The Donut + Dog BROUGHT IT with this Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich!
FAIR WARNING: You will want, nay, NEED to have one of these sandwiches by the time you’re done reading this. I apologize in advance, but my mouth is watering just thinking about this sandwich. Seriously. #sorrynotsorry
The Donut + Dog on Belcourt Ave. has been crafting some of the best donuts on the planet for just over 2 years now, and the love they put into their food is evident. The creator of The Donut + Dog, Will Primavera, and his team took an age-old Nashville tradition of Hot Chicken and paired it with their signature 20 hour brioche donut. (Yes, their donuts take 20-24 hours to make, minimum. And good lord, they are amazing.) They tested this Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich at their Boise, Idaho location, and people went crazy for it! We have been dying to try it! We got news they were f i n a l l y bringing it to Nash, and they invited us to come try it a few days before they put it on the menu officially! And man, oh man, have they outdone themselves this time!
THE SANDWICH:
Their menu description of the heaven that is on this donut sandwich is simple: "fried chicken, asian slaw, pickles, and secret sauce.” But it is soooooooo much more than that!
It has the perfect balance of flavor! I could smell the sweet of the donut & the tangy slaw before it even reached my mouth, and then when I bit into it, sparks flew. I got a little bit of everything in each bite that kept me coming back for more: the buttery donut, the sweet glaze, the tangy slaw, the bright house-made pickles, and the spicy chicken all married together with the flavorful sauce. Are you drooling yet?
Not to mention, the different textures! The fried chicken stayed crunchy! NEVER once did the breading get soggy or slide off the chicken! The wonderful mouthfeel of the soft caramelized donut, crispy fried chicken, fresh crunchy pickles and slaw, the sticky donut glaze, and then the smooth sauce all piled together to create the perfect Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it was DEFINITELY messy. I lost one of the hot chicken tenders a few times, but I was able to tuck it back into the sandwich just fine. (I wasn’t mad about the secret sauce all over my fingers either: the true meaning of “finger-lickin’ good”). I definitely left with a few stains on my shirt, but this sandwich was worth it; mere battle scars from probably the best meal I’ve ever had there. I SAID IT! The best meal I’ve ever had at The Donut + Dog was definitely the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
I, surprisingly, would have liked the chicken to be just a touch spicier, but if you’re not wild about spicy foods, this is a Hot Chicken you can definitely handle!
If you’ve never been to The Donut + Dog, you’re missing out! They have rotating donut flavors and MANY other locally-sourced savory options you can pair with a signature organic coffee. (My favorite is the the Smoked Caramel Latte… they smoke it in a glass box right at your table. How awesome is that?!)
Okay, I don’t know if I can talk about this place or this amazing sandwich anymore right now. My mouth is watering so bad. So, to answer the question, YES. A million times, YES. The best Hot Chicken in Nashville IS a donut. Go get it. NOW!
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