There is no denying that Nashville Hot Chicken is all the rage right now. Whether it is fried chicken, wings, or sandwiches, that spicy flavor profile has everyone screaming for more Nashville Hot! The downside, however, is few people like to mix up a concoction of spices, fry chicken, use some of the frying oil to make a paste or sauce with the spices, then dip the chicken to complete the process in their own home kitchen. It's messy, greasy, quite a bit of effort, and a bit of a hassle to say the least. What if I told you that we can recreate that same Nashville Hot flavor with just a few simple ingredients and toss everything in a slow cooker using almost zero effort? Today's recipe, Slow Cooker Nashville Hot Shredded Chicken, is the answer to all your needs and spicy chicken desires! Can you handle the heat that is about to get thrown down? Let's Get Cooking!
Begin by melting the butter and combining it with chicken stock, cayenne, brown sugar, garlic, paprika, and chili powder. Whisk together these ingredients until well combined and a homogenous sauce forms. This is base flavoring for our Nashville Hot Shredded Chicken so season accordingly. If you like a good kick of heat but just on the tongue, stick with 2 tablespoons of cayenne. Bump that up to three tablespoons if you want to go a step further and have your lips tingle with spice. Finally, if you are a glutton for spice punishment, by all means add 4 full tablespoons of cayenne and prepare to sweat! Additionally, rather than regular chili powder, Hot Calabrian Chili Powder not only adds a bit more heat, but also another deeper level of flavor most people won't even expect. It's all based on personal preference of course, but I highly suggest making your first batch with 2 tablespoons of cayenne and working from there on subsequent attempts.
Once your spicy sauce is ready, simply place your chicken breasts in your slow cooker and cover with the sauce. Use a pair of tongs to move the chicken around and ensure the breasts are coated on all sides. Other than that, set the slow cooker to Low, cover with the lid, and let it rip for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, use a couple forks or tongs to shred the chicken. After all the chicken is completely shredded, be sure to stir everything around to ensure maximum spicy Nashville Hot Sauce coverage throughout all the chicken fibers. You can choose to either remove the breasts to shred in a separate container and return to the slow cooker or just shred them in the slow cooker itself. The better you shred the chicken the more the fibers will soak up the sauce for maximum flavor!
Believe it or not that wraps up this Slow Cooker Nashville Hot Shredded Chicken recipe! Like the traditional fried version, pair your shredded chicken with some pickles on a bun and enjoy. Alternatively, you can keep things low carb and just enjoy it as is, tingly-numb mouth and all! Is it exactly the same? Well, not really, but for minimal effort and maximum flavor this is definitely the way to go. If this sort of lazy, half-ass cooking is your style then get in the kitchen and make a batch for yourself.....Just Keep Cooking!
SLOW COOKER NASHVILLE HOT SHREDDED CHICKEN
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