Nashville Hot Seasoning

Use this seasoning blend for a fiery Nashville Hot Chicken at home! For an authentic blend, cayenne pepper is the star, but the amount can be adjusted for heat preferences. It’s balanced with brown sugar and mustard powder, and the optional kashmiri chile emphasizes the characteristic red color. Combine this seasoning with hot oil, lard, or bacon grease for the famous chicken’s seasoning paste, or use it whenever you want to kick your dishes up a notch!

This is the Fiery Flavor Bomb! Our homemade Nashville Hot dry seasoning blend, ready to be whisked into hot oil for the perfect glaze on your next batch of crispy chicken. Get ready for the heat!

Yields: About ½ a cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Special Equipment: Airtight container, bowl & whisk/fork

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp, cayenne pepper, adjust up for more heat or down for less

• 2 Tbsp, brown sugar, packed

• 2 tsp, dry mustard powder

• 1 tsp, paprika, smoked or regular

• 1 tsp, kashmiri chile powder, optional, for color

• 1 tsp, garlic powder

• 1 tsp, black pepper, freshly ground

• ½​ tsp kosher salt, more or less to taste

Directions

1. Make the dry spice blend: Measure all dry ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a fork or whisk to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Ensure you break up any clumps of brown sugar. Store the finished dry seasoning blend in an airtight container until you are ready to use it. Pro tip: a few grains of rice in the container will absorb moisture to prevent caking!

2. Make it Nashville Hot Chicken: After your chicken is cooked (fried, smoked, baked…), reserve approximately ½ to 1 cup of hot frying oil or melted lard (or bacon grease!).

   Carefully pour the hot oil into a heat-safe bowl containing the entire dry spice mix. Whisk immediately to combine all the spices with the hot oil. The heat from the oil will "bloom" the cayenne and kashmiri chile, releasing their full aroma and color. Use a brush to generously coat the hot glaze onto the finished chicken. Stir the mix between brush applications to get more settled cayenne for extra heat before serving