A Running List of Nashville Hot Chicken-Inspired Dishes in Music City

With more restaurants with hot chicken dishes on the menu than bachelorette parties found strolling 12 South on a sunny Saturday, it’s safe to say Nashville hot chicken has reached iconic status. Love it or hate it, Music City lures tourists in from afar to test their heat tolerance and line-waiting prowess. A dish that utilizes its unique spicy flavor to complement another recipe in a new and unexpected way, hot chicken has become a wildly popular menu item at restaurants throughout Nashville and worldwide.

Dozens of local establishments are going the extra mile, putting interesting new spins on Nashville hot chicken. And while hundreds have added a hot (fill in the blank) dish to their menus, this guide doesn’t include traditional hot chicken, sandwiches/biscuits/salads, wings, tenders, or any of the above served with waffles or as pizza or taco topping — there are plenty of those around town. (No Nashville hot catfish or shrimp here either.) Here, find a running list of menu items around Nashville that color outside the lines.

Consider this the ultimate bucket list of interesting hot chicken-inspired dishes in Music City.

Did we miss your favorite unexpected hot chicken dish? Send us a note and fill us in nashville@eater.com

Breakfast/Brunch

Arnold’s Country Kitchen Saturday brunch: hot chicken tenders with 7-Up pancakes

Chauhan: Nashville hot chicken pakora sandwich

Fat Kat Slim’s: Fat’s hot chicken and doughnut sandwich — a scratch-made donut with crispy fried chicken coated in “Fat’s Hot Spice”, drizzled with maple syrup; Nashville hot-style biscuits and grave — sausage “Nashville Hot” style blended in creamy sawmill gravy atop fluffy fresh baked biscuits

Flatiron: Grit bowl featuring poached eggs, Nashville hot oysters, and hollandaise

Graze: Hot tempeh Biscuit features fried tempeh tossed in hot chicken spices on a house-made biscuit with coleslaw and vegan ranch (served open face)

Henley: Nashville “hot” chicken salad sandwich

Party Fowl: hot chicken and pimento cheese omelet; Nashville hot loco moco; hot chicken and stuffed French toast; Nashville hot chicken Benedict

Slow Burn: hot chicken breakfast bowl with home fried potatoes, shredded cheese, fried egg, and spicy ranch

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Lunch/Dinner Appetizers

Anzie Blue: Nashville hot chicken dip served with fried pita chips

Burger Republic: Nashville hot tots are dusted in Nashville hot spices, then they add a drizzle of buffalo sauce, chives, and blue cheese dressing

Chauhan Ale & Masala House: hot chicken pakoras with ghost pepper sauce

Chauhan/Facebook

Fat Kat Slims: Nashville hot-spiced cheese curds come served with marinara, but ask for a side of ranch too

Flatiron: crispy Nashville hot fried oysters come served on Texas toast with pickle chips and remoulade

the Fox Bar: hot chicken spiced hummus (vegan)

Hachland Hill: Nashville hot style frog legs, by request and dining by appointment only

Hattie B’s: dirty bird fries are seasoned crinkle fries slathered with pimento mac and cheese, dark meat hot chicken bites, comeback sauce, green onions, and kosher pickles

the Horn Coffee: Hot chicken sambosas

Lockeland Table: Nashville hot crispy pig ears

Delia Jo Ramsey/Eater Nashville

The Mainstay: Nashville hot-spiced cheese curds come served with marinara, but ask for a side of ranch too

Nomzilla Sushi Etc: Nashville hot bao buns

Otaku Ramen: hot chicken bao buns, hot chicken tofu buns

Party Fowl: hot chicken poutine; hot chicken nachos; hot chicken chorizo queso

Slow Burn: SB hot chicken egg roll

Tansuo: Nashville hot chicken lo mein

Third and Home: hot chicken ranch dipping sauce served with fried pickle spears

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Soups/Salads

Party Fowl: Nashville hot deconstructed Cobb salad

Sea Salt: Nashville hot chowder

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Entrees

Brave Idiot (pop up): Nashville hot chicken birria tacos — available at some select pop-up events (find on Instagram)

Edley’s BBQ: hot Nashville-style BBQ

Ella’s on 2nd: Nashville Hot Cauliflower Steak with chickpeas, cucumber salad, and yogurt “ranch”

Germantown Pub: Nashville hot burger with a signature spice rub, homemade pickles, pico de gallo, pepper jack cheese, and crowned with a fried jalapeno

The Goat SoBro: Nashville hot oyster tacos

Grandaddy’s Famous Hot Chicken: hot chicken fried rice; hot chicken stuffed potato

Hachland Hill: Nashville hot smoked chicken salad po’boy, honey-hot smoked leg quarters with “woo girl” ranch, available by request and dining by appointment only

Hurts hot chicken (food truck): hot chicken gyro

Hurts hot chicken/Facebook

Lucky Bastard Saloon’s Nashville Hot Chicken Shack: Nashville hot grilled cheese filled with hot chicken, mac and cheese, cheddar, and Provolone cheeses

The Mainstay: Nashville hot pepperoni and cheese pizza — a traditional pepperoni pie, but upgrade it with Nashville Hot Seasoning

Nomzilla Sushi Etc: the NomFerno roll features their take on hot chicken with cucumber, pickled red onion, and spicy ranch

Party Fowl: Nashville hot chicken and beignets; hot chicken Cuban sandwich; hot chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes, sawmill gravy, and collard greens

Pinchy’s Lobster Co.: Nashville hot lobster roll

Red’s 615: hot chicken mac and cheese crunchwrap is a toasted tortilla filled with hot chicken, pimento mac and cheese, bacon, pickles, and comeback sauce; hot chicken mac and cheese bowl

Slow Burn Hot Chicken: hot chicken donut sandwich; breakfast burrito; hot chicken tender and apple fritter sandwich; SB mac and hot chicken bowl

The Stillery: hot chicken mac and cheese

Subculture: hot chicken ramen

Velvet Taco: a Vegetarian-friendly take — a Nashville hot crispy tofu taco garnished with napa slaw, ranch crema, and house brined pickles on a flour tortilla

Von Elrod’s: hot chicken schnitzel sandwich featuring Duke’s mayo on a buttery bun

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Desserts

Party Fowl: Nashville hot doughnut, served only during weekend brunch in collaboration with Status Dough

Status Dough: Nashville hot doughnut, served only during weekend brunch in collaboration with Status Dough

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Drinks

The Ainsworth: The “big a$$ hot chicken bloody mary” is a 32-ounce glass featuring Tito’s vodka, the Ainsworth’s hot bloody mary mix, topped with a whole fried Nashville hot young chicken, bacon strips, olives, celery, cherry tomatoes, and a waffle

Fat Kat Slim’s: Fat Bloody Mary with Moskovskaya vodka, Walker’s spicy Bloody Mary mix, celery, pickle, bacon

The Goat SoBro: hot chicken bloody mary

Pancho and Lefty’s: El Diablo margarita features a hot chicken rub on the rim

Party Fowl: BNA bloody mary comes with a choice of walkers bloody mary mix or Nashville hot bloody mary mix and Nashville’s own pickers vodka

• Where to Eat Nashville Hot Chicken in its Hometown [ENASH]