Nashville Hot Chicken: A Spicy Culinary Legend

The legend of Nashville Hot Chicken starts with revenge. In the 1930s, Thornton Prince was known as a ladies’ man. After a long night out, one of his girlfriends decided to teach him a lesson. She cooked him fried chicken—but loaded it with cayenne, pepper, and spice. She expected him to suffer. Instead, he loved it.

Prince didn’t just eat the fiery chicken—he turned it into a business. He and his brothers opened the BBQ Chicken Shack in North Nashville in 1936 (Jefferson and 28th Ave N). The recipe stuck. Locals lined up for the burn. Over time, the dish became a staple. Today, Nashville Hot Chicken is a fiery icon, served everywhere from gas stations to gourmet kitchens. It all started with a woman scorned—and ended with a legacy.

At least that is the legend and André Prince Jeffries, his great-niece and current owner of the empire, sticks by the story. Let’s dig in further.

Hot Chicken Origins

Doing research, I found a lot of oral history around the black community in Nashville. One of the more interesting ones is from Dolly Ingram who, with her husband Bolton Matthews, opened Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish – more on this in a bit. In it, she talks about neighborhood fish fries and Bib Momma’s dinners, where spicy chicken and fish were regularly served. So hot chicken was a staple in the black community. The question is which came first, the Prince or the chicken. Digging deeper, I found places like Mary’s that served hot chicken, but no origin date to determine whether Mary copied it, or it was just a standard black community dish in Nashville.

Either way, Prince is the only survivor of this early age of scorched ground, so we will start the story here.

Prince’s Hot Chicken

Thornton James Prince III was born in nearby Franklin in December 1892 (day unknown), per historian Rachel Martin’s book Hot, Hot Chicken. His parents were born free shortly after the Civil War and the line goes back to Mississippi. Prince’s maternal grandmother, Ann Currine, was an enslaved cook who no doubt gave Prince some of the inspiration for his culinary dish.

BBQ Chicken Shack Days

I find no record of Girlfriend X who inspired Prince to open his Bar-B-Que Chicken Shack, although author Martin believes it is one of these five: Caroline Bridges, Gertrude Claybrook, Mattie Crutcher, Mattie Hicks or Jennie May Patton (see book also). The original location was on Jefferson at 28th St and was no more than a shack. From here Prince moved into the area just south of the Capital building, known as Hell’s Half Acre.

The Nashville Hot Chicken Opry Connection

The story here tells of George Morgan (Lorrie Morgan’s father) smelling hot chicken near the Ryman and tracking it to Prince’s Bar-B-Que Chicken Shack. The story has to have a bit more depth than that, as Hell’s Half acre was far enough away from The Ryman, it is extremely unlikely the smell would waft up that far. I believe Opry stars were introduced to chicken by George, who stumbled on the dish through some means. And this also helps us understand why Prince’s survived when other hot chicken places of this era died out.

When Urban Renewal hit the United States in 1949, the city of Nashville used it to rid themselves of Hell’s Half Acre. The area was notoriously lawless and there is no doubt its proximity to the Capital Building was of concern to the legislative body. In the process of bulldozing, Prince found another location: 1711 ½ Charlotte Pike (per a 1953 phone directory).

The Legacy Lives On

Prince died from a cerebral thrombosis on February 15, 1960 at the age of 67 and the restaurant passed on to his brother Will. It then moved to his wife Maude. Maude then decided it should go to his great-niece André Prince Jeffries, who took the word BBQ out of the name. In 1988, Prince’s moved to a strip shopping center at 123 Ewing Dr, in East Nashville. I will pick the story up again later in the post.

Dark Quarter from Prince’s – Sean Russell from Knoxville, TN, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0

Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish

Bolton Polk started his culinary journey working for Prince as a cook. After a dispute with Prince, Bolton opened his own joint, Columbo’s Hot Chicken Shack, on Shelby Ave in East Nashville. In the 90s, Polk was diagnosed with cancer and shut his Hot Chicken Shack down. The story now moves to Bolton Matthews.

Matthews, along with his wife Dollye Ingram, were working as janitors when Polk died. Matthews had his uncle’s recipe for hot chicken and Ingram had her grandmother’s fish recipe, making this a match made in culinary heaven. Bolton’s opened up on Main St a few months after I moved to Nashville in 1997. We will return to Bolton’s a bit later ,as well.

After Matthew’s death in 2021, Dollye continued to run the business, filing a trademark for Bolton’s Hot Chicken & Fish. She also started a concept called Bolton’s Spicy Cafe in midtown foods*, although this concept seems to have died out, with no mention of it lately.

* Midtown foods is a community kitchen in North Nashville where you can order food from a variety of restaurants to go.

Hot Chicken Becomes Hot

I was introduced to hot chicken in 1997when a coworker came back with some of Prince’s wings. As a lover of spice, I was hooked. Traveling to Connecticut a few months later, I found a spot called Mr. Boo’s on Donelson Pike, near the airport. I would later find Bolton’s and Wilma Kaye’s downtown. These were the only spots dedicated to hot chicken at that point in time in Nashville.

Nashville Hot Chicken joints prior to 2000.

Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack: Ewing Drive in East Nashville (moved here in 1988)
Mr. Boos – Donelson Pike, near the airport. Opened late 90s.
NOTE: A search shows 2003, but I had hot chicken from here when I was traveling in the 97.
Bolton’s – opened on Main Street in honor of Bolton Polk in late 1997.
Wilma Kaye’s – on 3rd Ave N near Printer’s Alley, this was my favorite spot when I worked downtown. In 2004, she moved the spot over to Hermitage in 2004 and shut down permanently in 2006.

Country Star Chicken

In the spring of 2001, Lorrie Morgan (daughter of George Morgan, mentioned earlier) and Sammy Kershaw decided to open a restaurant in Joelton focused on Hot Chicken. They named it HOTChickens.com. I was writing a book when I went here with coworkers and asked them to order hot for me while I was talking to my editor. I came in to see a plate of chicken covered with a thick sauce that was as dark as crude oil. When I finished the plate, the waitress came over with a polaroid and snapped my picture to put it on the wall. What I thought was hot was actually some fires of hell level of heat and I had conquered it and got my 15 minutes of fame … at least until the restaurant closed in 2006. Lorrie Morgan opened another restaurant, Lorrie Morgan’s Spicy Hot Chicken Coop in Panama City in 2019, which she sold off in September 2021.

The Mayor of Hot Chicken

The initial step of popularizing hot chicken as Nashville’s dish begins with Mayor Bob Purcell (1999 – 2007). I remember seeing Bob in Prince’s Ewing Dr location on many occasions during his tenure as mayor. In fact, many reports state Prince’s became know as Bob’s second office. We had a few short conversations while I waited for chicken, so good old Bob would not likely remember me.

Purcell was so enamored with the dish he decided Nashville needed to celebrate it in some manner and started the Nashville Hot Chicken Festival on July 4^th in November 2007.

Enter the Bishop(s)

Let’s rewind to early 2012. At that time, Nashville’s hot chicken scene was still intimate, with a handful of key players still going strong today.

Prince’s at 123 Ewing Drive was considered the OG spot, thanks to André Prince Jeffries’ storytelling and legacy. Though that location is now closed, Prince’s lives on at the airport, Assembly Hall, Nolensville Road, and Tanger Outlets.
Bolton’s at 624 Main Street is the only one still operating in its original location. It’s perfectly placed for the Hot Chicken Festival. Local’s Tip: Get the whiting—it’s a sleeper hit.
400 Degrees started at 319 Peabody in a food court near Martin’s BBQ. Founder Aqui is often cited by the Fraternal Order of Hot Chicken as serving the city’s best. The shop now operates in Bordeaux.
Pepperfire began on Gallatin Ave in East Nashville and later moved to The Nations behind Dollar General. It’s pickup-only now. Their twist? Cumin in the spice blend. Local’s Tip: Try the Applejack—a grilled cheese topped with hot chicken tenders and pie apples.
Helen’s began in a trailer in 2008 and opened a brick-and-mortar in 2014 on Jefferson St near Meharry. They fry in cast iron and add a vinegar-based sauce. It’s not the original style, but they’ve expanded to cities like Dallas.

Meanwhile, Nick Bishop Sr.—retired from the food biz since 2006—couldn’t resist the hot chicken bug. He tested it at Bishop’s Meat & Three in Franklin. The recipe came from son-in-law John Lassiter and caught the eye of Nick Bishop Jr., who teamed up with his dad to launch a hot chicken spot of their own.

That was the scene before the boom. The roots were deep, and the fire was just starting to spread.

The B in Bishop, the H in …

You probably recognize the name Hattie B’s. The B is for Bishop. The Hattie is a generic name taken from many women in the family that bore the name. The chicken is one of the hottest commodities in the Nashville Hot Chicken scene – pun intended.

Hattie B’s is controversial. Many locals consider them “tourist chicken” and feel there is appropriation. Alton Brown voted their chicken better than Prince’s. Oh the drama. One claim is they claimed to have invented hot chicken, but having conversations with Nick Jr. years back, he has always given credit to Prince’s for Hot Chicken as the original. I also find evidence, including this interview. What Hattie’s did for Nashville Hot Chicken is market it across the country, adding to Purcell’s legacy of making this a nation-wide phenomenon.

If you search, you can find the Bishops started releasing “their recipe” in nationwide magazines, pushing the idea Nashville had their own dish. And the result is clear. The plan worked. There are now numerous hot chicken joints and food trucks.

After the Mayor and Marketing

After the Hot Chicken Festival and Hattie B’s marketing blitz, a new wave of contenders hit Nashville.

Hurt’s Hot Chicken began pre-COVID with LaMont and his son JaMon pulling a trailer. JaMon tragically passed in 2024. Say hi to LaMont and grab the Nashville Hot Chicken Gyro.
Red’s Hot Chicken, born in 2013 as a food truck, now sits behind West End McDonald’s. Pro tip: pair a crunchwrap with a beer at Springwater or picnic in Centennial Park.
Party Fowl launched in 2014 and uses habanero for extra kick. Donelson’s the best location. Try the Hot Chicken Fried Chicken with sawmill gravy.
Lily’s Hot Chicken, opened in 2021 at the Farmer’s Market, is a solid pick for visitors. Bonus: TN State Museum next door.
Slow Burn Hot Chicken popped up near Yazoo’s old Madison spot. Cast iron skillet? Check. Killer sides? Check. They invented the Hot Chicken Donut and Fritter. They reopened in midtown food and continued in a food truck, although the future is up in the air with the death of Joce Reed in September.
Brave Idiot is Dylan Field’s food truck behind No Quarter in East Nashville. Infatuation loves it. Go around 5 or 6 for max heat. Show cat pics for a discount.

Other names in the mix: Mack’s, Hell Hot, BJ Hot Chicken, Blazin’ Bird, Flamies, Grandaddies, and Hot Stuff Spicy Fish and Chicken.

Summary? Prince’s started it all with a spicy revenge dish. Hattie B’s marketed it to the masses. Now, hot chicken is Nashville’s crown jewel. End of story—or is it?

The Night Hot Chicken Burned

On Monday, September 5, 2016, Prince’s followed Hattie B’s lead and opened a second location in Brentwood at 5814 Nolensville Pike. Two years later a tragedy struck Prince’s. On December 28, 2018, around 4:30 AM, a stolen Ford Explorer crashed into a convenience store on Ewing Drive and set the strip mall ablaze, destroying the oldest location of Prince’s. Police speculate this was either an insurance scam or using a car to rob a convenience store gone awry when the vehicle lit up. Either way, the perpetrator(s) were never found.

On the good side, Prince’s recovered from the fire and there are now Prince’s locations in Assembly Hall downtown, the Airport, Nolensville Road, and Tanger Outlets in LaVergne. On the negative, hot chicken is never going to be the way it was when I moved here.

Hot Chicken Around the Nation

Nashville Hot Chicken can now be found across the United States and in some select locations around the world. Of the locations I have tried, the most true to form is Howlin’ Rays in Chinatown in Los Angeles. Others:

Eugene’s Hot Chicken – Birmingham, AL – Founded by East Nashville native Zebbie Carney. Started as a food truck, now a brick-and-mortar favorite.
Peaches HotHouse – Brooklyn, NY – A soul food staple offering Nashville-style hot chicken with ghost pepper heat. Opened in 2010. I found this a bit stringent for Nashville Hot.
The Fremont Diner – Sonoma, CA – Retro roadside spot serving hot chicken with waffles, collards, and craft beer in wine country. Not 100% to style, but this is California wine country.
The Budlong Hot Chicken – Chicago, IL -Multiple locations with a full menu of hot chicken options, from sandwiches to tender-topped salads.
Dave’s Hot Chicken – Nationwide – Started in LA as a parking lot pop-up. Now a fast-growing chain with locations across the U.S. and Canada. If you feel like testing its authencity, the chain has a location in Nashville.
Joella’s Hot Chicken – Midwest & Southeast – Based in Louisville, KY, with locations in several states. Offers heat levels from Southern to Fire-In-Da-Hole.
The Crack Shack – California, Nevada, Utah
Chef-driven chicken concept with Nashville-style options and upscale sides.
Chick-N-Skin – Seattle, WA – Known for crispy chicken skins and Nashville-style tenders with bold spice. Honesty more about the skin than Nashville hot, but the tenders are good.

What is Hot Chicken?

If we want to talk true to form, it is a spied southern fried chicken, coated with a sauce made of oil, traditionally lard, with ample amounts of Cayenne pepper, set down on slices of white bread, and topped with dill pickles. Bolton’s who is number two in this area, does more of the spice in the breading. Hattie B’s focuses on adding in some brown sugar. Pepperfire adds some Cumin. Helen’s has some vinegar sauce (I think of sort of a blend of Buffalo and Nashville). Like any dish, each adds their own interpretation, but all pay homage to Girlfriend X, or maybe the African American community whose hypertension flipped them from salt to pepper.

Where to Find Hot Chicken

The map above shows all of the main spots, except the food trucks, like Hurts Key for the map. As much as possible, I have them in the order they were founded (and ignored any now defunct). Prince’s Hot Chicken

Prince’s Hot Chicken – 4 locations (Assembly Hall, Airport, Tanger Outlet, and Old Hickory Blvd)
Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish – East Nashville
400 Degrees – Bordeaux
Pepperfire – Nations
Helen’s – 2 locations (Jefferson and in midtown – also Madison)
Hattie B’s (also a location at #1, Assembly Hall)
Party Fowl – Domnelson
Slow Burn – food truck (may reopen in midtown foods?)
Red’s Hot Chicken – Centennial Park
Brave Idiot – East Nashville
Lily’s Hot Chicken – Farmer’s Market
BJ Hot Chicken – Murfreesboro Road (East)
Flamies, The Hot Chicken Factory – East Nashville
Grandaddy’s Original Hot Chicken Shack – Hermitage (not on the map)

What is the Best Hot Chicken?

THis is a contentious subject, but here are arguments for the ones that routinely come up in conversation when talking the best hot chicken in Nashville.

Prince’s – still gets kudos at the OG in the space. Since they moved from cast iron skillet, due to volume, it has not been the same. In addition, they are taking shortcuts at the Assembly Hall and Tangers outlets locations, so the OHB location in Brentioch (Brentwood/Antioch) is the only one I go to.
Hattie B’s – Very controversial as some contend Nick Bishop claims to have invented the dish (I find evidence to the contrary with him telling how Prince’s was the OG). Visitors love Hattie B’s for their consistency, juicy chicken, and sides.
400 Degrees – If you get into the Fraternal Order of Hot Chicken, 400 degrees gets top votes. You can go off menu all the way up to 900 degrees, but be warned … it is VERY, VERY spicy.
Red’s Hot Chicken – Red’s sits by Centennial Park behind the McDonald’s in a literal shack. He gained notariety when he won Nashville Hot Chicken week for most original dish: Hot Chicken Crunchwrap – mac & cheese, tortilla, hot chicken.
Brave Idiot – An unassuming permanent hot chicken truck behind No Quarter in East Nashville. Dylan’s scale is 1 to 10, but 1 through 7 are traditional cayenne, while 8-10 add in reaper. A 4 or 5 will make most people cry.
Hurt’s Hot Chicken – A food truck that parks over in Mt Juliet during the week, but gets around town. Lamont is a great friend and one of the nicest guys in the biz. His hot chicken gyro is my go to.

Final Thoughts: The Fire Still Burns 🔥

From Prince’s legendary revenge recipe to the cast-iron grit of Bolton’s and the creative chaos of Slow Burn and Brave Idiot, Nashville hot chicken is more than a dish—it’s a movement. It’s a story of family legacies, food trucks turned institutions, and spice levels that test your soul. Whether you’re chasing the original flavor or exploring new-school riffs, every bite tells a piece of Nashville’s culinary history.

But the story isn’t finished. New contenders rise, old legends evolve, and the debate over who’s got the best heat rages on. That’s where you come in.

We want to hear from you.
Drop a comment below with your favorite hot chicken spot, your go-to order, or the wildest heat level you’ve survived. Got a hidden gem we missed? A spicy memory worth sharing? Let’s keep the conversation sizzling.

For deeper feedback, collabs, or to share your own hot chicken story, head over to our contact page and reach out. Whether you’re a local, a traveler, or a spice evangelist, your voice helps shape the next chapter.

Until then—stay crispy, stay curious, and never underestimate the power of a well-seasoned thigh.

Peace and Grace,

Nashville Hot Chicken: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Spicy