Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders
Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders are mini sandwiches made with crispy fried chicken coated in spicy Nashville hot oil, served on soft buns with pickles or coleslaw. They’re spicy, juicy, and perfect for parties or game day.
🍗 Full Recipe
⏱ Time
-
Prep: 20 minutes
-
Marinate: 1 hour (optional but best)
-
Cook: 20 minutes
Yield: 8–10 sliders
🧾 Ingredients
For the Chicken
-
2 large chicken breasts, cut into slider-size pieces
-
1 cup buttermilk
-
1 tsp hot sauce
-
1 tsp salt
-
½ tsp black pepper
For the Breading
-
1½ cups all-purpose flour
-
1 tbsp cornstarch
-
1 tsp paprika
-
1 tsp garlic powder
-
1 tsp onion powder
-
½ tsp cayenne pepper
-
1 tsp salt
-
½ tsp black pepper
For Frying
-
Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
🔥 Nashville Hot Sauce
-
¼ cup frying oil (from the pan)
-
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
-
1 tsp brown sugar
-
½ tsp paprika
-
½ tsp garlic powder
-
½ tsp chili powder
-
½ tsp salt
For the Sliders
-
8–10 slider buns or mini brioche buns
-
Pickle slices
-
Coleslaw (optional)
-
2 tbsp butter (for toasting buns)
🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Marinate Chicken
-
In a bowl mix:
-
buttermilk
-
hot sauce
-
salt
-
pepper
-
-
Add chicken pieces and marinate at least 30–60 minutes.
2️⃣ Prepare Breading
In a bowl mix:
-
flour
-
cornstarch
-
paprika
-
garlic powder
-
onion powder
-
cayenne
-
salt
-
pepper
3️⃣ Coat Chicken
-
Remove chicken from buttermilk.
-
Dredge in flour mixture.
-
Press coating firmly for extra crispiness.
4️⃣ Fry Chicken
-
Heat oil to 350°F (175°C).
-
Fry chicken pieces 4–6 minutes until golden and crispy.
-
Drain on paper towels.
5️⃣ Make Nashville Hot Oil
-
Take ¼ cup hot frying oil from the pan.
-
Mix with:
-
cayenne
-
brown sugar
-
paprika
-
garlic powder
-
chili powder
-
salt
-
-
Brush or drizzle this spicy oil over fried chicken.
6️⃣ Toast Buns
-
Melt butter in a pan.
-
Toast slider buns lightly golden.
7️⃣ Assemble Sliders
Layer:
-
Bottom bun
-
Hot fried chicken
-
Pickles or coleslaw
-
Top bun
🌶 Adjust the Heat
-
Mild: ½ tsp cayenne
-
Medium: 1 tbsp cayenne
-
Extra hot: 2 tbsp cayenne
⭐ Pro Tips
✔ Add honey drizzle for sweet-spicy flavor.
✔ Double-dip chicken in buttermilk + flour for thicker crust.
✔ Use brioche buns for softer sliders.
🍗 Optional Slider Sauce
Mix:
-
½ cup mayonnaise
-
1 tbsp honey
-
1 tsp hot sauce
-
½ tsp garlic powder
Spread on buns for extra flavor.
✅ If you’d like, I can also show you:
-
Authentic Nashville Hot Chicken (Prince’s style)
-
Air fryer Nashville hot chicken sliders
-
KFC-style crispy chicken slider recipe.