Why Hot Chicken And Pickles Taste So Good Together

What do peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, and hot chicken and pickles have in common? They're all iconic and broadly loved food pairings (obviously). But what really makes hot chicken and pickles go so well together? For aficionados of the famous Nashville-style hot chicken, having pickles served on the side is standard, and there's a solid reason for this combo.

The pairing of pickles and spicy chicken is intentional, and elevates the complexity and layers of flavor in each ingredient. Although pickles have a strong and distinct tanginess, they can act as a more subdued partner for the chicken. Hot chicken is marinated in a brine, and then brushed with an additional sauce filled with fiery spices like cayenne and paprika, along with garlic and brown sugar. This creates an explosion of spicy flavors, and without the bright and salty pickles, your mouth might be overwhelmed by the heat.

When it comes to understanding why pickles effectively counteract the spiciness of hot chicken, it's all about the brine. In cooking, there are several ways to make dishes less spicy, including adding an acid or a sweetener, and your basic pickle brine consists of sugar, white vinegar, salt, and water — the sugar and vinegar being the magic behind why pickles help tone down the chicken's heat. Additionally, many hot chicken recipes incorporate pickle juice into their brining step (some even use it as the whole brine), which is another reason why those salty slices complement the dish so well. Marinating poultry in pickle juice isn't uncommon, with turkey brine often benefiting from the addition of pickle juice as well.

The pairing of spicy foods with acids and sweeteners is not new — Thai cuisine, for example, uses plenty of acid to balance the chili heat. Besides pickles, sugary acidic foods like ketchup and citrus fruits also effectively balance out spice. Another method that hot chicken-serving establishments might use to soothe your palate is by offering spicy chicken with sliced bread — starches are excellent at dampening the heat.

There are numerous cuisines worldwide that take advantage of pickled foods to add another layer of tangy flavor to their dishes. One extremely popular example is achar, a staple in Indian cuisine. Instead of a cucumber base, achar pickles are made from mangoes and are sweet, peppery, spicy, and slightly sour. Achar is commonly served alongside Hyderabadi biryani, a popular rice dish — but some people simply mix them with plain old rice. The pickles' acidity helps to cleanse your palate between bites, making them the perfect complement to Indian dishes that often have a kick of spice.

Another extremely popular pickled food that's often paired with lots of spice is pickled radish, a sweet and crunchy staple in Korean cuisine, often served with — you guessed it — fried chicken, which can come coated in a spicy sauce. There's also kimchi, which is technically a fermented (not traditionally pickled) food made using lots of sugar — one of those ideal heat-cutting ingredients. Of course, kimchi itself can actually pack a hot punch when you consider the garlic, onion, ginger, and red pepper flakes that also go into crafting it, but the acidity and sugar still brighten up any dish they're served with, much like pickles do for hot chicken. The fermented food is highlighted in dishes like kimchi fried rice, but can also be enjoyed on its own (just like the beloved cucumber pickle).