Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish

Nashville, TN (The Joy of Food) — Nashville is famous for the twang of its country music, the neon lights of its honky-tonk bars, and its hot chicken, the city’s potentially fatal (or, at least, not for the faint of heart) spicy fried specialty. It hurts, but it is oh so good.

Nashville is studded with restaurants that sell the stuff including the famous places like Prince’s and Hattie B’s. A veritable newcomer to the repertoire — Bolton’s, open only since 2001 — is a good choice if you want to get the real-deal hot chicken experience without melting your face off.

To say that Bolton’s is no-frills is putting it mildly. If you have heard of the magnificence of Bolton’s before, then it can be kind of a shock to see the extreme informality of the place itself, a small shack on the side of the road painted in various hues of faded blue in a part of town that might be described as ‘dicey.’ Inside, the walls are less adorned and the room is quite dark. On one side is a small space fronted by a window where the kitchen lives, no bigger than your home closet.

The basic components of hot chicken are chicken, a secret blend of cayenne and other spices, and careful cooking in very hot oil. A fiery paste gets added to create a pepper-infused coat. Everything is fried to order; any stint under a heat lamp would risk a softened, imperfect crust. It is served as pieces (breast, wings, or tenders) on top of white bread and sliced pickles, two things that may not seem like much, but become life rafts as they help counteract the lingering effect of fire in your mouth. The spice rub on the chicken will leave your fingers the color of molten lava.

A ‘mild’ at Bolton’s is the ideal for the average palate, hot enough to sting for those who like the burn, but still approachable enough for those who don’t enjoy suffering during dinner. 

A notch higher and you’re at a ’hot,’ a spice level that might make you hallucinate a little, especially in the fiery onset where your top half explodes and you see stars in your eyes. After that initial (possibly horrifying) moment passes, the crisp of the chicken and the juice from the meat come bursting through. It is hot enough where you can taste (and feel) the spice, but you can also taste the chicken. Still, it is a cleanse; it will clear your sinuses and take your breath away.

An order typically includes a few good southern sides like turnip greens, baked beans, and mac and cheese, not the hoity-toity kind found at high-end restaurants now but the tremendous, greasy American kind that’s completely buttery and at least one-third cheese by weight. In other words, this is where you’ll find the good stuff.

In addition to chicken plates and sandwiches served the traditional way — bone in, on white bread, with dill pickle slices — there are also fish plates and sandwiches (catfish, tilapia, or whiting) of meaty filets laid atop white bread and dressed with mustard, hot sauce, onion, and pickles. The same spice levels apply to fish entrees, and the same warnings.

Bottom line, this is a delicious experience that requires careful planning. Things that might not pair well with hot chicken or fish: a long flight, a road trip, work, sleep, and your wedding. What happens afterward is anyone’s guess, so leave yourself plenty of recovery time.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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