I'm just gonna put this right here... dang, I'm hungry!!!

[Steelharp]

http://www.hattieb.com/

[10-Ring]

Man that looks delicious.  I'm ashamed to say as a Nashville area native that I've never had hot chicken.  But... IMO this hot chicken fad is somewhat new.  I remember Princes but it seems that now Nashville is famous for hot chicken.  Now that I'm living here again I'm really going to have to go get some!

[Garufa]

Garufa likes his chicken spicy.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Garufa

[Steelharp]

10-ring, there are a lot of places now. Prince's, Hattie B's, 400 Degrees, Pepperfire, Bolton's, Bishop's... there's a Facebook group, Fraternal Order of Hot Chicken, lol https://www.facebook.com/groups/322277431146041/

 

My personal fave is Hattie B's.

[raildog]

Hattie B's is good but prince's atmosphere is better nothing like standing in the parking lot eating off the tailgate of the truck and making new friends

[peejman]

At some point I'm gonna have to try this stuff. 

 

What kind of heat is it?  Like Hooters wing heat, jalapeno heat, habanero heat, or.... ?

[Steelharp]

It's a heat unto it's own. One of the main ingredients is cayenne... no buffalo type, though. Other peppers are used, too; I'm no chef, so I couldn't tell ya.

[peejman]

It's a heat unto it's own. One of the main ingredients is cayenne... no buffalo type, though. Other peppers are used, too; I'm no chef, so I couldn't tell ya.

 

 

That's a good answer as far as I'm concerned.  I like cayenne.  "Buffalo" sauce is vile. 

[Garufa]

At some point I'm gonna have to try this stuff. 

 

What kind of heat is it?  Like Hooters wing heat, jalapeno heat, habanero heat, or.... ?

 

I don't know about the other places but at Princes, if you order right, the chicken is red.  That might give you some idea.

[TNMTBik3r]

Hattie B's is too inconsistent. Order Hot one day and absolutely no heat, the next week Hot is at the level of Damn Hot.

Pepperfire is good. Their chicken quality is above Hattie B's and a different type of hot.

[raildog]

I've tried it at home with cayenne i can't do it as good as they can and if you put a nuff cayenne it will turn it red like you put in food coloring that is when it right it will make you sweat in place that you did not know you could think i know were me and the guys are eating lunch

[E4 No More]

Hot Stuff on Bell Road in south Nashville uses Ghost Pepper in their rub. It'll light yur azz up both times! :)

[10-Ring]

Can anyone comment on the levels of heat?  I like hot but I don't like it when it's just pure hot with no flavor for the sake of burning you.  I find at most places the hottest offering really isn't good food it's just so hot that you can't taste anything, you finish it in misery and regret it more the next morning.  I remember a bar when I was in college that had a wing sauce like that, I swear that they used OC spray to flavor the wings.  It was a miserable heat, it would make your whole face feel like it was on fire and then it would go numb I remember my lips swelling up once from it.   

[felinesNfreedom]

I love hot chicken but have never made it up to eat any of it in Nashville. I always had Gus' in Memphis and loved it. I need to make a trip up one day to try these places.

[gjohnsoniv]

I don't know about the other places but at Princes, if you order right, the chicken is red. That might give you some idea.

That's the truth.

[MacGyver]

At some point I'm gonna have to try this stuff. 

 

What kind of heat is it?  Like Hooters wing heat, jalapeno heat, habanero heat, or.... ?

When you get over this way some time, shoot me a note.  I'll grab Richard and we'll go over to Prince's.  If you're going to eat one, it should be the original.

[MacGyver]

Can anyone comment on the levels of heat?  I like hot but I don't like it when it's just pure hot with no flavor for the sake of burning you.  I find at most places the hottest offering really isn't good food it's just so hot that you can't taste anything, you finish it in misery and regret it more the next morning.  I remember a bar when I was in college that had a wing sauce like that, I swear that they used OC spray to flavor the wings.  It was a miserable heat, it would make your whole face feel like it was on fire and then it would go numb I remember my lips swelling up once from it.   

There was a place in Seattle when I was in school out there called Dixe's Barbecue.  It was in an old garage, and they had a sauce called The Man.  I swear it was nothing but ribs and seeds of a bunch of different kinds of peppers.  It was hot.

 

The great part about it was the owner would yell at people to finish it if they ordered it on their sandwich.

[blewbayou]

I've tried the hot chicken a time or two. Even went to the hot chicken festival before in east Nashville. I like hot food, to a point. I generally order the mild at any of the hot chicken places, stuff is potent. Edited March 20, 2015 by blewbayou

[E4 No More]

Can anyone comment on the levels of heat?  I like hot but I don't like it when it's just pure hot with no flavor for the sake of burning you.  I find at most places the hottest offering really isn't good food it's just so hot that you can't taste anything, you finish it in misery and regret it more the next morning.  I remember a bar when I was in college that had a wing sauce like that, I swear that they used OC spray to flavor the wings.  It was a miserable heat, it would make your whole face feel like it was on fire and then it would go numb I remember my lips swelling up once from it.   

"Heat" is extremely subjective. My wife ate ketchup on her tacos when I first met her, and now she's stepped up to mild sauce that I think is bland. She gets pissed when she accidentally gets a piece of my jalapeno in a pizza or cheese. Personally, I like sweet heat or tasteful heat. I do NOT like man-test heat where the only point is to see what you can take. It is food that you pay for, after all. Hot Stuff, (that I mentioned earlier), has a tasteful heat. I order their extra-hot wings every time because it's flavorful, IMO. But to your question I would tell them that you are a virgin to their restaurant and ask for a taste test to determine the heat level that you want. I would imagine most would be happy to oblige because they want you to come back. Two or three wings of varying heat is a very small investment to make on a new customer.

[JAB]

"Heat" is extremely subjective. My wife ate ketchup on her tacos when I first met her, and now she's stepped up to mild sauce that I think is bland. She gets pissed when she accidentally gets a piece of my jalapeno in a pizza or cheese. Personally, I like sweet heat or tasteful heat. I do NOT like man-test heat where the only point is to see what you can take. It is food that you pay for, after all. Hot Stuff, (that I mentioned earlier), has a tasteful heat. I order their extra-hot wings every time because it's flavorful, IMO. But to your question I would tell them that you are a virgin to their restaurant and ask for a taste test to determine the heat level that you want. I would imagine most would be happy to oblige because they want you to come back. Two or three wings of varying heat is a very small investment to make on a new customer.

 

I agree that there is no point to just heat with no flavor.  That said, as your tolerance builds, you begin to taste a lot of flavor where before you only tasted heat.  For instance, when I eat raw habanero I taste a sort of smoky, citrus quality.  With raw ghost pepper, there is a little 'smokiness' and the citrus quality is more pronounced, kind of lemony.  Raw scorpion pepper is similar to the flavor of ghost pepper but with even less 'smokiness' and more citrus. 

 

Another benefit is the endorphin rush (cheap, legal, natural high) that eating something extremely hot can give.  Of course, as with any 'buzz', as you build a tolerance it takes more and hotter to give the same effects.  I have never had hot chicken but it sounds like it would be good.  I do like buffalo wings and hot wings.  Like you, I also often like a sweet heat.  Thai food is often good for that.  Also, hot wings with a mango-habanero sauce are really good.  There used to be a place in Knoxville called 'Sarge's Barbecue'.  The guy had been a Sergeant in the military, hence the name.  He called his barbecue 'Virgin Islands style' and his sauce had a good bit of clove, etc. in it.  His hot barbecue sauce was made with habanero (this was back when habaneros weren't nearly as ubiquitous as they are, now) but still had the flavor of clove, brown sugar, etc.  I could danged near drink that stuff - it was delicious!  Too bad he retired and the place closed :cry:

Edited March 20, 2015 by JAB

[Sam1]

http://www.hattieb.com/

 

 

Hattie B's is the best hot chicken in town.  We go to the Charlotte Pike place about once every other week for lunch, it seems to be more consistent than the downtown site.

 

As for the heat scale, I love habanero stuff and their "Hot" is about the highest on the scale that is enjoyable.  Have never had the urge to try the Damn Hot or Shut the Cluck Up levels.

[Garufa]

JAB is right about the flavor.

 

I grew some Ugandan Red Habaneros last year that had an amazing taste...at least for the first few seconds before everything went to hell.  Those things make those wimpy orange things from the grocery store look like candy.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Garufa

[bersaguy]

I got burned out on hot chicken bad about 1995 and have not tried any since. A bunch of us got together and went to watch the races and Nashville Speedway cause afew of my friends where still driving back then. After the races the drivers dragged to whole bunch of us to a place on Murfreesboro Road near the old Alladin plant to what was once a Shoneys. They ordered up to huge platters of hot Wings. My eyes were already watering soon after we went in the place. I asked for a large Ice water because I am not much on beer. The platters were put on the table and folks began grabbing them and just sucking them down with cold beer. I picked one up and bit off just enough to realize I had made a grave mistake. I asked for a few slices of Light Bread and more Ice Water. Within about 15 minutes I was able to feel my mouth again and with my tongue I could feel a few small blisters forming in my mouth. Needless to say the platters were mostly empty before we left but not because I helped and I stopped my wife just before her first bite cause she was not a really spicy food liker to begin with. I nursed a mouth full of blisters the following day and that was the end of my hot chicken for ever.......I learn by my mistakes...................... :puke: :puke: :rofl:

[peejman]

When you get over this way some time, shoot me a note.  I'll grab Richard and we'll go over to Prince's.  If you're going to eat one, it should be the original.

 

 

Will do, thanks! 

[Caster]

Is that all they do is fried chicken?