Nashville Hot Chicken

I don't think there are many who still read my posts here that eat much fast food, but I thought I'd mention what I had last night for dinner. I'd seen a couple of good reviews for KFC's limited-time special, Nashville Hot Chicken, so I tried it last night. It does taste reasonably good. I would not say it's the best tasting spicy chicken I've ever had, as KFC touts in it's advertising. I understand they have both 'original and 'crispy' versions. What I had was the 'original,' and I would guess it is basically KFC 'original' breading with some significant additions to the spice mix. They mention in the advertising both cayenne and smoky paprika. There is a lot of paprika in it as the chicken coating, as presented, looks red. I'm pretty sure there is ground cumin as well. Wing Stop's cajun flavor wings are spicy hot and have quite a bit of cumin. KFC's Nashville has a milder flavor. Wing Stop's cajun has a stronger cumin flavor. Wing Stop's cajun is hotter initially, and I think it tastes better. Again KFC's tastes good. The dish Nashville Chicken as served in Nashville comes with dill pickle slices. So does KFC's. The pickles KFC used are a bit wimpy, and I don't think they added much. However one piece of chicken I got apparently got a good drop of pickle juice on it when the preparer was spreading the pickle slices out one per piece. That piece noticeably tasted of dill, and that flavor did add quite a bit. It might be better to eat it with your own dill pickles

What about the heat of the 'Hot Chicken?' It's deceptive. The breading effectively hides how much capsaicin you are getting in your mouth. While you are eating you get mild flashes of heat, like biting into bits of black pepper. Toward the end of the meal though enough oil has coated your mouth that it begins to sting. And after you've finished it seems hot. Not knock you down hot. But significantly hot and it stays hot in your mouth for hours. Personally I don't remember that kind of reaction to cayenne, before. But I do remember having that happen with hot paprika. I do wonder if KFC has blended hot and mild paprika for this recipe.

KFC's Nashville Hot Chicken is definitely not for anyone who can not take lots of spices or hot foods. It seems mild, but it is quite potent... after you have finished eating.
( Problems I had )