Nashville hot chicken has seen a popularity spike in the past couple years, a southern art finally getting the recognition it deserves. Well Howlin' Ray's has an hour-long line at 5 PM on a Saturday, recognition be damned. This chicken better be worth it - the line has limited seating.
Worth it. Nashville Hot is a tricky chicken, and Howlin' Rays does it well. Apparently it's fried chicken with a spicy paste on top, and at the spice level determines how much paste the apply. Spice-wimp me gets brave and I try the Quarter Bird medium. The dark meat is tender, the crispy batter sticks to the skin, and the cayenne paste sticks to it like a layer of sandy loam. The paste adds in-your-face flavor and a grittier texture. So satisfying and so different from any other fried chicken. Pickles break up the burn, the sauce-soaker white bread is boss, and I'm quickly learning not to inhale while biting into my chicken.
My husband is wiser than I, and he orders his Sando mild. I love the medium burn, but the mild does have less paste so you can taste the batter better and is much easier to finish. The comeback sauce is a bit like a garlic mayo, and it wets down the drier paste for a creamy finish. The mild and medium hot both have their merits, but I don't think I'd go any hotter. That said, my friends loved their chicken hot so maybe I'm missing out.
I haven't had hot chicken in Nashville yet so I don't have a basis of comparison. What I do know is that Howlin' Ray's makes fantastic hot chicken and that's enough for me. But if their Collared Greens are any indication, their southern cooking is legit. These greens are steamed to goopy greatness, and the pork adds all the savor. They're exactly how they should be, and just like everything else at Howlin' Ray's; they're done exactly right.
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