Nashville Hot Chicken · Joshua Weissman

Whisk the 480ml buttermilk, 30ml hot sauce, 10g salt and 7g MSG together in a bowl. Submerge the 4 leg quarters completely, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours — overnight is better.

Make the dredge: whisk the 450g flour, 60g cornstarch, 10g salt, 3g MSG, 7g smoked paprika, 3g cayenne and 7g garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined.

Make the spice mixture in a HEAT-PROOF bowl: whisk together the 40g cayenne, 10g smoked paprika, 10g garlic powder, 1g onion powder, 7g salt, 25g dark brown sugar and the bouillon powder if using.

💡 Heat-proof is not a suggestion — a cup of 177°C oil is about to go into this bowl. Not plastic, not a thin glass bowl straight out of the cupboard. Metal or thick ceramic.

Fill a large, heavy 7-quart pot or Dutch oven halfway with neutral oil and bring it to 163°C (325°F) over medium heat. You will fry in two batches.

Dip your fingers into the marinade and flick small flecks of it into the dry dredge. Do this three times in total, whisking after each so the flecks spread through.

💡 This looks like a gimmick and isn't. Those damp specks turn into the craggy, shattering bits on the crust — the difference between homemade fried chicken and the good stuff.

One at a time, lift a leg quarter out of the marinade and let the excess drip off. Press it firmly into the dredge on every side until there are no bald spots left, shake off the excess, and set it on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest.

Fry at 163°C (325°F) for about 12–15 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown and the thickest part of the meat reads 74°C (165°F).

💡 Bone-in leg quarters need a low, slow 163°C — hot enough to crisp, gentle enough to cook through to the bone. Crank the heat to get it browner faster and you will serve raw chicken in a beautiful crust. Use a thermometer; guessing is not a skill here.

Transfer the chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and rest for 2–3 minutes.

Carefully ladle about 240ml (1 cup) of the hot frying oil — ideally around 177°C (350°F) — straight into the bowl of spice mixture, and whisk until smooth.

💡 This is the entire dish in one move. The hot oil blooms the cayenne, dissolves the brown sugar and turns dusty powder into a glossy red paste that actually sticks. Water or melted butter will not do the same thing.

Dunk each piece of fried chicken into the hot spiced oil and toss until it is generously coated on every side. Spoon a little extra over the top as you lift it out.

💡 Tongs, not hands, and keep your face back. This is capsaicin suspended in 170°C oil — it will find your eyes from across the kitchen, and it will not wash off your fingers before you next touch them.

Lay each piece on a slice of Texas toast and top with a couple of dill pickle coins.

Serve straight away, while the crust is still loud.

💡 The bread is not a garnish — it sits underneath to catch the spiced oil as it runs off, and by the end it is the best thing on the plate. The pickle is there to cut the burn. Both earn their place.