Nashville Hot Sauce Recipe

4.75 from 8 votes

This Nashville hot sauce recipe is just the right thing to slather over your baked, grilled, or fried chicken, chicken wings, or anything else you’d like to spice up.

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Course: hot sauce, sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cayenne

Servings:

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

¼-½ cup butter or ghee or vegetable oil – see recipe notes
4 tablespoons cayenne
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon honey optional, if desired
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. (If using oil, simply warm it.)
Gently whisk in the cayenne, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, honey (if using), and salt and pepper to taste. Gently heat the sauce 1-2 minutes (or longer, if desired), to meld the flavors.
Drizzle over chicken or anything else you desire. Serve it on the side as an extra dipping sauce.

Notes

Traditionally, Nashville hot chicken is served with a Nashville hot sauce that is made with the oil used to fry the chicken. It is mixed with the above combination of spices and seasonings, then drizzled over the chicken. Butter adds a nice texture to this version of the sauce, but you can use oil if you prefer. Use ¼ cup butter (1/2 stick) or oil for a thicker, more sludge-like sauce. Use ½ cup (1 stick) butter or oil for a thinner sauce.

Nutrition