I have this really vivid memory of my first trip to Whole Foods, and of the aftermath. I walked through this fairy land of a grocery store, marveling at all the wonderful sights, like wasabi paste, bulk bins, and then, oh my god, REAL buttermilk! I grabbed the insanely pricey carton of dairy, as well as a pound or so of the most expensive chicken I had ever purchased, and headed home to make myself some real, homemade fried chicken. I had never fried chicken before, but I was sure it couldn't be that hard, and I had a brand new cast iron pan waiting for just such a baptism.

Fast forward two hours later, and I had a platter of beautifully golden, crispy chicken, and absolutely no desire to eat it. I had learned an exhausting, oil-spattered lesson that some food is just better when you let other people cook it for you. 

Fast forward to almost 8 years after that, and instead of really learning that lesson, it seems I'm determined to just learn how to cheat on the test. I've made fried chicken probably twice since that first summer day in Boston, each time reminding me why I never bother, but I'll let you in on a secret I've discovered. Just fry wings! They fry up so quickly, you can't possibly be sick of them before you are done making them, and by shallow frying, you can save yourself about a quart of oil's worth of cleanup. Hooray! And thank goodness I realized this in time for the rise of Hot Chicken.

Nashville Hot Chicken seems to be the new “it” chicken, doesn't it? Once KFC starts advertising, you know you’ve hit full saturation with the mainstream. But even though the Colonel beat me to the party, that doesn’t mean I’m going to skip it all together, because this chicken is good. So, good, in fact, that it rocketed Nashville straight into the top ten on my “to visit” list. I’m not saying it’s good enough that I’d brave a Southern summer for it, but at least a fall or winter.

Since I’ve never been to Nashville, I can’t claim to be making anything close to an authentic version of this, but I did do enough research to confidently say I used one of the most respected chicken joints in Music City as a reference point, so hopefully that means I didn't stray too unforgivably far from tradition. 

This chicken is spicy, there’s no denying it. Make sure you sit down with plenty of pickles to cool your mouth down and napkins to mop up the tears and sweat. If you are a fan of spicy wings on game day, maybe plop a platter of these in front of yourself and any guests this coming Sunday, for an unexpected departure from classic buffalo wings. And if your eyes water too much to see the action on the field? Well, who cares? The Patriots aren’t playing, so for some people I know, it doesn’t matter anyway.

Hot Chicken Wings

Adapted from Hattie B's

For the Dry Brine:
2 lbs chicken wings, split into wings and drumettes
1 tbs kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

For the dredge and dip:
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/2 tbs Tabasco sauce
1 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt

vegetable oil, for frying

The "hot" part:
1/4 cup frying oil
1 1/2 tbs cayenne
1/2 tbs brown sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder

pickles, for serving

1. Dry brine the chicken: In a sealable plastic bag, toss the chicken wings in the kosher salt and pepper to evenly coat and refrigerate at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours.
2. When ready to fry the wings, assemble a dredging station: In a large bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and Tabasco sauce. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour and sea salt. Preheat at least 1 inch of vegetable oil in a cast iron pan or other high sided heavy bottomed skillet.  Whisk together all dry ingredients for spicy coating in a medium-sized, heat proof bowl and set aside.
3. When oil is ready (dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil, if it bubbles, the oil is ready), coat chicken first in the flour, then the wet dip, then the flour again. Shake off any excess.  Shallow fry chicken in batches, about 4 or 5 pieces at a time, 4 minutes on each side.
4. Lay chicken on paper towels or a metal cooling rack to drain while frying the rest of the chicken. Once all chicken is fried, turn off heat and ladle 1/4 cup of the frying oil into the dry spicy ingredients, and whisk together until combined. 
5. Baste chicken wings in spicy sauce and serve immediately, with pickles on the side.