Hot Chicken is a Nashville staple and a must-have for all who visit Music City, and now KFC is serving their own version of hot chicken in stores all across the country.
KFC started their marketing campaign for the new Nashville Hot Chicken by having a food truck travel to every city named Nashville across the country, but they did not have the food truck visit the Nashville in Tennessee.
Hot Chicken was originally created at Barbeque Chicken Shack, which has since been renamed Prince’s Hot Chicken.
“We were the first to ever do hot chicken.” Semone Jeffries, daughter of the owner of Prince’s, said. “It’s in our blood, the spices run in our blood, it’s what we do.”
Prince’s has been a family business since it was opened more than 80 years ago. While hot chicken is hard to master, it’s a simple concept
“It’s on two pieces of bread and it’s got a pickle and it’s kind of like a sandwich, but it’s quarter pieces.” Jeffries said.
On Wednesday, News Channel 5 brought the new Nashville Hot Chicken from KFC out to the streets of Nashville for people to try, and locals enjoyed what they tasted.
Most said they’d have the chicken again, some even said the KFC hot chicken was better than other local hot chicken in Tennessee, but the majority of people said while the chicken was good, it is less spicy than traditional hot chicken.
Beyond that, people said KFC had a great first stab at their new dish, and they’re expecting the KFC hot chicken will get better as they have more feedback from customers.
Still, many say the hot chicken is missing something, even if that something is not obvious.
“There is hot chicken, but then there’s Prince’s.” Jeffries said, sharing the feelings of the patrons of Prince’s.
At Prince’s, Jeffries said eating hot chicken is more than just having a meal. “You’re in here (Prince’s) to have fun, to eat hot chicken, and to just enjoy it. That’s what we want.”
