“Nashville” Hot Garlic Chicken

Near our house, en route to the local metro station, is a Kentucky Fried Chicken. While I love their commercials, and their coleslaw, it’s been a very long time since I’ve eaten at one. I also don’t appreciate all the chicken bones littered on the streets in the immediate area (admittedly not their fault). Walking by the restaurant lately, I’ve seen advertisements for Nashville Hot Chicken. I love chicken, and I love hot things—this was a no-brainer to try.

Our recipe is not an exact replica, and we’ve never tasted KFC’s, but we guarantee it’s finger lickin’ good. Fun fact: when KFC first expanded to Asia, one of the translations of their slogan didn’t go quite as planned. As it turned out, the translation was the equivalent of, “so good you’ll eat your fingers off.” Not exactly an appetizing proposition. Don’t worry, you’ll have a full stomach and all of your fingers after this meal. We served it with cauli-mash from Real Life Paleo and it hit the spot.

Ingredients
1 yellow onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp ginger
2 red Thai chilis
1 green Thai chili
1 Tbsp cilantro
1/2 C homemade ketchup
1/4 C avocado oil
2 pinches pink sea salt
8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
Pinch of salt and pepper for chicken
1 Tbsp avocado oil in the baking dish

Method

Blend onion, garlic, ginger, red and green Thai chilis, cilantro, ketchup, 1/4 C avocado oil, and sea salt in Vitamix or high-powered blender into a smooth, thick sauce.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken thighs. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush your baking dish with 1 Tbsp of oil, and then arrange the thighs in one layer a baking dish.

Pour in sauce and mix to cover each thigh completely. Marinate for 45 minutes, up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Bake for 45 minutes covered with tin foil and then 15 minutes uncovered.