There is a short list of things that I won’t put on a pizza. Pineapple is one of them (don’t hate me). Pretty much everything is good on pizza. But you know what’s really good on a pizza? Nashville Hot Chicken. It’s wonderfully cayenne-hot with a kick of brown sugar sweetness, which I take from the Dino’s hot chicken. I’ve lived in Nashville now for about 3 years, and I rarely go out to get hot chicken. Lines are always around the block for these places. The craze is real! It’s surprisingly simple to make hot chicken at home, so I’m gonna do that instead and then put it on a pizza. I didn’t even have to deep fry it! I just pan-fried them!
Remember the list of things that I don’t think belong on pizza? Let’s chat. There’s also a short list of things that I just don’t like. Call me crazy, but I hate pickles! It’s a surprising and sad fact about myself. I have tried to like them. Really tried. It doesn’t make sense. I love vinegar! I love everything pickled, except cucumbers. Even though pickles seem to be a real staple with Hot Chicken, I have included instead, pickled jalapenos and pickled red onions. It’s actually a great substitute! But if you’re really bummed about it, throw some pickles on there!
Let’s get started on this pizza!
So for the pickled red onions, I tried to find store bought and couldn’t! I just chopped a red onion and used bon apetit’s quick pickling method here.
The pizza dough is one I took from Cook’s Illustrated, and it is the BOMB. But you can use store bought if you like. It just may not be quite as good. I used the same recipe for my Mexican Corn Pizza last year. My dough recipe is pretty easy, but it has to sit overnight for 24 hours… So if you didn’t think ahead, no biggie. Buy some pizza dough!
First you’ll get all your ingredients together because making it all can be a bit involved. Be organized and things will be easy!
Mix together the flour, cayenne, garlic, salt mixture for dredging and put it on a plate. Then mix the egg and milk in a bowl. Salt and pepper your chicken tenders to get them ready for the batter.
Brush the chicken tenders with hot sauce on both sides. I used Cholula, which is my personal fave. Then comes the batter. Dip first in flour, then egg, then flour again.
You’ll come out with these beautifully battered chicken tenders.
Listen, I’m lazy, so I didn’t want to deep fry these. I used a generous amount of vegetable oil in a nonstick pan and seared them for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Then you’ll mix together the hot chicken sauce. Mix the cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and brown sugar. Add 1/4 cup oil and whisk. Microwave it for about 30 seconds (this is me being lazy). Then brush them on the chicken generously. Let them soak in all the good stuff for a few minutes.
Let’s prep your dough. If you used my recipe, you’ll have two dough balls that make a 12 inch pizza each. Place each on parchment on a large baking sheet and stretch to about a 12 inch oval. Drizzle with olive oil Sprinkle on the mozzarella. Honestly I tried both the sliced and shredded mozzarella and liked the shredded better! But if you’re going more Neopolitan I feel ya!
Add the pickled jalapenos and pickled red onions to both pies. Toss the hot chicken on there. And bake for about 15 minutes. Make sure you use the hottest temperature in your oven! If you used the fresh mozzarella, you’ll probably need more like 15-18 minutes so the crust isn’t soggy.
Look how delicious! What’s your favorite hot chicken place? I love the kind of sweet recipe they have at Dino’s and also Pepperfire!
See the full recipe below.
- 2 balls of pizza dough
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- ¼ cup hot sauce such as Tabasco
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp cayenne
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- olive oil for drizzling
- 2 cups mozzarella, grated or sliced
- ½ cup pickled jalapenos
- ½ cup pickled red onions
- Prepare your pizza dough. Stretch each of the dough balls out into a 12 inch oval on a large piece of parchment paper on two baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 500 F, or as high as your oven will go.
- To prepare the hot chicken, salt and pepper your chicken tenders and brush them with the hot sauce on both sides. On a plate, mix together ¾ cup flour, 1 tbsp cayenne, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp kosher salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and milk and set aside.
- Dredge the chicken tenders in the flour. Then dip them in the egg mixture. Dip them again in the flour, shaking off the excess and place on a plate. Do this with each tender.
- In a large nonstick frying pan, add half the oil over medium high heat. Pan-fry the chicken tenders 3-4 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. Reserve to a clean plate.
- In a small bowl, add the 2 tbsp cayenne, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Whisk in the remaining ¼ cup oil. Heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds covered with a paper towel. Brush this mixture over the fried chicken tenders generously. Slice the tenders into 1 inch pieces.
- Drizzle a bit of olive oil over your pizza dough. Spread half the cheese on each pizza. Then spread half the jalapenos and half the red onions on each. Sprinkle the hot chicken over each pizza. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly. If you are using fresh mozzarella, you'll need closer to 15 minutes so the crust doesn't get soggy. Serve hot!
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