Easy Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches

This super simple air fryer Nashville hot chicken sandwich recipe delivers all the bold, spicy flavor you’ve come to know and love in under 20 minutes. Don’t have an air fryer? No worries! I’ll cover that, too!

I love using my air fryer for these sandwiches because:

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• Six Ingredient Recipe. There are just six ingredients in the sandwich itself, plus a little bit of oil, salt, and pepper. That’s it! Six ingredients to make the perfect sandwich, every time. 
• No mess or deep fryer small. Chicken in the air fryer comes out super crispy without the mess of deep frying.
• Super speedy! It cooks in about half the time it would take in the oven. Plus there’s no preheat time, which means I save at least 15 minutes right off the bat!

Meet The Spiciest Sandwich In Town!

Have you tried Nashville hot chicken yet? This popular dish seems like it’s been everywhere lately, and for good reason. The sweet and spicy mix of cayenne pepper and brown sugar is absolutely delicious!

I’ve loved fast food crispy chicken sandwiches ever since I was a kid, but Nashville hot chicken sauce really takes them to the next level.

If you’re dreaming of the perfect balance between spicy, savory, and just plain mouthwatering, buckle up because we’re about to take your taste buds on a tour through Nashville with the best seat in the house – your own kitchen! 

You’re really going to love this recipe because it’s super simple, yet so incredibly tasty. 

Ingredients needed to make Nashville hot chicken sauce

This spicy sauce is traditionally made by adding spices to the hot oil (usually peanut oil) used to fry chicken. Since we’re using an air fryer (or oven) for this recipe, you won’t have fry oil. That’s ok though! I’ve found that olive oil or vegetable oil works just as well. I mix it with a little water to improve the texture and keep the calories down.

In addition to oil and water, you’ll need:

• Cayenne Pepper. Cayenne contributes both heat and flavor to this tasty sauce! You can adjust the amount up or down to suit your personal preferences. We like things firy hot, so I use 1 1/2 teaspoon when I’m making this recipe for us. 1 teaspoon is a good starting place for most people. If you only like a whisper of heat, you could start with just 1/2 teaspoon.Definitely adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to suit your tastebuds! 
• Brown Sugar. Sugar helps balance out all of that heat and adds rich, molasses notes to the sauce. You can use dark or light for this recipe, it’s pretty forgiving. Grab whatever you have!
• Paprika. This add color as well as a subtle smoky flavor.
• Garlic Powder. A little garlic powder rounds things out and makes the flavors more complex, without tasting super garlicky. I’ve left this out before and the recipe still works, but it’s definitely better with it.

If you don’t want to make your own homemade Nashville hot chicken seasoning, you can also buy Aldi Nashville hot chicken seasoning.

Yup, we’re using frozen chicken for these sandwiches

To keep these sandwiches really easy for weeknight dinners, I start with frozen breaded chicken breast fillets, then mix up the spicy sauce while they cook. You could also use chicken tenders. 

Using frozen chicken really speeds up the cooking process, since you don’t need to deal with setting up a breading station. In an ideal world, I’d have the time and energy to bread my own chicken breasts for these sandwiches, but I don’t live in that world. If using frozen chicken is the difference between me cooking dinner and ordering take-out, so be it!

These Tyson chicken breast fillets are really good, and made with whole chicken breasts–no chicken patties here! I also love using Aldi red bag chicken.

To air fry or to bake?

Don’t worry if the chicken you buy doesn’t say it can be made in an air fryer. It still can!

If you don’t have an air fryer, it’s ok. Bake them at 425ºF for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.

You can also bread your own fresh chicken breasts if you prefer to go that route. But using frozen chicken fillets is definitely the quickest and easiest method.

What can I serve with my spicy chicken sandwiches?

These air fryer Nashville hot chicken sandwiches are pretty spicy. You might want to serve them with some coleslaw or potato salad as a cool and creamy counterpoint.

• Coleslaw or potato salad (store-bought or homemade);
• French fries or sweet potato fries (cook these in the air fryer as well or in the oven);
• Pasta salad;
• A leafy green salad;
• Air fryer onion rings;
• Air fryer smashed potatoes

If you’re making fries or onion rings in your air fryer to accompany these chicken sandwiches, it’s best to make them first and then set them aside while cooking the chicken sandwiches. You can easily pop the fries back into the air fryer basket for 3-4 minutes to heat them up a bit for serving.  You can also keep them warm in a 200F oven.

Looking for another easy chicken recipe? Try:

• Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
• Skillet French Onion Chicken
• Air Fryer Chicken Schnitzel Sandwiches
• Lemon Chicken Pasta with Broccoli
• Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• How to air fry chicken drumsticks
• Aldi red bag chicken air fryer method

You’ll also love my free 5 day meal plan!