Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

A recipe from Georgia Department of Education School Nutrition

The Nashville Hot chicken sandwich is a perfect balance of spicy, crispy, and juicy, with a hint of sweetness. The vibrant color comes from the flavorful sauce baked into the chicken, and it’s topped off with pickles for a truly mouthwatering finish.

School lunch tray with salad, spiced fruit salad, squash, Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich and chocolate milk.

Ingredients:

  • 50 each Bread, buns, hamburger, WG, frozen
  • 50 each Chicken, whole muscle breast, breaded, precooked, ready to eat, frozen
  • 1 qt + 2 1/4 cup Nashville Hot Sauce
  • As needed Pan spray, butter flavored
  • 100 each Pickles, dill, chips

Steps:

DAY PRIOR TO SERVICE:

  1. Pull buns from the freezer to dry storage to thaw.

DAY OF SERVICE:

  1. Place buns, bagged, in warmer to heat.
  2. Spray perforated sheet pans with pan spray and place frozen breaded chicken filets in a single layer.
  3. The perforations allow for greater air flow which results in crisper crusts on the breaded chicken.

  4. Cook chicken at 350°F for 14 minutes.
  5. Cook to 135°F or higher. A minimum internal temperature of 135°F is required for commercially processed, ready-to-eat-food that will be hot-held for service.

  6. While the chicken is baking, pour the Nashville Hot Sauce in a hotel pan. As the chicken exits the oven, use a pair of tongs to quickly dip each filet in the Nashville Hot Sauce.
  7. Once the chicken has been dipped in the Nashville Hot Sauce, place it on parchment lined sheet pans sprayed with pan spray.
  8. Immediately return the dipped chicken filets to the oven. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes. This step bakes the sauce into the breading creating rich color and flavor.
  9. Assemble the sandwiches by placing one chicken filet in each bun with two slices of pickles.
  10. No bare hand contact with ready to eat food.

  11. Spray the tops of the buns with pan spray. This creates a nice shine.
  12. Hot hold chicken sandwiches until served.
  13. Hold at 135°F or above.

    This sandwich should be batch cooked every 30-35 minutes throughout service to maintain flavor, juiciness, and texture.

Recipe Details

Meal Components:

Grain (G) icon
Grain (G)
Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA) icon
Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA)

Crediting Information

  • 2 oz. eq Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA)
  • 2 oz. eq Grain (G)

HACCP Category:

Process #2 (Same Day)

Portions:

50

Portion Size:

Sandwiches

Nutrition Information:

Nutrient Amount Unit
Calories: 252 cal
Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
Total Fat: 6.5 g
Sodium: 737 mg

Tips:

Serve with fresh lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, and condiments. Recipe goes great with our Garlicky-Dill pickles.

Additional Recipe Photographs

Chicken filets are dipped in the Nashville Hot sauce and baked. This creates the signature color and flavor that is important.

Station set up for dipping chicken filets in Nashville hot sauce.

Top chicken with pickles and spray buns to create a nice shine before serving.