Nashville Hot Honey Chicken Slider Sandwiches

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

To make your own Nashville Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches, you need only some pantry staples: buttermilk, chicken thighs, and slider buns.

The complete ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are our preference since they are juicer and more flavorful than chicken breast. If you substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut them in half and pound them down slightly.
• Buttermilk is a classic marinade for fried chicken since it will tenderize without making it tough. You can use a combo of regular milk and lemon juice as a substitute if you don’t have buttermilk. Use 1 cup of milk for everyone and one tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Hot sauce gives the buttermilk marinade a little heat, adding another level of spice to the chicken sliders.
• Smoked paprika, white pepper, and cayenne pepper are the main sources of heat and flavor in the flour dredge and the hot honey sauce. For additional heat, you can add red pepper flakes.
• Honey and brown sugar add sweetness to the spicy fried chicken.
• Slider Rolls make this a sandwich. We used King Hawaiian Slider Buns for their texture and hint of sweetness, but you can substitute your favorite slider bun.

How to Make Nashville Hot Honey Chicken Sliders Sandwiches

Here are the quick step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions with the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
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Pro-tip: Allow the dredged chicken thighs to rest for a few minutes to prevent the coating from falling off during frying.

1. Brining the Chicken: Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels and cut them in half to be approximately equal in size and weight. Make the buttermilk brine in a large bowl by combining the buttermilk, smoked paprika, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Add the chicken to the brine, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

2. Dredge the Chicken: Make the hot seasoned flour by combining flour, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and white pepper in a large bowl. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow the excess buttermilk mixture to drip off the chicken, then thoroughly coat each piece in the hot seasoned flour mixture. Transfer the breaded chicken to a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and repeat until all chicken thighs have been coated. Allow the dredged chicken to rest while the oil is heating up.

3. Fry the Chicken: Heat a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan filled with about 1 ½ inches of oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches about 350°F. Once the oil has come to temperature, carefully add 4-6 thighs to the pan. Fry the chicken thighs, turning them every 2 to 3 minutes until they are a deep golden brown color with an internal temperature of 160 F. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.

4. Hot Honey Sauce: Combine cayenne, honey, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Once all the chicken has been fried, carefully add a couple of spoonfuls of the hot cooking oil to the hot honey sauce and mix thoroughly.

5. Assemble the Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches: Brush both sides of the cooked chicken thighs with the hot honey sauce, then place one chicken thigh on the bottom slider bun. Add a spoonful of southern-style coleslaw, pickle slices, and the top chicken slider with the top bun. Serve your Nashville hot chicken sandwiches with french fries, steakhouse potato salad, or hatch chile mac and cheese.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Fry in hot oil. The oil needs to be heated to 350°F before adding the chicken thighs. When you add the chicken, the oil temperature will drop to about 325°F, which is the perfect temperature for frying. Frying in oil that is not hot enough will leave the food greasy.
• Use a neutral oil. Do not deep fry in olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. Besides having a lower smoke point, it adds flavor to the chicken you might not want. We love olive oil, but not for frying chicken. Instead, use a neutral oil such as canola, grapeseed, peanut, corn, or vegetable.
• Drain the fried chicken. To keep it crispy and eliminate unwanted grease, place it on a wire rack over a baking sheet for easier clean-up.
• Dip, don’t brush for spicier chicken. If you want a spicier fried chicken sandwich, dunk the fried chicken thighs in the hot honey sauce instead of just brushing on the sauce.
• Make it cheesy. Instead of a spoonful of coleslaw on your hot chicken sliders, spread some jalapeño pimento cheese on the buns or top them with a slice of pepper jack cheese.

Frequently Asked Questions