Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Slider

 Recipe inspired by Eric Greenspan and Guy's ranch kitchen! 

Ingredients for chicken:

2 cups buttermilk

2 TBSP Tabasco

12 chicken tender cutlets or chicken breast cut into strips

Vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for hot chile oil:

1 cup vegetable oil

3 dried guajillo chiles, left whole

1/4 cup chili powder

1/4 cup smoke paprika

2 TBSP cayenne pepper

1/4 cup red pepper flakes

Seasoning Blend:

4 TBSP brown sugar

3 TBSP cayenne pepper

1 TBSP cinnamon

1TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP smoked paprika

1 TBSP white pepper

1 TBSP Lawrys season salt

Flour dredge for the chicken: 

2 cups of flour

2 TBSP black pepper

1 TBSP smoked paprika

1 TBSP Lawrys season salt

1 TBSP garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp thyme

To serve:

12 Hawaiin sweet rolls slider buns

1 small red onion, sliced thin

Hamburger dill pickle chips

Directions: 

1. Marinate the chicken with buttermilk and hot sauce for about an hour in the fridge

2. Combine the flour dredge in a large wide bowl

3. Combine the ingredients for seasoning blend, set aside.

4. Heat all the ingredients for the oil in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer, stir for about 2 minutes.  Then cover, turn off the heat and let steep and cool down. 

5. Start heating up about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a dutch oven. Heat to 325 degrees. 

6. While the oil is heating up, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.  Toss with your hands and get it nice and coated.  

7. Check your oil temperature. Fry 6 tenders at a time for 5 minutes, turning once or twice in between. 

8. Drain on wire rack over a sheet pan next to the stove.  Fry the next 6 tenders for 5 minutes and drain on rack. 

9. While your chicken is cooking, slice your slider rolls and warm them in the oven. Bring the oven up to 200 and then turn it off and keep rolls in there until ready to serve. 

9. Check oil temperature and make sure it gets back to 325.  Go back to the first batch of chicken and fry it again for 3-4 minutes until dark golden brown. 

10. Remove from the oil and fry the second batch again for 3-4 minutes. 

11. When chicken comes out and rests on the rack, drizzle with hot chile oil on both sides. 

12. Then sprinkle with seasoning blend on both sides. 

13. To assemble, pickle and onion on the bottom, then chicken, then slider top.  Enjoy! 

This was hot hot hot - about as hot as I can stand it.  Excellent layers of flavor - the chicken was moist and juicy, the outside crispy and flavorful, the seasoning is hot and really makes it taste amazing.  

Enjoy with a nice lager!