12 hot chicken rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Prince's Hot Chicken ★ 4.7 · Nashville
south-nashville · 5814 Nolensville Rd, Ste 110, Nashville, TN 37211
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.
Tip: The Nolensville location is the heart of the operation; the original Dickerson Pike shop closed and reopened on Broadway.
Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish ★ 4.6 · Nashville
east-nashville · 624 Main St, Nashville, TN 37206
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Cash and card; tiny counter, takeaway is the move.
Pretty Bird Hot Chicken ★ 4.5 · Salt Lake City
downtown · 146 S Regent St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
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.
Tip: Order 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 ★ 4.5 · Salt Lake City
downtown · 146 S Regent St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
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.
Tip: Order ahead via the operator's site for pickup; counter line stretches at lunch. Sister branches in Sugar House, Park City, Midvale.
Royals Hot Chicken ★ 4.4 · Louisville
nulu · 736 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40202
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.
Tip: Order at the counter. The hot levels run from southern to plain-clucking insane.
Royals Hot Chicken ★ 4.4 · Louisville
nulu · 736 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40202
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.
Tip: Order at the counter. Heat levels run from southern to plain-clucking insane.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken ★ 4.4 · Memphis
cooper-young · 596 Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104
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.
Tip: Counter service, no reservations. Lunch lines move; Saturdays can run thirty minutes after 12:30.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken ★ 4.4 · Nashville
hillsboro-village · 112 19th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
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.
Tip: Lines run 60 minutes at peak. Hit a satellite location (West, Downtown) or go off-peak for a faster seat.
Pepperfire Hot Chicken ★ 4.4 · Nashville
north-nashville · 5104 C Centennial Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Order ahead online; the kitchen runs 30-minute waits at lunch.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken ★ 4.2 · Birmingham
lakeview · 2808 7th Avenue South Suite 101, Birmingham, AL 35233
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.
Nashville Coop ★ 4.1 · Minneapolis
northeast · 856 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Arif Mohamed's Nashville Coop on Washington Avenue SE has fried Nashville hot chicken with Ethiopian spices in Minneapolis since 2020. Located in Northeast.
Tip: Five heat levels from Minnesota Nice to Cluckin' Hot. Closed Sundays at the Stadium Village location.
Joella's Hot Chicken ★ 4.0 · Louisville
frankfort-avenue · 3400 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40207
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.
Tip: Order at the counter for the dining room or call ahead for pickup.