Prince's Hot Chicken
Best Hot Chicken in Nashville · TN
The family that started Nashville hot chicken
Prince's Hot Chicken is the birthplace of Nashville hot chicken. The dish traces to the Prince family around the 1930s and '40s — as the story goes, Thornton Prince's fiery, cayenne-doused chicken was a prank that backfired into a signature — and the restaurant has been run for decades by his great-niece, André Prince Jeffries.
Fried to order and painted with a lard-based cayenne paste that ranges from mild to the notorious 'XXX hot,' Prince's chicken is served the traditional way: on white bread with pickle chips. The style Prince's invented has since spread worldwide, but this is the original.
Customers said it first.
A Centurion Award verifies the public record that’s already there. Read the reviews yourself on the platforms below.
Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.
Why this business cleared the bar.
This record was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. Selection follows the published criteria; Prince's Hot Chicken met them on that evidence. The business can claim the listing or ask us to remove it.
- ✓Years in operation. Operating in Nashville since 1945 — 80 years of continuous business.
- ✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Nashville.
- ✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Nashville has kept Prince's Hot Chicken busy for 80 years.
- ✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Nashville regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
- ✓Recognition in the local community. Named best hot chicken in Nashville for 2025 for four generations of the Prince family setting the standard every other hot chicken spot chases.
The specific data behind this award, and the exact thresholds, stay internal so the standard can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.
The details, verified.
- Legal / trading name
- Prince's Hot Chicken
- Category
- Restaurant
- Founded
- 1945, Nashville, TN
- Location
- Nashville, TN
- Centurion Award
- Best Hot Chicken in Nashville — 2025
- Record last verified
- July 2026
Frequently asked questions.
What is Prince's Hot Chicken?
The Prince family has been frying cayenne-laced hot chicken since the 1940s. The dish Nashville is famous for started here.
Is Prince's Hot Chicken award-winning?
Yes — Prince's Hot Chicken is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Hot Chicken in Nashville, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best hot chicken in Nashville for 2025 for four generations of the Prince family setting the standard every other hot chicken spot chases.
Where is Prince's Hot Chicken?
Prince's Hot Chicken is in Nashville, TN.
Every award, on the record.
Each Centurion Award is its own dated annual record, and staying current means clearing the bar again each new year. The verification above is from the latest published award. Open a year for that year’s citation.
2025 Centurion Award
Best Hot Chicken in Nashville Nashville, TN · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Prince's Hot Chicken
A signal you can check.
This page is the standing record for Prince's Hot Chicken (2025). It was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear.
Own this business? Claim the listing for free to manage it, correct it, or remove it. If you want the award kit (badge, certificate, and announcement), you pay after you claim. Through December 31, 2026, publishing is $99. The evaluation itself is free. The $99 covers the first year only. Renewals are $199/year. That fee never buys selection.
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If you’ve put in the years, you may already qualify. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.