The 9 Best Nashville Hot Chicken Restaurants, Ranked - Nashville - The Infatuation

"400 Degrees started as an homage to Prince’s, but it didn’t take long for the chicken here to eclipse the original. For 10 years, the chef/owner of 400 Degrees has been perfecting the recipe, producing a dangerously searing crust that you can order in varying degrees—0, 100, 200, and the eponymous 400. But if you’re hellbent on going completely nuclear, there’s also an 800 option. While most hot chicken spots pan-fry their poultry, this restaurant deep fries their chicken, which results in a fantastically crunchy and juicy final product. The play here: the leg quarter with fries, no exceptions. The tender bone-in meat is the perfect foil to the signature spice coating, a mix of cayenne, paprika, allspice, garlic, cumin, and a few other things that bring a special brand of earthy heat to the table." - jackie gutierrez jones 2