Get ready to spice things up at 400 Degrees, where Aqui Hines serves up juicy, deep-fried Nashville hot chicken from a vibrant food truck, gaining cult status with locals for its perfect crunch and flavorful heat.
"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
"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. 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
"Native Nashvillian and lifelong hot chicken fan Aqui Hines first started 400 Degrees more than 15 years ago, gaining loyal fans via her food truck and her Clarksville Pike restaurant (the airport has a location now, too). Hines’ hot chicken recipe calls for deep-fried rather than skillet-fried chicken, the chief distinction between 400 degrees and most other restaurants." - Eater Staff
"Native Nashvillian and lifelong hot chicken fan Aqui Hines first started 400 Degrees more than 15 years ago, gaining loyal fans via her food truck and her Clarksville Pike restaurant (the airport has a location now, too). Hines’ hot chicken recipe calls for deep-fried rather than skillet-fried chicken, the chief distinction between 400 degrees and most other restaurants." - Eater Staff
"400 Degrees, a Nashville hot chicken destination, was mentioned in the curated list of black-owned restaurants." - Delia Jo Ramsey
