I’m talking about the zany good finger lickin’ Nashville HOT chicken dip you must taste for yourself…it’s right here! If you are feeling adventurous, go ahead and bump up the amount of hot sauce and cayenne pepper and buckle up!

Did you know that offering something sweet alongside a spicy dip such as this helps to “tame” the heat?

Nashville Hot Chicken is a buttermilk-brined fried chicken that’s been breaded in a coating which is bursting with cayenne pepper. This recipe for a dip version of the classic borrows the best part of that flavor profile. It introduces a creamy component. Cream cheese and buttermilk balance the hot sauce, cayenne, and garlic. The combination creates a zippy finger lickin’ dip that works with everything from chips to chicken wings. The dip should be tasted and adjusted. Bump up or leave the amount of hot sauce and cayenne pepper to suit.

Game night generally includes wings, a couple of dips, cheese and olives, and some really good wine!

I am still working on additional dishes to assemble using the same method for the tenders; all white meat chicken breast that is hand cut and hand-breaded, then cast iron pan fried until crispy and golden. If I’m honest, those tenders are the basis for soooo many amazing meals, that I could go on and on. But right now, it’s all about Nashville hot chicken and this incredibly sassy dip.

Nashville HOT Chicken is on just about every menu these days. If you’re not from the South, it may be that you have not heard of Nashville HOT Chicken. Let me recap…Nashville Hot Chicken is a buttermilk-brined fried chicken breast that’s been breaded in a coating bursting with cayenne pepper. It’s slapped between 2 slices of white bread, topped with additional hot sauce, and slices of dill pickle. So, a firecracker of a chicken recipe, and a darn awesome chicken sandwich. The first time I ordered Nashville HOT Chicken, I swear it was as if the sandwich spoke to me…

Dip Recipes Like These Just Make Entertaining Look Like A Walk In The Park!

I’ve since ordered hot chicken in many venues. Not all chef’s interpret the method the same. Diversity sparks imagination for sure in many restaurants here in Charleston, South Carolina. And because I’ve been served this sandwich all over the United States with variations from mild in New York, to a southwestern seasoning in California, and hot-sweet-hot in Carolina, I’m bringing it back to Tennessee for the spicy chicken comfort food I’ve come to love.

My fave HOT Chicken is prepared with hot honey and just a wee bit of heat from cayenne. The rest I prefer to add on my own by way of a bottle of hot sauce. That honey, that sweet element, really helps to bludgeon the heat no matter how much cayenne or hot sauce we’re talking. I’ve often been served this sammie with sweet potato fries that have been seasoned with cinnamon sugar, so I’m not fibbing with the sweet/hot angle. Hey, we’re talkin’ Southern here. ‘Sweet and heat’ were practically married below the Mason Dixon Line folks…

The dip I am sharing today is a spin-off of HOT Chicken. When I’m throwing a party, this is easy to make. It’s also a huge crowd pleaser. Before I go further, let me first state that I assemble this recipe two ways. Pay close attention now, because if you’re thinking this is just another recipe for using up your rotisserie chicken leftovers, You’d be wrong. Nope, not a version of chili con carne dip or fajita dip either. Scratch habanero clam chowder dip and BLT dip, too. And sadly no, if you think this is just another recipe for a slow cooker Buffalo chicken dip, you’d be REALLY WRONG.

The zany good finger lickin’ Nashville HOT chicken dip you must taste is a dip for dunking fully cooked chicken wings into.

Move over fast food, move over pizza, because this hot spicy dip recipe, either way, is as easy to assemble as drive-thru chicken or a medium 3 topping pie! The amount of heat you add is entirely up to you. I’m going to get you to ‘the devil’s doorstep’ but that’s it. At that point, you will taste and you will add according to the level of heat you enjoy…

Nashville HOT Chicken Dip number one is a creamy-based dip for a chicken wing. YES. A chicken wing. This allows the dudes in your garage that your hubby invited over to watch the game in his man cave the option to snack on a wing, or snack on a wing he’s opted to enjoy a little hotter by dunking that delicious wing.

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Nashville HOT Chicken Dip number two is a creamy-based dip with chunks of spicy chicken tenders and a scatter of finely chopped half sour pickle on top. It’s works well with a plain scoopy corn chip, lightly salted pita chip, or crudités. I serve HOT Chicken this way when I know I am offering to kids or for game night when wings are just too messy.

The one menu item for when I host game night aside from Smoky Black Eyed Pea Hummus Dip is consistently Nashville HOT Chicken Dip number one. This is because our favorite dry rub wings from Swig and Swine are deliverable. The wings are mildly hot but I swear have a Dorito-esque rub on them that my family just cannot get enough of. They pair perfectly with the HOT Chicken Dip prepared smooth and creamy. It’s the method I will show you today.

This is a 15 minute throw-together appetizer and is fantastic if you pick up your favorite wings on the way home to save time cooking them up from scratch.

If from there, you think you’d prefer to serve as a dip with the chicken already incorporated, I am sharing the additional steps in the NOTES section of the recipe card. Prefer to make a meal out of this recipe? Been there, so do this…chicken wings or chicken fingers, dip number one as a dunking sauce, and cole slaw or fries made from scratch, ice cream for dessert…think about it! Easy recipes equal easy weeknight meals. Cooking at home wins yet again…

All images and text ©Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average, LLC