Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese (A Foolproof Method That Works)

I’ve always believed the best food lives at the intersection of comfort and chaos. That, right there, is Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese. You’ve got the ultimate comfort food—creamy, decadent mac and cheese—colliding with the fiery, electric chaos of Nashville hot chicken. A perfect marriage, right?

Wrong. For months, it was a culinary disaster in my kitchen.

Every attempt I made ended in one of two soul-crushing failures: a greasy, broken cheese sauce, with shimmering pools of angry red oil floating on top. Or, chicken so soggy it was genuinely sad, its once-crispy coating turned to mush under the weight of the sauce. I became obsessed. This wasn’t just about a recipe; it was a technical puzzle I had to solve.

This recipe is the result of that obsession. It’s my foolproof method for mastering the fusion. A step-by-step guide to creating a perfectly stable, gloriously creamy cheese sauce that can handle the heat and a chicken crust so crisp you can hear it crackle across the room.

This is how you win the battle of oil and dairy. This is how you create harmony between comfort and chaos.

Why This Recipe Works

• A Truly Stable Emulsion: We build the cheese sauce in a specific way that allows the spicy Nashville-style oil to be fully incorporated without ever breaking or turning greasy. It’s a game-changing technique.
• Shatteringly Crisp Chicken (That Stays Crisp): The double-dredge method and my specific frying instructions create a crust that remains audibly crunchy, even after being drizzled with that signature hot oil.
• Flavor Layering Mastery: This isn’t just mac and cheese with some hot chicken thrown on top. We infuse the heat and smoky flavor at multiple stages—in the chicken brine, the hot oil glaze, and even subtly within the cheese sauce—for unbelievable depth.
• A Rock-Solid Roux Base: Our cheese sauce is built on a perfectly cooked roux foundation, creating a velvety texture that’s scientifically engineered to prevent graininess and fully emulsify the spicy oil.

Key Ingredients for Success

Great recipes aren’t about a long list of fancy items; they’re about using the right ingredients and understanding the job each one has to do. This recipe is a perfect example. We’re choosing specific players for their unique strengths to guarantee that creamy, stable sauce and crispy, fiery chicken.

The Crispy Chicken & Brine

• 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp Louisiana-style vinegar-based hot sauce (like Frank’s RedHot, for tang and salt)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Neutral oil for frying (peanut, canola, or lard)

The Nashville Hot Glaze

• ½ cup of the hot frying oil or melted lard
• 3 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder

The Mac and Cheese

• 1 lb elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 8 oz Gruyère or Fontina cheese, freshly grated
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and fresh-cracked black pepper to taste

The Nashville Hot Seasoning & Glaze

This isn’t just about heat; it’s about a balanced, addictive fire. The glaze is where the magic happens, and every component is a calculated choice.

• Cayenne Pepper is Our Star: We lean heavily on cayenne here for a very specific reason. It delivers a bright, clean, and potent heat without a lot of other competing flavors. This allows the smoky paprika and the richness of the chicken to shine through, giving you pure, unadulterated Nashville-style fire. This clean, direct heat is quintessentially American, but if you’re a true chili aficionado and want to explore the nuanced, fruity fire of Italian chilies, my Calabrian Chili Pasta is an adventure in flavor you have to try.
• Dark Brown Sugar is the Peacemaker: A blast of pure spice is just noise. The molasses in the dark brown sugar is the crucial element that tames the cayenne’s wild side. It doesn’t make the glaze sweet; it provides a deep, caramel-like counterbalance that makes the heat complex and keeps you coming back for another bite.
• Hot Lard or High-Smoke-Point Oil Is the Vehicle: This is non-negotiable. We build the glaze with the hot fat used to fry the chicken. Traditionally, this is lard, which gives an unparalleled savory depth. But a good canola or peanut oil works beautifully, too. Using the hot fat is what “blooms” the spices, unlocking their full aromatic potential and creating a luscious glaze that clings perfectly to every nook and cranny of the crispy chicken.

The Ultimate Cheese Sauce Base

The secret to a cheese sauce that can stand up to that spicy oil without breaking is all in the cheese selection. This blend is engineered for flavor and stability.

• Sharp Cheddar for That Classic Punch: You can’t have mac and cheese without that iconic, tangy cheddar flavor. It’s the backbone of the taste profile. But on its own, aged cheddar has a tendency to become greasy or grainy when melted. It brings the flavor party, but it needs a partner to manage the texture.
• Gruyère or Fontina for the Silky, Creamy Melt: This is our insurance policy against a broken sauce. Cheeses like Gruyère and Fontina are supreme melters. They have the perfect protein and moisture structure to create a smooth, elastic, and incredibly creamy sauce that holds together beautifully. They act as the emulsifying agent that allows us to incorporate fat and liquid seamlessly, guaranteeing a velvety texture and preventing any chance of graininess. They’re the reason this sauce is so foolproof.

The Right Tools for the Job

You don’t need a kitchen full of expensive gadgets to master this dish. But for a recipe that hinges on getting two specific textures exactly right—shatteringly crisp chicken and velvety smooth cheese sauce—a couple of key tools are non-negotiable. Think of these as your insurance policy for perfect results every single time.

A Heavy-Bottomed Pot or Dutch Oven

This is for frying the chicken, and its importance cannot be overstated. The absolute secret to getting an incredibly crisp crust, rather than a greasy, oil-logged mess, is maintaining a stable oil temperature. A thin, flimsy pot just won’t cut it. When you add the chicken, the temperature will plummet, causing the chicken to boil and soak up oil instead of frying.

A heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, preferably cast-iron, is a master at holding heat. Its sheer mass means the oil temperature stays consistently hot, instantly crisping the coating on contact and ensuring the chicken cooks through quickly and evenly. This is the difference-maker.

A Sturdy Box Grater

I’m going to be very direct about this one: you must grate your own cheese from a block. Do not, under any circumstances, use the pre-shredded cheese that comes in a bag.

Those bags are convenient, but they are the number one cause of grainy, broken cheese sauces. To prevent the shreds from clumping, manufacturers coat them with anti-caking agents like potato starch or powdered cellulose. When you try to melt that cheese, that starch dissolves into your sauce and completely ruins the texture. It prevents a smooth, glossy melt and creates a gritty, disappointing result. Taking two minutes to grate your own cheese is the single most important step for guaranteeing that rich, velvety sauce we’re after.

Expert Tips for Flawless Results (Troubleshooting)

After making this dish more times than I can count, I’ve learned that success comes down to mastering two key moments. These are the make-or-break stages where other recipes fail. But if you follow these two pieces of advice, honed over years of trial and error, I guarantee you’ll get a perfect result.

The Secret to a Perfectly Stable Sauce (No Graininess, No Grease)

The foundation of any legendary mac and cheese is a flawless, velvety sauce. A broken, grainy, or lumpy sauce is simply not an option in my kitchen. The secret is all in how you handle the roux and incorporate the milk.

First, when you melt the butter and whisk in the flour, let it cook for a full minute, constantly whisking. You’re not just combining them; you’re toasting the flour. It will bubble and froth, and you’ll smell a wonderfully nutty aroma. This simple step cooks out the raw, pasty taste of the flour, which is the first mark of an amateur sauce.

Now, for the most critical moment: adding the milk. Do not dump it all in at once. This temperature shock is what causes lumps. Pour in about half a cup of the milk and start whisking vigorously. The mixture will immediately seize into a thick, ugly paste. Don’t panic. This is exactly what you want. Get that paste perfectly smooth first. Once it’s lump-free, you can start slowly streaming in the rest of the milk while whisking, and it will incorporate beautifully, creating a flawlessly smooth base for your cheese.

The Secret to Perfectly Crispy Chicken (That Stays Crunchy)

Your second mission is to achieve a truly shatteringly crisp chicken crust—and make sure it stays that way. This comes down to two things: the right dredge and the right frying technique… When the oil isn’t hot enough, the coating steams and soaks up grease instead of instantly crisping. The ability of hot oil to reach temperatures far higher than boiling water is the key, and if you’re curious about The physics of what makes fried food so crispy, it’s a fascinating read. Working in batches is the final step to guaranteeing every piece of chicken is phenomenally crispy.

The result is a soggy, heavy mess. Work in at least two or three batches, giving the oil a minute to come back up to temperature in between. A little patience here is the final step to guaranteeing every piece of chicken is phenomenally crispy.

How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese

Alright, this is where the magic happens. We’ve talked strategy; now it’s time for execution. Follow these steps precisely, and I promise you a stunning result. We’ll work in three clean phases to keep things organized and calm.

Creating the Velvety Mac and Cheese Base

1. Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add your pasta and cook according to package directions until just shy of al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Drain the pasta and set it aside.
2. Start the Roux: In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it’s fully melted and bubbling slightly, sprinkle in the flour. Whisk constantly for about 60-90 seconds. The mixture will froth, and you’ll smell a lovely, nutty aroma. This is cooking the raw flour taste out.
3. Build the Sauce Base: Pour in about a half cup of the whole milk and whisk vigorously. It will form a very thick paste—this is perfect. Get this paste completely smooth. Now, slowly stream in the rest of the whole milk and the evaporated milk while continuing to whisk. The sauce will become smooth and begin to thicken.
4. Melt the Cheese: Reduce the heat to low. Do not walk away. Add your freshly grated cheddar and Gruyère cheeses a handful at a time, whisking until each addition is fully melted before adding the next. This slow process prevents the sauce from breaking.
5. Finish the Sauce: Once all the cheese is incorporated, your sauce should be glossy, thick, and velvety. Stir in the Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until every noodle is beautifully coated. Set aside while you make the chicken.

Frying the Authentic Nashville Hot Chicken

1. Marinate the Chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk and the hot sauce. Add the chicken thigh pieces, ensuring they are fully submerged. Let them marinate for at least 30 minutes on the counter, or up to 4 hours in the fridge.
2. Prepare the Dredge:In a separate shallow dish, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and black pepper.
3. Heat the Oil: Fill a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with about 2-3 inches of neutral oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F (175°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, a small drop of dredge should sizzle furiously on contact.
4. Dredge the Chicken: Working with one piece at a time, lift the chicken from the buttermilk, letting any excess drip off. Dredge it thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing to make sure the coating adheres everywhere.
5. Fry in Batches: Carefully place the coated chicken into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry for 4-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the chicken is a deep golden brown and audibly crispy. Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken, allowing the oil to come back up to temperature between batches. Crucially, do not discard the hot frying oil.

The Final Assembly & The Crucial Infusion

1. Make the Nashville Hot Glaze: This step moves fast. Carefully measure ½ cup of the hot frying oil from your pot into a heatproof bowl. Add the cayenne, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder to the hot oil. Whisk immediately and vigorously until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is a uniform, shimmering red.
2. Assemble the Dish: Scoop a generous portion of the creamy mac and cheese into a serving bowl.
3. Apply the Heat (Two Ways): For the most authentic Nashville experience, place your crispy chicken in a separate bowl and pour the hot glaze over it, tossing to fully coat each piece. Alternatively, for a slightly less intense heat, you can arrange the chicken on top of the mac and cheese first.
4. Serve & Garnish Immediately: Place the glazed chicken atop your mac and cheese. If you didn’t toss the chicken in the previous step, drizzle the glaze over the top now. Garnish with several dill pickle slices—their acidity is essential for cutting through the richness. Serve immediately while the chicken is at its absolute crispiest.

Pro Variations to Customize Your Dish

One of my core beliefs is that a great recipe should be a starting point, not a straitjacket. Once you’ve mastered the core technique of this dish, you can start playing with the flavors to make it perfectly yours. Here are two of my favorite, fully tested variations.

Adjusting the Heat: From ‘Mildly Warm’ to ‘Blazing Hot’

The beauty of making the Nashville hot glaze yourself is having total control over the fire. Don’t be afraid to tweak the cayenne to match your personal preference.

• For a Mildly Warm Kick: If you love the smoky flavor but not the intense burn, simply reduce the cayenne. For the hot glaze, use just 1 tablespoon of cayenne and increase the smoked paprika to 1 ½ teaspoons. This gives you all the flavor with just a gentle hum of heat.
• For True “Nashville-Level” Fire:If you’re a serious chilihead, you can push the limits. Prepare the glaze as written with the 3 tablespoons of cayenne, and then whisk in ½ teaspoon of ghost pepper powder or finely ground dried habanero along with the other spices. This will give you a blistering, authentic heat that builds beautifully. Proceed with caution!

The “Spicy-Sweet” Variation (Honey & Bourbon Glaze)

This is an incredibly popular twist for a reason—the combination of smoke, spice, and sweet is absolutely irresistible. It softens the cayenne’s sharp edges and adds another layer of complexity.

To make it, prepare the Nashville Hot Glaze exactly as the recipe directs. After you’ve whisked the spices and sugar into the hot oil and everything is uniform, simply add 1 tablespoon of good-quality honey and 1 teaspoon of bourbon to the glaze. Whisk again until everything is fully incorporated. The honey enhances the caramel notes of the brown sugar, and the bourbon adds a subtle, oaky depth that works wonders with the smoked paprika. It’s a simple change that creates a truly memorable flavor.

Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions

Let me be perfectly honest with you. This dish is designed to be eaten immediately. The magic is in that glorious first-bite contrast between the hot, shatteringly crisp chicken and the rich, velvety mac and cheese. Can you eat leftovers? Absolutely. But to have any hope of recapturing that magic, you have to be strategic.

Storing Leftovers & Freezing Advice

The single most important rule is to store the components in separate containers. Combining them is a one-way ticket to a sad, soggy chicken coating.

• For the Fridge: Place the cooled mac and cheese in one airtight container and the leftover Nashville hot chicken in another. The mac and cheese will keep beautifully for up to 4 days. The chicken is best within 2-3 days.
• A Note on Freezing: I do not recommend freezing the fried chicken. The texture of the crispy coating will be permanently compromised during the thawing process. The mac and cheese base, however, can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months, but be aware the sauce may lose some of its perfect creamy texture.

The Best Way to Reheat

Our goal is to revive two very different things: the creamy sauce and the crispy chicken. That requires two different methods.

• For the Mac and Cheese (Restoring Creaminess): Cold cheese sauce seizes up and gets thick. To bring it back to life, place it in a saucepan over low heat. Add a splash of milk or cream (about 1 tablespoon per cup of leftovers) and stir gently and consistently until it’s hot and creamy again. The extra liquid is the key to restoring that original, velvety texture. You can also do this in the oven by placing it in a baking dish, adding the milk, covering with foil, and heating at 350°F until warmed through.
• For the Chicken (Reviving the Crisp): Your mission is to drive moisture out of the coating and make it crunchy again. The air fryer is by far the superior tool for this job. A few minutes at 375°F (190°C) will bring back a remarkable amount of that original crispiness. If you don’t have an air fryer, the oven is the next best thing. Place the chicken on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 5-8 minutes, until hot and crispy. The one tool you must never use is the microwave—it will turn that beautiful crust into a steaming, soft disappointment.

What to Serve With Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese

This dish is a glorious, full-on assault of richness, fat, spice, and carbs. It’s a powerhouse. When you’re thinking about what to serve with it, your mission is not to add more richness but to provide a contrast. You need cool, sharp, acidic flavors to cut through the decadence and refresh your palate between bites. These are my non-negotiable pairings.

• Classic Dill Pickle Slices: Let’s be clear: this is not a garnish. It is an essential component of the dish. The sharp, vinegary acidity of a good dill pickle is the perfect foil for the fiery, rich chicken glaze and the creamy cheese sauce. That burst of brine cleanses your palate and gets you ready for the next decadent spoonful. Every single bite of authentic Nashville Hot Chicken is served with pickles, and this mac and cheese is no exception.

• A Crisp, Vinegar-Based Coleslaw: Notice I said vinegar-based, not creamy. A heavy, mayo-drenched slaw would just add more richness to an already rich plate. That’s the last thing you need. A simple slaw made with shredded cabbage, carrots, a splash of vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and a little salt and pepper is the perfect side. Its crisp, cool, acidic crunch provides a wonderful textural contrast and brightens everything up.
• Classic White Bread: This might seem overly simple, but it is the most traditional accompaniment for a reason. A slice or two of soft, plain white bread is the perfect, neutral tool for the job. It’s a blank canvas that serves one crucial purpose: to sop up every last drop of that incredible, spicy Nashville glaze left on your plate. It’s not fancy, but it’s the right move.

Frequently Asked Questions

Flavor Foundations & Sauce Secrets

Texture & Technique

The Science of the Stable Fusion: Why This Recipe Works

Great cooking often feels like magic, but I’ve learned over 30 years that it’s almost always simple science. The reason this recipe for Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese works flawlessly every time—while others end in a greasy mess—is because we respect two fundamental scientific principles. Understanding them is the key to your success.

The Power of the Flour: A Roux-Based Emulsion

At its core, a cheese sauce is an emulsion: a mixture of fat (from the butter and cheese) and water (from the milk) that don’t naturally want to stay together. The number one reason a sauce “breaks” is because this emulsion fails, and the fat separates into greasy pools.

Our secret weapon against this is the roux. When you cook flour in butter, you’re not just thickening; you are creating millions of tiny starch molecules that act as powerful stabilizers. As you whisk in the milk and cheese, these starch molecules wrap themselves around each microscopic droplet of fat. This creates a protective shield, preventing the fat from clumping together and allowing it to remain happily suspended in the liquid. This is what creates a stable, flawlessly smooth, and velvety sauce that can stand up to what comes next.

The Technique of Tempering: Marrying Oil and Cream

Now you have a perfect, stable emulsion. The final challenge is introducing the Nashville hot oil—pure liquid fat—without destroying your hard work. Dumping a large amount of hot oil directly into a creamy, dairy-based sauce would cause a catastrophic shock, instantly breaking the emulsion.

This is why our assembly method is so critical. By drizzling the hot glaze onto the chicken first, we are effectively tempering the two components. The chicken acts as a buffer. The glaze coats the crispy crust, and then the finished chicken is placed on top of the mac and cheese. The two elements meet, but they don’t violently collide. This technique allows you to get the fiery flavor of the oil and the creamy texture of the sauce in the same bite, without ever compromising the stability of the sauce itself.

It’s not magic; it’s just good chemistry. And now you’ve mastered it.

Tried This Recipe? Let’s Connect!

Thank you for trusting me with your dinner! Bringing this recipe to life is a real achievement, and I genuinely hope you loved every creamy, spicy, and crispy bite.

Tried this Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe? I’d love to know what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating below! Your feedback helps other home cooks find success in the kitchen and helps me know what you want to see next.

And if you’ve officially fallen in love with the ultimate fusion of spicy chicken and creamy pasta, you’re in the right place. For a different but equally iconic combination, my foolproof Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe is a must-try. If you’re looking for a restaurant-style kick, this Copycat Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta always gets rave reviews. For even more inspiration, you can explore all of my tested and perfected Spicy Chicken Pasta Recipes page.

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About the Author

Kate Thompson created KitchensLovers.com to simplify dinner for real-life families. She develops easy, flavor-packed chicken pasta recipes tested dozens of times to guarantee results. Her motto: ‘Easy Pasta, Every Time.’

This recipe was last tested and updated in October 2025 to ensure perfect results.