In today’s recipe I will show you how to make an amazing grilled Nashville hot chicken sandwich!
If you know about Nashville you will know that people line up in the street to get their hands on fantastic deep fried chicken that is dipped in a wonderful hot sauce. Today we are going to make it with a little bit of a Mississippi twist and it will really turn out incredible. This one is going straight on the Weber so that the skin gets crispy.
How Prepare this Grilled Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich ??
OK, lets start cooking. When it comes to the chicken we want to use the chicken thighs. We do this because they have so much juice inside them when they are cooked. Depending on how many sandwiches you want depends on how many chicken thighs you are going to be using. Firstly take your thighs and using a paper towel get all the moisture off the meat. You can place inside and give it a bit of a press or blot the chicken with the towel.
Dry the Thighs
The reason we dry the chicken is so that it gets crispy when exposed to the high heat. With the chicken dry it is time to get some rub on it. I use a general mix of salt, black pepper and garlic salt. For this recipe we are going to add some extras to the rub. You want to add some white pepper, cayenne pepper, chipotle pepper and some spicy paprika. The paprika is going to add a bit of smokiness to the flavor. Don’t be shy when adding the rub to the chicken. You want to get a really good coating all over the meat. You want to spray some vegetable oil onto the skin side off the chicken after you add rub. This oil is going to help you get that really crispy finish on the meat.
Fire Up the Grill
With this done get outside and fire up the grill. I am using a Weber so the next bit might be slightly different for you. I’m starting with a chimney of B&B charcoal briquettes. When they get really hot i put them straight into the vortex and add the cooking grate. With this done close the lid and check that the vents are open on the top and bottom.
As soon as your grill is hot get your chicken straight onto it. Don’t place it directly over the coals, put it just off to the side. This will avoid flare up and stop your chicken getting flamed and charred. If you want to add some wood to the coals for a smoke flavor then a piece of cherry wood will add some great extra flavor. Get the lid closed and wait until the chicken gets up to about 175 degrees. This should take about 30 to 40 minutes.
Make the Hot Sauce
Whilst the chicken is doing its thing you can make a start on the hot sauce. The hot sauce is very flexible. A lot of it depends on your heat tolerance so there are no hard and fast rules. You want to get a good chunk of butter, some canola oil and as much hot sauce as you desire into a a pan. When the butter starts to melt down and combine then you want to add some more of the rub that you put on the chicken. At this stage add some paprika for its coloring and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. Get it nice and hot so that it is off a good consistency.
After about 20 minutes it is a good idea to get back out to the grill and check on your chicken just to make sure all is well. Maybe give the chicken a turn to make sure all of it gets an even go at the heat. Don’t flip them over as you want the skin to really crisp up. The high heat is going to make sure this happens.
With the chicken done its time to head back into the kitchen with it. Open up your buns, give the chicken a really good dip in the hot sauce and place it in the bun. This is where it is down to you. Get some pickles on top of the chicken. Maybe add some coleslaw or some ranch dressing and you are done! These things have a really great kick off heat and a fantastic flavor. You are going to love them. The family is going to love them. Everyone is going to love them!
If you love these, you will love our Chicken Peri Peri recipe!
