If you’re looking for a way to add spice to your life, Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning Mix is the perfect recipe to give all your dishes more flavor.
For more ideas on making your own spice mixes, The Best Fajita Seasoning Mix and DIY Herb Salt Recipe will help you get started on your spice-making journey.

I just recently moved to the south, where Nashville hot chicken is all the rage. Of course, once I became addicted to the flavor of the tasty chicken, I started envisioning all the different ways I could use Nashville Hot Chicken spice rub on other dishes.
While browsing through a bookstore, I came across the recipe in this cookbook. It was their famous recipe, and I just knew I had to make it myself.
How the Nashville Hot Chicken craze got started
If you know anything about me, I want to know all about the recipes and ingredients I use in cooking. I’m pretty much obsessed. The story of how Nashville Hot Chicken was invented is a goldmine.
According to Wikipedia, it is believed that Nashville Hot Chicken got started in the 1930s by Andre Prince Jeffries, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack great-uncle.
Andre’s great-uncle Thornton was a womanizer, and after a late night out, his girlfriend cooked him a fried chicken breakfast. His girlfriend added extra cayenne pepper to the flour mixture as revenge for the late night out.
Thornton loved his piece of chicken so much, he developed his own hot seasoning recipe for the hot chicken restaurant he opened with his brothers. Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack became a popular place because of this spicy fried chicken.
Now, Nashville Hot Chicken is served throughout the city at most late-night diners because of this great spicy chicken seasoning recipe.
Some Interesting Facts about Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne peppers are native to South and Central America and have been cultivated for over 9,000 years.
Columbus brought cayenne seeds back to Europe after his voyage of 1492.
Did you know that the cayenne pepper is a fruit?
Creating a Cozy Life Group
Since you found this recipe on how to make Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning Mix, I’m guessing you like all things cozy living. I created a Facebook group called Creating a Cozy Life with over 112,000 like-minded souls.
It’s a group where we share recipes, things that leave you in awe, and ideas on how to make your life just a little bit more snug. You can join here to be part of the virtual cozy cabin.
Ideas for using Nashville Hot Chicken Spice Blend
- Roasted Vegetables – if you’re looking for a way to add more flavor to your vegetables, this spice mix will do the trick. The best part about this idea is that you can sprinkle the Nashville Hot Chicken Spice mix on just the adult’s portion of the vegetables before roasting in the oven so the kids can have their own non-spicy version.
- Egg or Potato Salad – adding this spicy seasoning mix will add great flavor to your favorite recipe.
- Dips and Sauces – this Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning mix will spice up any dip or sauce you already make.
- Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe – add this seasoning mix to your favorite fried chicken flour mixture and coat your pieces of chicken in this spicy mixture.
You can use as much or as little as you want of this tasty spice mixture. But since the primary ingredient is cayenne pepper, it definitely packs the heat!
Ingredients for Nashville Hot Chicken Spice Mix
- Cayenne Pepper
- Salt
- Dry Mustard Powder
- Sugar
- Smoked Paprika
- Ground Black Pepper
- Granulated Garlic

Here’s How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning Mix
Ingredients for Nashville Hot Chicken Spice Mixture
1/2 cup cayenne pepper
1/8 cup salt
2 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Directions for Making Nashville Hot Chicken Spice Mix
Mix the cayenne pepper, salt, dry mustard powder, sugar, ground black pepper, and granulated garlic in a shallow bowl. Store in a sealed container and keep in a cool, dry area. This mixture will last up to six months.
Printable Recipe Card for Hot Nashville Chicken Seasoning Mixture with Nutrition Facts

Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning Mix
If you're looking for a way to add spice to your life, Nashville Chicken Spice Rub is the perfect recipe to give all your favorite dishes more flavor.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cayenne pepper
- 1/8 cup salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon gratulated garlic
Instructions
- Mix together cayenne pepper, salt, paprika, sugar, dry mustard powder, ground black pepper, and granulated garlic.
Notes
1. Store in a sealed container in a cool dry area away from light.
2. Spice mixture will last up to 6 months when properly stored.
How long will Hot Chicken Season Mix last?
When stored in a cool, dark place in an airtight container – this seasoning mix will last at least six months. Spices loose their potency after six months.
Please let me know in the comments below how you liked this Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning Mix. I love hearing from readers!
Don’t forget to take a look at the Creating a Cozy Life Group. You’re not going to believe how amazing it is! You can join the group here.
I created a pin below for the Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning Mix for your Pinterest seasoning mix board. It’s a great recipe you’ll want to refer to again.
To get more recipes, you can follow me here on PINTEREST. If you make this Nashville spice mix, be sure to tag me here on INSTAGRAM.
Thanks for stopping by!
More Great Chicken Recipes to Try
Homemade Spice Mixes You’ll Love

Georgina
Wednesday 13th of September 2023
Do you mix the sugar and the paprika with the rest of ingredients? You don’t mention them..
Kelly
Friday 15th of September 2023
Hello Georgina! Great catch. It isn't on the recipe card. I fixed it now. Yes, you mix it all together. Thank you for letting me know. - Kelly
Tantalize Your Taste Buds With Nashville Hot Chicken Salad An Easy And Delicious Southern Dish! – LittleKitchenBigWorld
Monday 20th of February 2023
[…] Nashville Seasoning is a blend of spices which originated in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. It is typically made from a combination of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. It is often used as a rub for barbequed meats, or as an all-purpose seasoning for soups, stews, and vegetables. Nashville Seasoning is a great way to add some classic southern flavor to any dish! […]
Ralph
Thursday 5th of May 2022
Like the recipe but I would like to know how big a chicken this amount of rub is used for. I want to make sure I have enough for the size chicken I am rubbing it on. Thanks
Florence
Friday 23rd of December 2022
@Kelly, is it possible to use this on pork? I have a 4lb roast pork for xmas and i want to rub this all over.
Kelly
Friday 6th of May 2022
Hello Ralph! It really depends on how you use it and how much heat you can handle. For fried chicken with batter (about a 4 pound chicken) - some recipes use 4 tablespoons. That's a lot of heat for me - for other people it's medium heat. For your first try I would do a light dusting and see how that works for you.
Homemade French Fries - SchneiderPeeps
Tuesday 25th of January 2022
[…] usually just use salt and pepper on our fries but sometimes we want spicy fries and will use Nashville hot chicken seasoning to season […]
Shelby
Tuesday 16th of November 2021
I love this mix! Making a homemade rub eliminates crappy oils so a huge thing for me. Plus this one is beyond simple and absolutely delicious!