As a Nashville, Tennessee native, fried chicken was always one of my favorite meals, and I developed a taste for one of Nashville's most unique foods: hot chicken. When I learned that one of my idols and fellow Nashville-native, Reese Witherspoon, revealed her favorite Nashville hot chicken place, I knew I had to try this chicken.
Nashville Hot Chicken
Until coming to college, I never realized that most people have never tried the delicacy of hot chicken. Throughout high school, hot chicken was my go to menu favorite, and is a staple meal every time I return home. Hot chicken, the Nashville specialty, is a type of fried chicken coated in a blend of spices and peppers with lots of heat and flavor. Typically, hot chicken is served on top of a short stack of white bread to soak up some spice, and topped off with pickle chips.
Hattie B's Menu
Reese Witherspoon's favorite hot chicken place, Hattie B's, serves many delicious fried chicken options. While waiting in line, people must choose what level of spice they are ready to handle, from "Southern," which has no spice, all the way to the "Shut the Cluck Up!!!," which is rumored to make people sweat and cry. Then, you decide whether you want chicken tenders, wings, 1/2 bird, or a sandwich.
In addition, they feature many southern-style sides that are needed to calm your mouth after trying the chicken. These sides include crinkle cut fries, collard greens, black-eyed pea salad, and pimento mac n' cheese.
The Chicken and Sides
I didn't know exactly what Reese Witherspoon ordered, but I decided to keep it simple and ordered two medium tenders, one hot tender, fries, and collard greens. The fries were crispy and salty, and even had a little spice themselves. The collard greens were definitely needed to balance out all the spice in my meal! The chicken exceeded my expectations—the outside was so light and crispy that the chicken almost broke when I picked It up.
And now, how hot is hot? After devouring one medium tender, I prepared myself and picked up the heat. The "hot!" tender was actually crispier, juicier, and more flavorful, but almost made my eyes water. I normally can't tolerate much heat, so I probably won't be ordering the "Damn Hot!!" or "Shut the Cluck Up!!!" any time soon, but some people say Hattie B's is so good at hot chicken that, "the hotter the better!"
The casual vibe, picnic tables and baskets full of finger-licking-good chicken made trying Reese Witherspoon's favorite hot chicken such a fun experience. I will definitely be back again to try their peach cobbler or banana pudding. You could say Hattie B's has definitely been added to my list of best Nashville restaurants.