Chili's Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers Review: A Stupendous Addition To Elevate Gameday

While a handful of Chili's fans were left disconsolate by its decision to remove the Original Chicken Crispers from menus in December 2022, most folks greeted the news with a shrug. After all, the restaurant chain's far more popular (and texturally superior) Crispy Chicken Crispers remain available to interested customers. Not only that but as of August 29, 2023, spicy food enthusiasts can kick their dining experience up a notch (or three) with Chili's new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers.

Introduced just in time for this fall's football season (go, Patriots!), Chili's newest sauce isn't solely available with its immensely popular chicken tender product. As one of just two sauce-tossed Chicken Crisper options seemingly offered to customers (alongside its previously-sold Honey-Chipotle sauce), we were chomping at the bit to try the new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers and see whether the latest (and potentially hottest) Chili's Chicken Crisper option measures up to the item's exceptionally high bar.

Thanks to Chili's gracious generosity, we were able to obtain an order of the new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers upon their debut. If you're wondering whether the Tex-Mex purveyor's take on Nashville hot chicken and its painful, peppery pleasure is worth ordering, wonder no more.

The apparent lack of publicly available information regarding the precise ingredients found in Chili's new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers means we're unable to provide a thorough list of every single food item included. Even without access to the minute details regarding what's used to make its Nashville hot sauce (or the Chicken Crisper itself), we can still report some general information for interested patrons.

For starters, Chili's Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers contain (you guessed it!) the chain's deep-fried, boneless chicken tenders as a base. Now, outside of fresh, hand-battered chicken pieces, what exactly is in Chili's Chicken Crispers is unclear, though we can say the chicken tenders are not gluten-free.

As for the Nashville Hot sauce itself, we can likely assume it contains cayenne pepper (given that particular pepper tends to be the main ingredient in most Nashville hot sauce recipes). Additionally, as the restaurant's allergen sheet mentions the sauce contains both milk and eggs, we can also conclude that there's dairy of some sort (and a pre-poultry shelled product), as well.

The soul-crushing (and bank account-draining) food inflation of recent years may have started to dissipate throughout 2023, but most consumers remain wary of excessive restaurant prices. In that sense, we can't say whether or not the expected cost of Chili's new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers is enough to turn away potential customers. Still, we can provide a general price range for the restaurant's latest menu addition. All things considered? An order of Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers seems unlikely to kneecap anyone's food budget.

Just like the chain's Honey-Chipotle (and plain) Chicken Crispers, the Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers are available in three different combo meal options, which appear to cost the same in Lowell, Massachusetts, as they do on the opposite coast in Los Angeles county. Featuring two sides of your choosing (and a cup of house-made ranch), a four-piece meal costs $13.99, a five-piece meal costs $15.79, and a six-piece meal comes in at $16.99.

One thing to keep in mind, of course, is whether you're ordering a Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers combo through some sort of third-party delivery app. In that scenario, it's possible that you'll find yourself paying a bit more than if you purchase the spicy chicken tenders directly from a restaurant, though we can't say precisely how much more it may (or may not) cost in those instances.

First introduced on August 29, 2023, just prior to college football's first full slate of weekend games, Chili's Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers appear to be available at each and every one of its nationwide locations. With nearly 1,300 total restaurants open within the U.S. as of 2022, there are plenty of potential places a person can venture to obtain the restaurant's spicy new Chicken Crispers and sauce.

More than that, the new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers don't seem to be a limited-time offering set to expire once football season ends in early 2024. In fact, anyone uninterested in rushing to their local Chili's to try its newest fried chicken sauce option in the coming months can rejoice, as the Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers appear to be a permanent addition to the restaurant's menu.

Additionally, the Nashville Hot sauce isn't relegated exclusively to Chicken Crispers. Patrons can also order the sauce for fry dipping or with the chain's bone-in and boneless wings, as well. However, why anyone would prefer not to consume this new sauce on Chili's phenomenal Chicken Crispers is beyond us.

As you're almost certainly aware, Chili's Chicken Crispers (in all forms) aren't what any person would consider a nutritional powerhouse. In that regard, the new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers are no exception. Seeing how no sane person (outside of toddlers, that is) would consider deep-fried chicken tenders to be a cornerstone of one's health-conscious, everyday diet, that shouldn't scare you away from trying Chili's new variety.

For reference, a four-piece order of Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers (just the chicken, sans sides or dipping sauces) contains 1370 calories, 104 grams of fat, and a mind-boggling 5190 mg of sodium — more than twice the recommended daily intake for sodium. Of course, while the nutrition info for Chili's new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers is undeniably less-than-ideal, moderation is the key to life for a reason. Plus, since each four-piece order also contains 50 grams of protein (and a surprising 2 grams of fiber), as well, eating these spicy-sauced tenders isn't the end of the world.

Obviously, we wouldn't suggest anyone consider ordering (and consuming) the Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers on a consistent basis. As an occasional treat to enjoy on Saturday or Sunday during the autumn (before and after kickoff)? You should feel a-OK about your purchase.

Clearly, Chili's new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers have an easy point of comparison in its already-available (and well-loved) plain and Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crisper menu items. With that in mind, if you've ever enjoyed Chili's Chicken Crispers in the past, you know precisely what you can expect from the spectacular poultry portion of its new, spicy-sauced addition.

While the Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers have a subtle spice comparable to the Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers, the similarities end there. Among other distinctions, the new Nashville Hot sauce soaked into the crispy coating of the Chicken Crispers, while the Honey-Chipotle sauce appeared to remain gloppy, sticky, and somewhat separate from the chicken itself (that's not a criticism, by the way). Additionally, and not at all shockingly, the Nashville Hot sauce brings more heat both during and after eating it than the Honey-Chipotle version.

In other words, if you're used to (and a fan of) the spiciness brought by Chili's Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers, you're apt to enjoy the Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers, as well. Just be prepared to feel some additional beads of sweat forming along your brow in the process.

Should Chili's have made its new Nashville Hot sauce spicier than what's available? Perhaps. Yet, the sheer fact the chain's new Nashville Hot sauce recipe isn't quite as hot as we expected did little to diminish our enjoyment of this brand-new Chicken Crisper variety.

The classic blend of sweet-and-spicy flavors inherent to this beloved hot sauce is notably present in the new Nashville Hot Chicken Crisper. A slight kick of smooth, pleasant heat teased our palate while eating it, while a delectable, peppery aftertaste trickled down our throat upon swallowing. We may have preferred a touch more heat, but seeing as we couldn't stop ourselves from devouring every last Nashville Hot Chicken Crisper on our plate, it was still a more-than-delightful dining experience.

Actually, we can completely understand why Chili's new Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers aren't as hot as we imagined beforehand. After all, while we love spicy foods that cause us to sprint to the fridge for a glass of milk, it's tough to blame Chili's for crafting a product with broader appeal. Regardless of the exact level of spice, though, the new sauce was a success, so don't hesitate to grab an order on your next trek to Chili's.