If you like spicy food then this Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza is for you!

Originally Published 08/27/2021

I’ve eaten my fair share of hot chicken after having lived so close to Nashville for so many years now, and while this pizza is no Hattie B’s, it’s a quick, easy, spicy, and delicious homemade alternative!

This recipe is a copycat of a pizza place here in town named Michaels. They introduced us to the Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza and it was love at first bite.

I wanted to see if I could replicate it here at home, and I have to say it’s pretty dang close 😃.

Other than the strangeness of pickles on pizza…there’s another secret ingredient in my Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning that may surprise you 🤔. But it really takes this pizza to a whole other level!

Ok… let’s make pizza 🔥🔥🔥

The first step for this Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza is to make the chicken hot!

You could substitute grilled chicken if you were trying to be healthy…but if you’re interested in making this pizza let’s not kid ourselves about that right now lol. Let’s save healthy for Mondays…

So, buy some unhealthy, but tasty frozen and already breaded chicken tenders. Defrost them just enough to where you can dice them up.  First, they need to be dipped in the honey and Frank’s sauce. This will help the Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning stick even more. Also, anyone who knows me knows if I can put Frank’s on it, I will.

While the chicken is soaking up some of that goodness, it’s time to make the seasoning. 

For the Ultimate Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning,

to a Ziplock bag, add 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp of salt, and the secret ingredient… 1/4 tsp of cinnamon!

Ok. Just go with me on this. I realize we are already eating a pizza with pickles on it, but I feel like if you’re reading this, and thinking about making this pizza then you already have a set of refined taste buds and are open to trying new things 😉.

It’s only Americans (I think) who associate cinnamon with sweet foods like apple pie. Other cuisines, like Indian, Moroccan, and Middle Eastern, all use cinnamon in savory dishes as well as sweet. Cinnamon and tomato are actually pretty good friends. Anyways, if you make this, try it with the cinnamon, I’m not sure you’ll even know it’s there other than you’ll think, “Oh, this is delicious!” And if you don’t like it, leave it out the next go around ☺️. Once the seasoning is ready, drain the chicken, throw it in the bag, and shake it up. All the glorious heat will stick to the chicken and you’re ready to put the pizza together!

For this Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza

I got super lazy. I’m a little ashamed. I purchased a store-bought crust. And while it did save me time, next time I will go the extra mile and make my own because… well it’s just better than store-bought. 

Side note: The dough for the Stromboli recipe is technically pizza dough, and if divided in half, rolled out, and pre-baked for 15 minutes, it will make two medium pizzas. 

So make, or buy the crusts. Slather the crusts with marinara, or pizza sauce of your choosing, sprinkle with a good amount of cheese, throw on hot chicken, and of course finish off with pickles!

I’ve come up with a theory about why Nashville Hot Chicken comes with Pickles. I mean obviously, pickles are delicious, but I think there’s a technical side to this pairing. Go with me here… Have you ever done a pickleback shot? A shot of Jameson, then chase it with a shot of pickle juice? No? Oh.. ya me either…🤫 Well, the vinegar in the pickle juice erases the flavor and burn of the whiskey. Similarly, the pickle on this pizza helps control the burn of the chicken. It’s science, I’m sure of it lol.  Back to making pizza, put it in the oven, and bake it!

Print Recipe

Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza

Extra spicy just the way we like it! This Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza is fire!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time8 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Servings: 2 pizzas

Equipment

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Medium-size Ziplock
• Medium-size bowl
• Knife
• 2 Baking Sheets

Ingredients

Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning

• 1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 Cup Water warm
• 1/4 Cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
• 2 tbsp Honey

Pizza

• 2 Pre-made Medium Pizza Crusts
• 1 Cup Marinara / Pizza Sauce divided
• 2 Cups Colby Jack Cheese divided
• 1 Cup Dill Pickle Slices divided
• 2 Cups Breaded Chicken Tenders defrosted & divided

Instructions

For the Chicken

• In a medium-size Ziplock bag, mix 1 tbsp of cayenne, 1 1/2 tbsps brown sugar, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set to the side.
• In a medium-size bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of warm water, 1/4 cup of Franks, and 2 tbsp of honey. Set to the side.
• Defrost and chop up two cups of breaded chicken tenders. After this, add all the chicken to the Franks mixture and stir to coat. Next, pour the chicken in a strainer to drain all the Franks and then pour the chicken into the Ziplock bag with the Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning. Shake until the chicken is covered. Set to the side.

Assemble

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the two crusts on baking sheets, or pizza pans.
• Start by spreading at least a 1/2 cup of marinara over the top of each of the crusts, more if you like your pizza saucy! Next, cover each pizza with at least one cup of shredded Colby jack cheese. Follow this with one cup of each of the Nashville Hot Chicken pieces, and finish off with a 1/2 cup of pickle slices.
• Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is nice and melted!
• Remove from the oven, slice, and enjoy your face melting off lol (but really only in the most delicious way possible!)

Share on Facebook

Post on X

Follow us

Save