Hot chicken

Hot chicken or Nashville hot chicken is a type of fried chicken that is a local specialty of Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States. In its typical preparation, it is a portion of breast, thigh, or wing that has been marinated in a water-based blend of seasoning, floured, fried, and finally sauced using a paste that has been spiced with cayenne pepper. It is served atop slices of white bread with pickle chips. It is both the application of a spicy paste and the presentation that differentiates it from similar dishes, such as Buffalo wings. It can be viewed in similar context to other foods that have been tweaked to be unique in a regional way, such as the slugburger or the Mississippi Delta tamale.

There are many restaurants in Nashville that serve a variant of the dish, and there is a city-wide festival and competition commemorating it. The popularity of hot chicken has spread beyond the Southern United States due to the influence of Nashville's music industry.

Preparation

Chicken sandwich

A chicken sandwich is a sandwich which typically consists of a boneless, skinless breast of chicken served between slices of bread, on a bun, or on a roll.

Composition

The sandwich usually consists of a chicken filet or patty, toppings and bread. The chicken can be deep fried, grilled, or roasted, and white or dark meat chicken can be used. Shredded chicken in one form or another, such as chicken salad, can also be used in chicken sandwiches. Wrap versions of the sandwich can also be made, in which the ingredients are rolled up inside a flatbread, such as a tortilla.

Open-faced versions of the sandwich, which feature hot chicken served with gravy on top of bread, are also common variations.

Varieties

Chicken burger

Some establishments serving hamburgers also serve chicken sandwiches, to give customers an alternative to beef. Such a sandwich may also be called chicken on a bun or chicken burger, and is served on a hamburger bun with similar condiments and toppings as found on hamburgers. While most chicken sandwiches in this context usually use fried or grilled chicken breasts, a chicken burger may also be made of a grilled patty of ground chicken.