12 editor picks across United States.
12 hot chicken restaurants worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Andre Prince Jeffries's family invented hot chicken in Nashville in the 1930s. The Nolensville shop runs the canonical version. James Beard America's Classic.
OrderQuarter dark, Medium heat, plain white bread with pickles.
TipThe Nolensville location is the heart of the operation; the original Dickerson Pike shop closed and reopened on Broadway.
Bolton Polk's Main Street hot chicken shop in East Nashville is the editor's pick on the hot-chicken map: smaller, cheaper and darker-fried than Hattie.
OrderHot chicken thigh sandwich with slaw, plus the hot whiting fish.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Cash and card; tiny counter, takeaway is the move.
Pretty Bird Hot Chicken on Regent Street, chef Viet Pham's Nashville-style downtown fast-casual since 2018, anchors Utah's chef-driven hot chicken movement.
OrderHot chicken sandwich at the heat level of your choice plus a side of slaw.
TipOrder ahead via the operator's site for pickup; the counter line stretches at lunch. Park City, Sugar House and Midvale branches are siblings.
Pretty Bird Hot Chicken on Regent Street, chef Viet Pham's Nashville-style fast-casual since 2018, anchors Salt Lake's chef-driven hot chicken movement.
OrderHot chicken sandwich at your heat level plus a side of slaw.
TipOrder ahead via the operator's site for pickup; counter line stretches at lunch. Sister branches in Sugar House, Park City, Midvale.
Royals Hot Chicken on East Market in Louisville fries Nashville-style hot chicken from Ryan Rogers's Eternal Optimist group, the NuLu counter open since 2015.
OrderThe hot chicken sandwich at medium heat, with a side of tachos.
TipOrder at the counter. The hot levels run from southern to plain-clucking insane.
Royals Hot Chicken on East Market in Louisville has fried Nashville-style hot chicken from Ryan Rogers's Eternal Optimist group since 2015, the NuLu counter.
OrderThe hot chicken sandwich at medium heat, with a side of tachos.
TipOrder at the counter. Heat levels run from southern to plain-clucking insane.
Hattie B's Cooper-Young Memphis hot chicken counter, the Nashville import on South Cooper Street, runs heat levels from Southern to Shut the Cluck Up.
OrderHot quarter, dark; pimento mac and cheese on the side.
TipCounter service, no reservations. Lunch lines move; Saturdays can run thirty minutes after 12:30.
The Bishop family's Midtown hot chicken counter in Nashville opened in 2012 and is the tourist-friendliest gateway to the dish. Located in Hillsboro Village.
OrderHot chicken at Hot level, pimento mac, banana pudding.
TipLines run 60 minutes at peak. Hit a satellite location (West, Downtown) or go off-peak for a faster seat.
Isaac Beard's hot chicken shop in Nashville moved to Centennial Boulevard in 2024. The Tender Royale, a sandwich on grilled cheese, is the cult order.
OrderTender Royale at Medium, plus a side of mac and cheese.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Order ahead online; the kitchen runs 30-minute waits at lunch.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken on 7th Avenue South in Lakeview is the Birmingham branch of the Nashville hot-chicken chain, serving a five-tier heat ladder.
OrderHot chicken sandwich, Pimento mac and cheese, Banana pudding
Arif Mohamed's Nashville Coop on Washington Avenue SE has fried Nashville hot chicken with Ethiopian spices in Minneapolis since 2020. Located in Northeast.
OrderThe Hot Chicken sandwich with the medium heat level and house coop sauce.
TipFive heat levels from Minnesota Nice to Cluckin' Hot. Closed Sundays at the Stadium Village location.
Joella's Hot Chicken on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville cooks Nashville-style hot chicken across six heat levels with hormone-free birds, a family-friendly.
OrderThe hot chicken tenders at Southern style, plus pimento mac and cheese.
TipOrder at the counter for the dining room or call ahead for pickup.
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