Nashville not-so-hot chicken: A cook’s journey to joyfully set his taste buds ablaze
Favorite foods are a funny topic for a chef. After decades of food obsession and practice, eventually, there are too many ‘canon’ memories to distill the list to one. My true original must have been PB&J, an eternal staple. I still have at least three a week - strawberry jam for life. But the first recollection of a “favorite,” like most young Americans, was chicken tenders and glorious deep-fried potatoes. I’m also not ashamed that it really hasn’t changed; my “favorites” list has just gotten longer. This preference has also branched into its own family tree, with one branch growing to resemble more of a second trunk: Nashville-style Hot Chicken. I won’t wax on about the origin, but I will summarize: Nashville-style hot chicken started as revenge. While that first batch was born as a ploy to ruin the palate of a treasonous lover, it soon became a standard of delicious, crispy, juicy, and cartoonishly-mouth-flame-inducing chicken that has spread from coast to coast. At least that’s what it should be.
Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack on Patton Avenue in Asheville, NC was my first. Rocky’s has become a local institution only about four and a half hours from the ‘Mecca’ that is Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville. The menu has most permutations of chicken, including tenders and quarter birds, turned into salads, wraps, and daily specials. All accompanied by your typical fresh, fried, and sweet accompaniments. What draws your eye is the “menu” of heat levels, all paired with an approximate Scoville Heat Unit number scale: 0 for plain, to (as of 2014) 1.4 Million SHU - Mount Saint Hell-no. My first experience with this particular peak is a story for another time, and remains a favorite story for me and my spice buddy Jamie. Paradoxically, that fetal-position-inducing experience was formative. The involuntary release of endorphins created a unique experience that elevated simple fried chicken to something worth pursuing, and suffering the consequences. But this isn’t just an essay about what fried chicken is and why I like it. No, this is also about the tragic reality of modern eateries and food trends.
If you walk into Rocky’s today, you’ll see one significant change: Mount Saint Hell-no has been leveled, to make room for lower SHU in the pursuit of saving face and profits. My only guess is one too many naive chicken patrons punched above their heat class, demanding a refund or leaving a misguided review, and forced the owners to tuck their tail and bow to the masses. I get it. Being a small business owner is unforgiving, and when it’s a question of keeping butts in seats or holding onto pride, I’m not sure I’d make a different choice. But once you decide to make that kind of change, pulling the fire extinguisher out and dropping your heat from “Nashville Hot” to something barely more than “Buffalo Hot,” I can’t help but be disappointed. And the truth is this is the reality of the majority of “Nashville Hot Chicken” that I have encountered in the following years. For god’s sake, Chili’s has “Nashville Hot” chicken crispers on their menu. Needless to say, it’s pathetic and will be addressed in the future.
I have visited seven dedicated “hot chicken” restaurants in the D/FW metroplex as of this writing, and I’ve tried at least another five “Nashville-style” dishes, usually sandwiches, at other eateries. There are only two that have tried to uphold the standard of Thornton Prince’s suffering. The sad reality is that all but the most sensitive patrons could handle the hottest level without much of a sweat. Enough is enough. Bring back “spicy” chicken and leave Nashville hot designations for the food that is worthy of the moniker.
My journey through the realm of hot chicken has been both fiery and disappointing. From the initial allure of Nashville-style heat to the gradual dilution of its essence in eateries across the country, the quest for true spiciness continues. As we navigate the landscape of culinary trends and commercial compromises, it becomes evident that preserving authenticity is a challenge worth undertaking. Stay tuned for future explorations into the world of flavors, where we'll delve deeper into the heart of what makes a dish truly unforgettable. Until then, keep your taste buds primed and your appetite adventurous. There are more tales of Cayenne fueled intrigue yet to be shared.
