I don’t know which is more embarrassing, the fact that the
Kentucky Fried Chicken corporate headquarters is only 175 miles from Nashville
and they’ve just now gotten around to putting Nashville Hot Chicken on their
menu or the fact that I was born and raised only 145 miles from Nashville and
KFC had to finally put Nashville Hot Chicken on their menu before I ever tried
it.
The traditional Nashville style is to sauce the fried
chicken with a cayenne pepper-based paste then serve it with pickle chips on a
piece of white bread. Because of the shameful truth to which I’ve already
admitted, I can’t compare the Colonel’s attempt with the “real” thing but I can
tell you that the KFC stuff is mighty tasty.
At first I was a little worried that they were wimping out
on the spice but after a couple of bites a good burn began to set in. The
vinegary-peppery sauce tastes great with just the right amount of heat. For mainstream fast food fare, it’s strong.
KFC doesn’t use the standard Nashville slice of white bread
but the biscuit they include with the meal is even better. And I needed it to
sop up all the extra sauce in the to-go box (which I’m sure is the reason
behind the bread in the first place.)
The pickles are a nice touch and, ideally, I’d like one with
each bite. Unfortunately my meal came with only three little dill slices. I
don’t know why the Col. was being a cheap bastard and skimping on the pickles
but since I was eating at home I grabbed a jar from the refrigerator and made
it rain. I got pickles for days, man. That’s just how I roll.
KFC also offers coleslaw with the meal and the cool
creaminess pairs well with the hot and spicy chicken. You can substitute another side
but why? Cole slaw is where it’s at.
Ol’ man Sanders is also cool enough to supply you with a
special wet wipe.
You’re going to need it. The KFC Nashville Hot Chicken is
messy business. Ignore the strong chemical lemon smell and thoroughly wipe
yourself down after eating. You wouldn’t want to inadvertently scratch an eye or pick
a nose with cayenne-covered fingers. This meal is too damned good to end in
tragedy.
On a side note, you’re going to need something to drink with
this stuff. The science-minded junk food aficionado would choose a milk-based
beverage. That’s because (at least supposedly) the casein in milk binds with
the stingy capsaicin in the peppers and floats that stuff away. Water-based
beverages don’t beat the burn, they just spread it around.
Even knowing that, I chose Mountain Dew. The stuff was
invented in Tennessee so why not pair it with my first taste of Nashville Hot
Chicken. Besides I had a brand new Mountain Dew product chilling in the fridge
just waiting for me to sample. It's called Dew Shine. Traditional
Mountain Dew is a radioactive green color. This stuff is clear. And the regular
Dew is sweetened with corn syrup. Dew Shine uses real cane sugar like Mountain
Dew used to.
The real sugar part is fine but Dew Shine tastes like you’re
drinking the squeezings from a bunch of those KFC Industrial Chemical Lemon
Scented Hand Wipes. No thanks. I’d rather just suffer through the Nashville Hot
Chicken burn sans beverage than drink this stuff. Grab yourself some chicken
but forget the fancy Dew. Yuck.
Of course, it is entirely possible that all that hot chicken
sauce just screwed up my taste buds and Dew Shine is totally fine. As always, feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt. I know I do.
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