If you’ve had Nashville Hot Chicken before then you’ll know why we were inspired to make a dip version of it. And if you haven’t had it… well then, you’ll just have to trust us. This dip is creamy but HOT, set off by bits of crunchy chicken, cool dill pickles, and a little bit of green onion for a pop of brightness. Set it out with some potato chips or crackers, but don’t blink – this stuff goes fast.

If you’re not familiar, Nashville Hot Chicken is a type of fried chicken that’s been breaded in a paste that relies heavily on cayenne pepper, and then served atop a simple slice of white bread garnished with dill pickle slices. Simple, spicy, and so darn good. That same flavor profile translates so well to dip, especially since this dip has a major creamy component to balance out all that spice.

The base of the dip is cream cheese and buttermilk (since Nashville Hot Chicken is usually marinated in buttermilk) and all you have to do is heat those two together a bit in the microwave and stir them until they’re nice and smooth. From there, you add some hot sauce, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder and stir it all together.

The dip is topped with crunchy ‘fried’ chicken -we rely on some frozen popcorn chicken here to make life easy- as well as some dill pickles and green onion. You can stir those components in as well if you’d like so that the flavors really run throughout the dip, but it’s nice to leave some on top so they’re sure to maintain their crunch.

The whole thing is drizzled with a mixture of honey and hot sauce, and that little touch of sweetness really completes the picture. It may not be as simple as its white-bread-and-chicken namesake, but it certainly has all the elements that make the original so good. It’s hearty, it’s delicious, and it’s the perfect kind of dip when you’re looking for a little kick.