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The Urban Journal: Nashville hot chicken

Kansas City has its barbecue, Chicago has its deep dish, and Baltimore has its crab cakes. In any case, the story of a city cannot be fully told without mentioning that one dish or that one restaurant.

Prince’s is Nashville’s.

For being the staple of a city with a metro population over 1.8 million, Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack does not exude extravagance. Nestled in a strip mall just off I-65, the restaurant features very little outward signage. Inside, the benches feel more like church pews with tables that are adorned with red and white tablecloths reminiscent of summertime picnics. Orders are taken through a small window that joins the kitchen with the dining area. Standing fans dot the seating area in a vain effort to cool the air saturated with years of spice and heat.

Yet, Prince’s hot chicken is possibly one of the greatest things I’ve ever eaten. The spice mixture is sweet, followed by an enveloping yet satisfyingly pleasurable burn that stays with you for hours. As Danny Chau of The Ringer puts it in his long-form on Nashville hot chicken, “It will hurt. You might cry. And you will spend the next week thinking about when you might have it again.”

Until you’ve stepped foot into Prince’s, you have not been to Nashville. If, for whatever reason, you’re not willing to try the “hot”, which is only Prince’s third-hottest form of chicken, there are medium, mild, and even plain variants. The chicken itself is perfectly cooked, meaning even the non-hot varieties can be spiritual experiences upon first bite. The spice simply elevates the awakening.

Hot chicken’s origin story alone is worth venturing to Prince’s for, as a means to sample the end product. In the 1930s, Thornton Prince had earned himself a reputation for getting around. His official girlfriend at the time, sick of lonely, late nights, decided the best avenue to avenge her slights was to give Prince his favorite dish, fried chicken, only this time plastered with all manner of volatile spices and herbs. To her dismay, the chicken did not become Prince’s hell, but rather his craving. The woman, her name lost to history, left Prince shortly thereafter. Prince went on to open Prince’s BBQ Chicken Shack in the then-predominantly black neighborhood of Hadley Park. For more than 50 years, the secret of hot chicken was kept mainly to the black population of Nashville, largely unseen due to segregation, both by law and by choice.

As “hotchickenfrication” has swept through America, other establishments have sprung up around Nashville (speaking from experience, sampling hot chicken several times in one day is a near death sentence). Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish ranks second to only Prince’s. As the place of my first encounter with hot chicken, Big Shakes holds a reserved place in my heart, with several locations in and around the city.

While you should eat hot chicken as many times as possible while in Nashville (but again, word to the wise: once per day), the city offers plenty of other options. You are, after all, in Southern hospitality territory. If barbecue is on your mind, Martin’s BBQ, led by award-winning pitmaster Pat Martin, is an exceptional option and located close to downtown. The classic “meat-and-three” can be found at Arnold’s Country Kitchen. Exactly as it sounds, one meat, three sides, low price. Those looking for a traditional Southern-style breakfast can probably find the scratch to their itch at Nashville Biscuit House, featuring full orders of biscuits and gravy for under five bucks.

If you’re out late after experiencing one of Nashville’s many concert venues, or after taking in a Titans or Predators game, there are many late-night eateries to choose from. Five Points Pizza sells by the slice, with the walk-up window open until 3 a.m. Out later than that? The Hermitage Cafe opens at 10 p.m., and remains open throughout the night and through lunch the following day.

But seriously, try the chicken.