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Welcome to Haute-N-Ready, in which John Locanthi, Willamette Week's trencherman of leisure, tastes the hastily made, modestly priced food of the common man.
Nashville Hot Chicken is on trend. In fact, as the national culinary scene continues its rediscovery of American regional, mostly Southern, specialties, there might not be any dish trendier. I'd never heard of it until a wonderful long form story from the Bitter Southerner began circulating around the internet last summer. Within weeks, it seemed about the only thing anyone could talk about. (I actually made some for a column during that time period.) And now after months of waiting with bated breath while it was inexplicably tested exclusively in Pittsburgh, Nashville Hot Chicken has finally come to KFC nationwide.
It isn't hard to see why this Tennessean specialty would appeal to the American public. Spicy fried chicken drenched in the oil and juices it cooked in along with extra spices sounds like a delicious heart attack. The kind of meal where you know you'll at least enjoy your final few minutes on this planet. That KFC, the company that has gone out of its way to distance itself from the word "fried" in its name, would leap on this trend is an exciting surprise.
There are only two national fried chicken chains available in this area: KFC & Popeye's (Chik-Fil-A is set to arrive this upcoming March). There's usually a decent trade-off between competing chains, but that isn't so between these two. Popeye's thoroughly owns KFC in the flavor department. The latter is slightly less expensive than the former, but that's splitting hairs since both have $5 combo meals. I mean, Popeye's chicken, sides, sauces and special menu items are all on a different plane than KFC. The colonel's original recipe chicken kinda sucks. I've mostly avoided the chain since they discontinued their boneless wings with the Blazin' Buffalo Sauce Let's make a petition to bring back those wings and Wendy's pitas. But the allure of Nashville Hot Chicken was too much to pass up, so I made the arduous one-mile hike to my nearest KFC to get some spicy chicken.
The Nashville Hot Chicken comes in three meal-sized forms, all $5.49: 1 pc chicken breast, 2 pc thighs and drumsticks, and 3 piece tenders. I ordered the tenders and the two-piece bone-in to get a full range of flavors. All three of these options come with a side of coleslaw and a biscuit, but honestly, who cares?
"Warning: You are about to taste the best spicy chicken you ever had" reads the label across the plastic lid of the box. The microwave instructions just above that label made the claim dubious at best. Inside, there were two pieces of breaded chicken with reddish smudges where the cayenne pepper-cooking oil mixture had been drizzled, which is to say all over. Small pickle chips were sparingly sprinkled over the top—and not at all on the tenders. Both boxes had the biscuits, soaking in the excess juices.
It's good. Fried chicken covered in its own cooking oil and juices can only be good. Add a healthy dose of cayenne pepper and other seasonings, and it's hard for the chicken to be anything short of amazing. The Nashville Hot Chicken is one of the best things I've had for this column. It's also the best thing to come out of KFC since the aforementioned boneless wings. The chicken by itself would still be inferior to Popeye's without the oil. But that oil, dear readers. Each bite is a blast of greasy, spicy goodness. KFC's take on Nashville Hot Chicken is actually spicy. It has that pleasant, lingering burn that you expect but never get when you order "spicy" chicken at Popeye's. This is some solid ass fast food chicken.
Biting into one of the biscuits that has been soaking in the pool of oil, grease and seasonings is only going to make you appreciate this dish more. I'm not going to compare the biscuits between KFC and Popeye's, or with any other joint's biscuits. I've never particularly cared for biscuits to begin with. The Colonel's biscuits, like most everything on the planet, do taste quite good covered in spicy oil.
The coleslaw is thankfully kept in its own little container far removed from the good parts of the meal. It's the odd man out. It's the reminder that you're still actually at KFC. This saccharine, Mayonnaise-based testament to mediocrity may as well not be a part of the meal. No one would miss it.
In many ways, it's surprising to see KFC leap on a bandwagon. I am glad that it finally made its way to the national menu after being tested for an eternity in Pittsburgh. Who knows why Yum! Brands, Inc., decided to test out a meal in a market known for being neither trendy nor a good food town, but it finally made its way out. It isn't the best Nashville Hot Chicken you'll ever have. It is, however, an excellent addition to the fast food world.
Willamette Week