, bacon and blue cheese all in pretty little rows on top of mounds of crisp lettuce. Toss it with a little homemade herb vinaigrette and you’ve got a beautiful (and substantial) meal!

That’s a lot of ingredients, I know, but here’s an easy way to remember what to include:

EAT COBB

E is for egg… A is for Avocados… T is for tomatoes… ah, you get the picture.

Most recipes call for iceberg lettuce but I use romaine lettuce instead because that’s what they use at that fancy-do Hollywood hotel where I learned how to make perfect Cobb Salad!

My Dexas Kitchen Tools really helped pull this recipe together easily!

Featured on BlogHer.com

 

Cobb Salad Mama's High Strung

 

Want more great salad ideas? Here are a few:

Crunchy Bacon and Broccoli Salad 

Old School Wedge Salad

Sriracha Potato Salad


Cheesy Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas

May2

Empanadas Pic

Ditch the salsa and chips and make something really authentic for your Cinco de Mayo party: Cheesy Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas.

What makes an empanada the real deal? Well, way, way back in the 1500’s when Spain invaded what would much later become Mexico, they planted wheat. Lots of wheat. This was the only grain accepted by the Roman Catholic Church for communion wafers (corn was for the lower classes). With all that wheat on hand, the Spanish began making bread and other favorite foods, like empanadas.

By the way… the word “empanada” comes from the Spanish verb empanar, which means to wrap or coat in bread. Okay. History lesson over.

Climb out of that guacamole rut and try these Cheesy Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas. Best part? There are a lot of shortcuts in this recipe. I used store-bought rotisserie chicken and Goya’s Puff Pastry Dough for Turnovers (you can usually find these in Hispanic markets or larger supermarkets).

There’s a step-by-step tutorial below the recipe. Super easy and super delicious… and muy autentico (that means very authentic!).

Tutorial: Cheesy Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas

1. Gather your ingredients: 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I pulled mine off a store-bought rotisserie chicken); 12 ounces chorizo (Mexican sausage); 8 ounces Chihuahua cheese; 1 package Goya Puff Pastry   Dough for Turnovers, thawed; 1 egg, lightly beaten; chopped cilantro or parsley (optional). (I forgot the egg in this image, but you need an egg).

Ingredients for Empanadas

2. Remove enough meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make 2 cups; set aside.

Remove enough meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make 2 cups; set aside.

3. Heat chorizo in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up meat with a spoon. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently.

Cook Chorizo

4. Remove from heat and drain on a paper towel.

Drain Chorizo on a Paper Towel

5. Add drained chorizo to chicken and mix.

Add Chorizo to Chicken and Mix

6. Spray a kitchen grater with anti-stick cooking spray.

Spray Grater with Cooking Spray

7. Grate Chihuahua cheese; set aside. (You can also buy shredded Chihuahua cheese.)

Grated Chihuahua Cheese

8. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Heat oven to 375°F.

Heat to 375 degrees

9. Separate thawed dough round on work surface. Roll out each one slightly to make them easier to fold.

Roll Out Goya Puff Pastry Dough

10. Spoon meat mixture and cheese evenly onto center of each of the 12 dough rounds.

Divide chicken, chorizo and cheese evenly between 12 empanada wrappers

11. Brush edges of dough with beaten egg.

Brush Egg around edges of Empanada

12. Fold dough into half-moon shape. Press down edges with a fork or twist edges gently to seal. (I tried both.) The fork is easier, the twist is prettier (sometimes).

Fold and Seal Empanada

13. Place empanadas on baking sheets spaced 1-inch apart. Brush tops of empanadas with remaining beaten egg.

Brush with Beaten Egg1

14. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is hot. Top with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley if desired.

Cheesy Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas


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Hi…
I’m Christina Chavez

I was a TV journalist for many years, but with a house full of kids I decided to come off the road, go to culinary school and follow my passion for cooking. Mama’s High Strung is all about food… everything from creative recipe ideas to some really cool kitchen gadgets and cooking tips. I live in Chicago, but I love to travel and write about my food discoveries! You can reach me by email: mamashighstrung@gmail.com