By David Clarey davidc@free-times.com
In Columbia’s dining scene, few things are as hot as, well, Nashville hot chicken.
The eye-wateringly spicy fried chicken has been around for decades and has grown increasingly popular throughout the entire country. In Columbia, that’s as true as anywhere, as spots like Village Idiot Pizza are debuting special flavors on their menus and other other eateries feature the dish or are mulling launching it themselves.
The chicken’s ingredients can vary, but revolve around two things: an eye popping amount of cayenne pepper and a hefty amount of sugar to provide sweetness. In its most basic form, it’s served on white bread with pickles. The simple result is a crunchy, sweet and hellaciously spicy chicken that is as much an experience as it is a type of sustenance. It’s no wonder it has garnered devout fans in Columbia, a state away from its true home.
“It’s delicious, it’s really good,” said Spotted Salamander Cafe and Catering chef-owner Jessica Shillato, who offers it as a rotating special. “It’s even my personal favorite fried chicken sandwich. … It’s just hot and sweet and salty.”
Shillato noted that her fried chicken sandwich day, which features a shifting weekly sandwich, is one of her cafe’s most popular days. No other style of chicken sandwich sells out as quickly or does as well as the Nashville hot variation, she reported.
