Word broke recently that the Colonel himself was testing a brand new line of chicken exclusively in the Pittsburgh area. Nashville Style Chicken is an up and coming cult classic among chicken aficionados. As we reported yesterday, KFC believes that due to the fact that the recipe is hard to create at home, not available outside of the Nashville city limits, and its exotic flavor profile of sweet and heat, that this LTO will become a wide sweeping grand slam. It seems like a good long while since KFC has focused on a brand new product instead of it’s revolving cast of characters pretending to be Colonel Sanders, but because I live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, it was high time to get my hands on some KFC Nashville Hot Chicken.
Ingredients:
- Chicken Leg
- Chicken Thigh
- Exotic Nashville Hot Seasoning/Glaze
- Boatload of napkins
With KFC’s original recipe chicken consisting of a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, it’s not a large surprise that the Nashville Hot Chicken’s coating is largely held under wraps. They only admit to using cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and dill pickle topping in addition to their secret mix. What truly stands out about Nashville Hot Chicken is the cayenne pepper glaze that is applied after frying, which as you might think, makes for quite a sloppy eating session.
First Impressions
KFC offers the Nashville Hot Chicken three ways: breast, drumstick & thigh, or boneless strips (3). I opted for the 2 piece drumstick and thigh meal ($5.49) mainly because I wanted to get bone in, multiple pieces to examine, and I love dark meat. My local KFC really wants the public to try these as there are handing out bite sized morsels of the strips, each with their own little pickle on top. As you can see in the photos, the chicken is a thing of beauty. Fried up extra crispy in an open fryer and then just drenched in the special Nashville Hot glaze/seasoning blend, there wasn’t an inch of chicken that wasn’t booming with flavor.
While I typically prefer my chicken crispy, KFC’s extra crispy blend can be just a little bit too one note for me, with an over abundance of grease. KFC Nashville Hot Chicken is still definitely greasy. The vibrant heat that is created with the spicy blend of seasoning makes for a best of both worlds approach to the crispy, fried chicken.
Your fingers come out wet with oil, coated in spices, and your heart may be beating a little harder after you’ve downed the deep fried glory but it’s extremely worth it. The chicken is spicy, but no way over powering. It has a flurry of notes running through your tongue like a symphony of grease. The leftover pools of glaze serve as the perfect dipping puddle for your buttermilk biscuit. This is by far my new go to fried chicken at KFC.
KFC Nashville Hot Chicken – The Verdict
While it is currently only being tested in Pittsburgh, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that KFC Nashville Hot Chicken will be pleasing eaters from sea to shining sea in the oncoming months. This chicken is a pure must for anyone that likes spicy food, friend chicken, and the two coming together in a delightful harmony.
KFC Nashville Hot Chicken [Review]
9.1Overall Score
