Chicken Royalty
After years of wishing, I finally got the opportunity to get some genuine Nashville Hot Chicken from the place that started it all. Prince's Hot Chicken was founded by James Thornton Prince, a womanizer who pissed off his girlfriend so badly that she sought revenge by making his fried chicken really spicy. He liked it so much that it inspired him to start a restaurant and create a new genre of Soul Food. Today, Nashville is known for the spicy poultry that you can find anywhere in the city. "Hot" chicken is growing in popularity outside of Nashville to cities across America, including my hometown of Memphis. With it being a hot commodity, I wanted to go to the place (well, not exactly) where it started.
SIDE NOTE: The original location of Prince's Hot Chicken Shack was on Jefferson Avenue in North Nashville. Over time, Prince's has relocated several times, including Downtown Nashville and eventually East Nashville on Ewing Drive. Unfortunately, that location had to close after a car crashed into the strip mall where Prince's was at, starting a fire and and inflicting severe damage. With a rebuild being costly, that location had to permanently close. Another restaurant (according to Prince's website) will eventually open on Jefferson Avenue, not far from where it all started. I hope it comes to fruition for it is a part of Nashville's history.
I assumed that the restaurant would be crowded when I got there but that wasn't the case. I arrived there on a Friday afternoon at about 1:00 P.M. to see a modestly filled dining room with available seating. Unlike the line that I encountered at Prince's Assembly Food Hall location, the line at the main restaurant was short so I was able to place my order immediately.
In choosing what to order, I decided to keep it simple by getting the "Leg Quarter" with "hot" flavor (later, my Lyft driver asked me why I chose "hot" as opposed to something milder, with me replying that I wouldn't travel from Memphis to get it any other way). I didn't have to wait long for my order to arrive, which included mac & cheese and fries. The "hot" chicken didn't disappoint, for it was extremely spicy with a lot of cayenne seasoning. Eating it wasn't as messy as I assumed it would despite it being greasy, but the heat from the chicken had me drinking a lot of water. Near the end of my meal, I decided to get another bottle of water to cool my mouth. As I was about to order, I noticed the beer taps beside the cash register. Seeing that, I decided to get a bottle of Yuengling Lager to wash down the rest of the chicken (Prince's offers both bottle and "tap" beer from both national and local brands). The Yuengling was a perfect match, for both the beer and chicken complemented each other. Overall, Prince's Nashville-style hot chicken was great and I look forward to having it again.
SIDE NOTE: The bone-in chicken that I had at Prince's brick & mortar restaurant was a bit different from the chicken tenders I ate at their Assembly Food Hall location. The tenders weren't as greasy and, while the tenders were hot, they weren't as spicy as the "leg quarter" that I had. For anyone looking for the true "Prince's" experience, go to the main restaurant.
Well, my visit to Prince's allowed me to check off another restaurant on my culinary bucket list. It took me a while to do it but it was well worth the wait. Next time, I might get courageous by trying the "Extra Hot" flavor to test my pain threshold. It's something to look forward to, even though I'll have to wait for another reason (as in a concert or other special event) to revisit Nashville. By the way, in addition to the main restaurant (aka "South") and its place at Assembly Food Hall, Prince's other restaurants in Nashville are at Tanger Outlets, Geodis Park (MLS soccer stadium) and the Nashville International Airport. For those living outside of the Music City, Prince's has partnered with Yee-Haw Brewing Company in establishing in-house restaurants in Knoxville, Tennessee and Greenville, South Carolina (it also has a location in Downtown Nashville that is under the same roof as an Ole Smoky Distillery; the beer is good). If they're like the Assembly Food Hall location, diners might not get the full experience but they will have a yearning for more.
Website: PrincesHotChicken.com
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