To make Nashville hot chicken salad lettuce wraps, whisk 1 cup mayonnaise with 2 to 3 tsp Nashville hot chicken spice blend and 2 tsp lemon juice. Fold in 4 cups cooked, cubed chicken (rotisserie works well), chopped dill pickles, red onion and sweet peppers, then 2 cups coleslaw mix. Spoon it into iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves. It serves 4 in about 15 minutes, with no cooking.
Hot and spicy, full of tangy flavor and loads of crunch, these Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps are the perfect game day treat or excellent for on the go. Creamy mayo mixed with rotisserie chicken, dill pickles, peppers, and coleslaw give you all the satisfaction from classic Nashville Hot Chicken, yet with a more refreshing twist. Mixed and ready to eat in less than 15 minutes.
Discovering the legend of Nashville hot chicken
I’ll never forget the first time I encountered the buzz around Nashville Hot Chicken. Kyle and I were on our way back from a fantastic trip to Texas, sharing a somewhat awkward yet intriguing van ride to Park ‘N Fly with two other couples. They had just returned from Nashville—an iconic city that has long been on my travel wishlist. Naturally, my interest piqued, and I found myself leaning in to catch every word of their conversation.
The tale of hot chicken
As we sat in the van, these couples passionately recounted their Nashville dining experiences. My curiosity was fully engaged when they began raving about Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. “Oh my God, it was the best chicken I’ve ever had,” one of them exclaimed, while the others fervently agreed. According to them, of all the restaurants in Nashville, Hattie B’s stood out because of its legendary hot chicken.
A Culinary Quest Begins
By the time the van ride concluded, Kyle and I were both thinking the same thing. As soon as we were in the car—practically in unison—we said, “What is that chicken they were talking about??? We HAVE GOT to make it!” Thus began our quest to recreate the divine experience of Nashville Hot Chicken in our own kitchen.
Bringing Nashville to Our Table
Since that fateful conversation, we’ve been on a delicious journey, experimenting with various recipes to capture the essence of Nashville’s famous dish. Our preferred version is a classic Easy Nashville Hot Chicken recipe, which I can’t recommend enough for anyone looking to try a spicy, flavor-packed meal.
Exploring Variations: Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
If you’re a fan of classic chicken dishes with a fiery twist, you’ll also enjoy our Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps. This recipe kicks off with succulent cubes of rotisserie chicken, generously coated in a creamy, spicy mayo sauce. We enhance the flavor with our favorite hot chicken seasoning from the Savory Spice Shop. If you don’t have access to that, you can find great seasoning options at Giant, Kroger, or this one from Amazon. Alternatively, you could make your own blend using cayenne pepper, paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Ingredients for Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
To make these easy Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps, you’ll need a few ingredients that you can get at almost any grocery store or even online.
Here’s what we are working with:
- chicken, cooked and chopped (a rotisserie chicken works well with this recipe)
- mayonnaise
- Nashville Hot Chicken Spice Blend
- lemon juice
- dill pickle spears, chopped
- red onion, chopped
- sweet peppers, chopped
- coleslaw salad mix
- iceberg or romaine lettuce pieces for the wraps
**Because there is a bit of chopping going on here, I highly recommend this veggie chop wizard! I swear it saves me every time in the kitchen. I know there is something special about dicing and chopping fresh veggies, but trust me once you start with this, you’ll be forever changed**
How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
1. Make the spicy mayo. Combine mayonnaise and spices in a large bowl. Mix well and add in lemon juice.
2. Mix the chicken salad. Add in the cooked, chopped chicken, diced pickles, onion and peppers using a wooden spoon to stir until the ingredients are well coated with the dressing. Begin folding in the coleslaw salad mix until everything is well combined and coated.
3. Fill the lettuce wraps. To prepare wraps, put a large piece of iceberg lettuce on a plate. Spoon a generous portion of chicken salad into the wrap.
4. Top and serve. Sprinkle additional hot chicken spice over the salad to top if desired; this is very spicy so you could opt to sprinkle over smoked paprika instead.
Nashville hot chicken salad vs. Nashville hot chicken
Classic Nashville hot chicken is crispy chicken coated in a fiery, cayenne-spiced oil, and it’s a cook-and-fry project. This chicken salad takes the same Nashville hot flavor in a cool, creamy direction: cooked or rotisserie chicken tossed in a spicy mayo with pickles, peppers and crunchy coleslaw, then wrapped in lettuce. There’s no frying and no cooking at all, which is why it’s our go-to when we want that flavor for a crowd.
how to serve Nashville hot chicken salad for game day
- Build a wrap platter: set out the chicken salad in a bowl with a stack of lettuce leaves, extra pickles and the spice blend so everyone makes their own.
- More ways to serve it: spoon it onto slider buns, into tortillas or onto crackers.
- Keep it cold: it’s mayo-based, so set the bowl over ice and don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours.
- Heat for everyone: make a mild batch with 2 tsp spice blend for the kids and sprinkle extra on top for the heat lovers.
how to store Nashville hot chicken salad
Keep the chicken salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days, and keep the lettuce separate until you assemble the wraps so it stays crisp.
ENJOY!!! We sure hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our little tribe has!
Nashville hot chicken salad FAQs
Nashville hot chicken is crispy chicken dunked in a spicy cayenne oil. This is a no-cook chicken salad with the same Nashville hot flavor, made with cooked chicken, spicy mayo, pickles, peppers and coleslaw and served in lettuce wraps.
The heat comes from the Nashville hot chicken spice blend. Start with 2 teaspoons and taste before adding more. For a milder topping, sprinkle smoked paprika on top instead of extra spice blend.
Make your own blend with cayenne pepper, paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Yes. Mix the chicken salad up to a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. Fill the lettuce wraps right before serving.
Slider buns, tortillas or crackers all work well.
If you love this recipe, check out…
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- The Best Quinoa and Celery Salad (Costco Copycat Recipe!)
- Easy Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos With Avocado Crema
- Easy Blueberry Caprese (Red, White, and Blue Salad)
- Easy Nashville Hot Chicken
- Turkey Bacon Ranch Sliders (Easy Appetizer)
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken
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Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
- DFDairy-Free
- GFGluten-Free
- LCLow Carb
- PPaleo
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed, rotisserie works well
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2-3 teaspoons Nashville Hot Chicken Spice Blend, this is spicy so adjust according to your heat preference
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 dill pickle spears, chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 4 sweet peppers, chopped
- 2 cups coleslaw salad mix
- iceberg or romaine lettuce, cut into pieces for the wraps
Instructions
- Combine mayonnaise and spices in a large bowl. Mix well and add in lemon juice.
- Add in the cooked, chopped chicken, diced pickles, onion and peppers using a wooden spoon to stir until the ingredients are well coated with the dressing. Begin folding in the coleslaw salad mix until everything is well combined and coated.
- To prepare wraps, put a large piece of iceberg lettuce on a plate. Spoon a generous portion of chicken salad into the wrap.
- Sprinkle additional hot chicken spice over the salad to top if desired; this is very spicy so you could opt to sprinkle over smoked paprika instead.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to #thetastefultribe on instagram @thetastefultribe if you try this Nashville Hot Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps recipe. We love seeing your version of the recipe! You can also post your pictures to our facebook page!
Jim
Some suggestions:
It’s not as spicy as she says, so I doubled the Nashville Hot seasoning and it was still mild.
I reduced the mayo by half and added about a 1/4 cup of Franks Red Hot Nashville Hot Wing Sauce. (saved calories and upped the Nashville hot flavor)
For more crunch, I used chopped Claussen Mini Dill Pickles instead of spears and about a 1/4 cup of the pickle brine (again… reduce calories from the mayo)
Instead of the coleslaw mix, I added chopped hard boiled eggs and more chicken for extra protein.
Overall, this was great to portion out and take to work as a meal prep to be logged. High protein, low calorie lunch.