On my first trip to Nashville a few years ago, I heard about a hyper-local delicacy made from three discernible ingredients: chicken, cayenne pepper, and lard.

A few hours later, I was sitting with friends at a picnic table staring at a Styrofoam box of chicken legs, pickle disks, and white bread, all covered in dark red powder. After a few beers and a lot of napkins, our boxes were empty and we sat in contented silence, feeling like we were coming down from an adrenaline high.

This is the ideal result of eating Nashville hot chicken. When it’s properly prepared, the chicken’s overwhelming heat eventually yields to a pleasant taste and texture underneath. When you finish eating it, you feel accomplishment, mixed