Nashville Hot Chicken Got Its Start Over A Bad Breakup

Food can be a way in which people come together at the table, but in the case of spicy and finger-lickin' good Nashville hot chicken, food was actually the tool one scorned woman used to exact revenge on her cheating boyfriend.

As the infamous story goes, in the 1930s, a man named Thornton Prince who was tall and attractive and incredibly popular with the ladies, got into some trouble at home. After a late night out, one of his girlfriends became so fed up with his philandering ways that she decided to make him his favorite food — fried chicken — but attempted to make it so spicy so that he would feel the fire of her fury. Incorporating cayenne pepper and any other spicy ingredient she could find in with the dry ingredients of her traditional fried chicken recipe, she served it to her scorned lover hoping for a bad reaction.

But, rather than bringing him to his knees with the heat, Prince ended up loving the hot chicken so much that he asked for a second round — and then set out to perfect the recipe himself. With the help of his brothers, Prince turned his punishment into a profitable business that has left an indelible mark on Nashville's culinary identity. 

We may never know the name of the woman who should be credited for inventing the first iteration of Nashville hot chicken, but she inspired a dish that the world was clearly ready for — and one that, for better or worse, her ex-lover made popular. After tweaking the recipe, Thornton Prince began selling his hot chicken to friends and neighbors around Nashville who were equally taken with it. 

By 1936, the dish became so popular that Prince and his brothers opened the BBQ Chicken Shack near HBCU Tennessee A&I and Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church. The chicken was coated with a spicy seasoning blend — cayenne being the key heat contributor — before frying. The dish was served with white bread and sliced pickles as a modest attempt at mitigating the heat. 

The BBQ Chicken Shack was a huge success, garnering an enthusiastic following among black and white Nashville residents alike. Even celebrities like George Morgan started to stop by after performing at the Grand Ole Opry to enjoy the renowned dish.

André Prince Jeffries, Thornton's great-great-niece, has been running the restaurant since 1980. The business has been rebranded as Prince's Hot Chicken, fitting since the chicken is the star here and barbecue was never actually on the menu. It also changed locations and has since become one of many hot chicken options in the city, but through it all, the restaurant remains a local legend.

If you don't have plans to visit Nashville anytime soon, there are still ways you can experience delicious hot chicken at home. As the recipe grew in popularity, it also migrated farther and farther from Nashville, eventually becoming one of the most popular food trends in the nation. If you don't have a local specialty chicken shop in town, even chains like Hardees and Buffalo Wild Wings now have options on their menus. 

One of the best ways to appreciate the dish is to spice things up and make Nashville hot chicken for yourself. If you aren't up for the challenge of preparing it fully from scratch, opt for one of the many pre-made sauce or seasoning blends available at grocers designed to simplify the process. Just dredge your chicken in seasoned buttermilk and flour mixtures (and the seasoning blend if you go that route), then fry until brown, top with a Nashville hot sauce, and serve with white bread and pickle chips for an authentic replica. You could also sandwich between hamburger buns for another way to enjoy it.