Hot (literally) on the heels of the popular Nashville Scene Taco Week, the fine folks over in our marketing and events department are ready to turn the heat up another notch with the 2024 edition of Nashville Hot Chicken Week. That goes down Jan. 29 until Feb. 4, and is a chance to visit some of your old favorites and possibly discover some new ones.
Following along on the socials, I saw people who made really valiant attempts to sample all the offerings from the participating restaurants in the Scene’s Burger Week and Taco Week, a truly impressive feat. I can’t in good conscience recommend that for Hot Chicken Week, because with new participants still joining the roster, there are already roughly 40 restaurants vying to attack your palate and GI with their version of the fiery fowl.
If you want to be a completist, have at it, but I’ve always been a proponent of the “plan your work, work your plan” philosophy. To that end, check out the continuously updating list of Nashville Hot Chicken Week participants and what special dishes they will be offering for just $7 so that you can plot out your self-immolation. Below are a few that caught my eye.
Tee Line is a fun nontraditional entrant to the list. Better known as a spot to discover the joys of sliding rocks down the ice, this curling venue has a very attractive bar and restaurant area to enjoy time between ends during a bonspiel. (Yeah, you’ll probably have to look that up.) Their contribution of a plate of three hot chicken bao looks like it could be a contender. Tee Line is also graciously hosting the Hot Chicken Week Kickoff Party at their facility in the Nations at 106 Duluth Ave. on Monday, Jan 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s free to attend, and there will of course be hot chicken and drink specials.
With her family’s signature dish now a global sensation, the longtime matriarch behind Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack is a cultural ambassador for Music City
Of course we need to pay respect to the OGs of hot chicken at Prince’s! Your seven bucks will get you two different deals depending on which location you visit. At their flagship restaurant off of Nolensville Road, they’re offering their hot chicken and waffles. At the their locations at Tanger Outlets and the Assembly Food Hall, you can get a 4-ounce fried breast sandwich on a fluffy Hawaiian roll along with crinkle fries, or their hot veggie wrap — filled with sautéed onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, bell peppers and lettuce. As a nice touch, you’ll be able to choose your heat level at all locations, which isn’t the case at some other Hot Chicken Week participants.
If Prince’s is the king, Bolton’s has to be considered as fellow royalty, and they’re going with the traditional spicy leg quarter sandwich and fries on Main Street. They should definitely be part of your Hot Chicken Week rota.
Another participating longtime purveyor or piquant poultry is Pepperfire, and they’re making a bold statement with their entry, calling it “Nashville's Original Hot Chicken Sandwich.” Is it the original? Decidedly not, but it definitely should be original with an offering of tenders on a toasted brioche bun, topped with poppy-seed dressing slaw and Sabi sauce served with fries. Sounds worth checking out.
Waldo’s Chicken & Beer promises to bring the heat with their Fowl Mouth Chicken Sandwich, a fried thigh with habanero oil, cheddar, jalapeño slaw, mayo and comeback sauce on a toasted bun.
Some newcomers or nontraditional chicken joints that also caught my eye include 51 North Taproom with a sandwich topped with creamy and cooling pimento cheese, Bavarian Bierhaus offering a hot chicken schnitzel, Stay Golden's hot chicken salad sandwich and the hot chicken polenta bowl from Red’s Hot Chicken.
This only scratches the surface of the interesting dishes you’ll find at participating restaurants around town, so clear your calendar for some zesty fun. Hopefully you know the drill by now during these special food them weeks, but to recap: Expect crowds and that some restaurants may run out of their daily specials if you show up later in the service, tip your hardworking servers generously, maybe buy another item or a drink to help defray the cost of the discounted menu item, and be sure to vote for your favorites! There’s even a handy-dandy app to help you plan your route and maximize your efficiency.
Best of luck to all the participants and to you who take on the task of picking a winner!
