This delicious sweet and spicy Air Fryer Keto Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich is just like you would get in a restaurant, I would say even better. Made with some heat from cayenne pepper and the sweetness of brown sugar sweetener.
This recipe be made in the air fryer or the oven. Plus, I got you covered with a Low Carb Hamburger Bun recipe so you can enjoy it just like you would from your favorite take out spot. You won't find a better low carb keto recipe for this Keto Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
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This sandwich is my interpretation of a hot chicken sandwich, topped with the usual fixings of slices pickles, lettuce and mayonnaise.
I was inspired to make this recipe after a fellow Instagrammer told me I should ketofy the original recipe. The flavors of this chicken remind me of my most popular recipe on this site which is my Sweet and Spicy Keto Pork Belly recipe.
🥘 Ingredient notes
This sandwich is perfect for lunch or dinner and is made with a blend of spices and breaded with almond flour and pork rind crumbs but you can use my Low Carb Bread Crumb recipe as an alternative.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: we use thighs as they have the most flavour and don't tend to dry out like chicken breast would. Plus the thighs have a lot more flavour.
- Cayenne Pepper Powder: for its hot and fiery affect on your taste buds. Don't worry, you can make this recipe as mild as you want it if you don't like the heat.
- Brown Sugar Sweetener: replaced regular brown sugar with this Swerve Brown Sugar so we can still get all the deep caramel like flavours without the sugar spikes.
- Spice Blend: blended the cayenne with some paprika, chili and garlic powder to give it some special notes of different flavours. It truly does give it many different flavour profiles.
- Almond Flour: ground blanched almonds were used for this recipe which gives it a slightly nutty flavour plus it's low carb and gluten free.
- Pork Rind Crumbs: I like using pork rind crumbs as it gives the breading that extra crispiness. However, you can make it without but it won't have that crunchy texture.
👨🏻🍳 Steps by step instructions
How to make Keto Nashville Hot Chicken
STEP 1: Mix the spices together with the swerve brown sugar in a small bow. Sprinkle half of the spice blend onto both sides of 4 chicken thighs. Set aside the other half of the spice blend. Store spiced chicken thighs in an enclosed container and refrigerate for one hour.
STEP 2: To make the breading, in one shallow bowl whisk together the 1 egg, buttermilk and hot sauce together. In another shallow bowl mix together the almond flour, pork rind crumbs and salt and pepper.
STEP 3: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and coat each chicken thigh in the egg mixture and then dredge through the breadcrumb mixture.
STEP 4: Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and place each chicken thigh in the basket. Lightly spray the tops of the chicken thighs with cooking spray. Air fryer for 8 minutes per side, then spray each side again with the cooking spray and cook for another 2 minutes per side. (see recipe card for oven method)
STEP 5: Gently remove from air fryer and place on a clean wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Mix the remaining spice blend with the melted butter and brush the paste onto the chicken thighs.
STEP 6: Enjoy the chicken thighs as they are or serve on a low carb hamburger bun, with butter, pickles, lettuce and mayo. See video for how I assembled the sandwich.
🍴 More Air Fryer recipes you might enjoy
📋 Substitutions and Variations
Some people like really spicy and some like it a little more mild. Here are some different ways you could make this recipe.
- Spice it up - the recipe calls for 3-5 tablespoons of cayenne pepper powder. If you like it really spicy use 5 tablespoons if you like it mild to medium use 3 tablespoons. If you prefer just a hint of heat just use 1 tablespoon of the cayenne pepper powder.
- Bun - if you don't have time to make my low carb hamburger bun recipe you can simply have the chicken thighs on their own or some grocery stores carry low carb bread such as Carbanaught Bread or how about making a keto chaffle recipe from Keto Connect.
- Gluten Free - this recipe is gluten free but do check your spices as some may contain flour or other contaminants while being manufactured.
- Brown Sugar Sweetener: if you only have regular erythritol or another sweetener you can use it instead although the flavour profile will change.
Check out this Low Carb Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwich I made in the air fryer.
🥣 Equipment
I love my air fryer. Click on the air fryer below to shop air fryers on Amazon. Other equipment used for this recipe was a wire rack and baking sheet.
♨️ How to store leftovers
Allow chick to completely cool before storing in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the air fryer at 300°F for 3 minutes. Do not reheat in the microwave as breading will become really soggy.
👨🏻🍳 Top tip
Make sure to use cooking spray or grease the air fryer basket to avoid sticking. You also want to lightly use cooking spray on the chicken to help with crisping them up and to avoid sticking to the basket.
🍴 What to serve with the chicken?
- Serve on a bun: Serve between to hamburger buns with pickles, lettuce and mayo. I like to butter the bottom bun before I top it with the chicken.
- Salad: best served with this chunky fauxtato salad made with cauliflower.
- Fries: how about serving them with these Keto Asparagus Fries
- Dessert: Cool down and finish off the hot chicken with a slice of Low Carb Blueberry Cheesecake Delight
💭 Frequently asked questions
1 nashville hot chicken thigh has 496 calories.
Each thigh has 6g total carbs and 2g of fiber. This is considered a low carb recipe and can be part of a keto diet.
All sugar from the original recipe was replaced with erythritol brown sugar and may be safe for diabetics. However, all foods affect people differently and you should monitor your blood sugars after consuming this chicken.
Yes. You can simply make this air fryer chicken without the sauce. You do not need to brush it with the spicy sauce once they come out of the air fryer. You can also omit sprinkling them with the spice blend and simply just use salt and pepper to taste.
Please comment, rate or review my recipe below!
Recipe Card
Air Fryer Keto Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 3-5 tablespoon cayenne pepper see notes about spiciness
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon brown sweetener
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Chicken Thighs
- 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup butter milk
- 1 tablespoon franks red hot sauce
- ½ cup pork rind crumbs
- ½ cup almond flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoon melted butter for adding to half of the spice blend to coat the cooked chicken thighs
Instructions
Spice Blend
- Mix the spices and swerve brown sugar together in a small bowl
Chicken Thighs
- Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the half of the spice blend on both sides of the chicken. Store in an enclosed container in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge after 1 hour
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (see notes for oven method)
- In one shallow bowl whisk together the 1 egg, buttermilk and hot sauce together. In another shallow bowl mix together the almond flour, pork rind crumbs and salt and pepper.
- Dip each chicken thigh in the egg mixture and ensure it is well coated. Then dredge through the breadcrumb mixture and it is nicely crusted on both sides.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and place each chicken thigh in the basket. Lightly spray the tops of the chicken thighs with cooking spray. Air fryer for 8 minutes per side, then spray each side again with the cooking spray and air fry for another 2 minutes per side.
- Gently remove from air fryer and place on a clean wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Mix the remaining spice blend with the melted butter and brush the paste onto the chicken thighs. If paste is too thick add more melted butter.
- Chicken thighs can be served on their own or serve on a low carb hamburger bun topped with pickles, lettuce and mayo.
- (Refer to the video instructions below if further clarification is needed)
Notes
Important Information
For more information, tips and variations please review the recipe video and content above and below the recipe card.
Updates and Revisions
If the video and recipe card differ, follow the recipe card for the latest ingredients and instructions.
Nutritional Information
Nutrition info is estimated and varies by ingredients, measurements, and portions.
Nutrition
🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more food guidelines
Jere says
Using the pork rinds in this recipe is such a good idea. We love hot chicken sandwiches so I can't wait to try this.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
You're making me hungry... I think I just heard my tummy growl. hahaha!
Sangita says
Nice detailed recipe and video. Thanks dear…
Jean says
the addition of sugar balances out the spiciness which is totally perfect.
Oscar Chimenti says
This hot chicken sandwich was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy and all of the flavours from the spice blend.