A few weeks ago I was in Nashville for work. We are currently supporting 13 rural districts in Western Tennessee as they develop a beginning teacher mentoring program in conjunction with the University of Tennessee Martin.
Martin, TN is about 2.5 hours from Nashville, so my co-worker and I typically fly into Nashville, rent a car and drive to Martin the day before our first day of presenting to the mentors. We will stay in Martin for two days, then drive back to Nashville after the 2nd day of professional development. Because we end around 4pm, by the time we make the drive back to Nashville, it’s usually too late to catch a flight back home so we’ll stay the night and fly early the next morning.
The best thing about staying that extra evening in Nashville? The food, of course! Nashville has become so much more than music city these days. Nashville is a foodie’s dream! From places like Pinewood Social (get the meatloaf, trust me!) and Husk (sit at the bar and order a drink!), to The Pharmacy (best burger of my LIFE) and The Family Wash (breakfast? Order the Montre-ya’ll and a custom coffee from their coffee bar!)
The Montre-ya’ll from The Family Wash!
The Meatloaf from Pinewood Social!
And then, there’s what Nashville is probably BEST known for: Nashville Hot Chicken! 
There’s a LOT of debate as to just WHO has the best hot chicken in Nashville. Some will say Prince’s, while others prefer Hattie B’s. Well being in Nashville I just HAD to have my first taste of hot chicken, and because I’m the self-proclaimed chicken lady, I just had to visit the ever-so-cutely decorated Hattie B’s! 
OMG ya’ll. <3 <3 <3
Of course I loved the decor, but the chicken was just, well, TO DIE FOR. Hot, spicy, and SO flavorful. My first hot chicken experience did NOT disappoint!
While I’m sure I could find some variation of Nashville Hot chicken here in Tampa, I decided to whip up my own version of this after an intense craving hit me this weekend. I just HAD to have it! After doing a little research, I was able to lock down a variation that did the trick.
My version has a light and crispy coating made with a combination of coconut flour, almond flour and brown rice flour (making this a great gluten free option!). And instead of using traditional brown sugar in the hot sauce, I’ve used a little bit of coconut sugar! Here is the recipe! 
- For the chicken
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- oil for shallow frying (coconut, palm, canola, avocado- I used 1/4 coconut 3/4 canola)
- Salt for seasoning after frying
- 3/4 cup oil (avocado works well)
- 3 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it!)
- 1 tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- Soak the chicken in buttermilk for 1-2 hours.
- In a bowl, combine the rice flour, coconut flour, almond flour, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Heat the oil to 325 degrees in a deep skillet (medium high heat).
- Set up a dredging station: 1 dish with whisked eggs, 1 dish with the flour mixture.
- Dredge chicken in this order: flour, egg, flour.
- Fry until gold brown, 4-5 minutes on each side. Set onto a rack or paper towel and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- While the chicken is frying, prepare the sauce: in a small sauce pan whisk oil, paprika, cayenne pepper, coconut sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat until it just begins to simmer, whisking a few times as it simmers. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Before serving, spoon hot sauce onto the pieces of chicken. You can also dip the entire piece of chicken in the sauce! Serve with slices of dill pickles! Enjoy!
Oh man you have this foodie’s mouth watering and eagerly anticipating a trip to Nashville! I cant wait to try this chicken!!! Also, I really enjoyed reading about your jobs mission! Very cool work!