classic fried chicken sandwich

Here is how we made a delicious classic fried chicken sandwich. What is it about fried chicken sandwiches these days? Has it gained popularity lately, or is that just me? The best-fried chicken sandwich in NYC is from Bobwhite Counter. It’s a little shop on Avenue C in Alphabet City. If you find yourself in this area, definitely stop in for a delicious fried chicken sandwich. And if that’s not possible, Brent recreated one, and it’s just so good!

So here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious classic fried chicken sandwich.

• Chicken (obviously) – We used boneless thighs even though we prefer using boneless, skinless breasts. Thighs are supposed to be a little more tender, and I must say, it was very tender!
• Pickle brine juice (read below)
• Buttermilk
• Flour and corn starch – This is what you’ll be dredging them in before frying.
• Vegetable oil
• Brioche buns
• Sriracha Mayo
• Pickles
• Lettuce and tomato

So what makes this recipe stand apart from all the others?

Two words: pickle brine. Brent made pickles the day before, and then we used the juice as the brine. This is what I think gives it the fantastic tangy flavor.

To make the pickles:

• Slice 4-5 small Japanese cucumbers and place them in a colander and heavily salt them. Place the colander on a plate in the refrigerator for several hours. Then rinse the cucumbers with cold water for about two minutes.
• Add the cucumbers to a jar.
• Combine 1/3 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, and 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric in a small saucepan. Heat just until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the cucumbers and leave uncovered until cooled. Store in the refrigerator.

Buttermilk Substitution

It used to be that I could only find buttermilk in a large bottle, and I always felt bad about throwing it away after using it for one recipe. I would keep it in the back of the refrigerator and then finally throw it away, feeling terrible for being so wasteful. Now it’s available in a 16-ounce size, and that’s a little more reasonable.

However, if you can’t find it in a small size, make it using milk and vinegar. For every one cup of milk, add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Wait about 10 minutes. It will thicken and curdle a little. That’s all you need! I love little kitchen hacks like these!

How to serve these fried chicken sandwiches

Sriracha and mayo. We prefer Kewpie Mayo, but use your favorite and, of course, add as much Sriracha as you want. Toss on some pickles and maybe lettuce and tomato with a Brioche bun.

Special Equipment needed

You don’t need a lot, and most likely, you have everything you need or something that will work!

• A Ziploc plastic bag and plastic wrap
• Sharp knife to trim chicken
• Cutting board
• Meat tenderizer tool or rolling pin
• Shallow bowls for dipping and dredging chicken
• Heavy pot for frying
• Candy/deep-fry thermometer with clip

Why a candy/deep-fry thermometer is important

There are some recipes where you must ensure the oil is hot enough but not too hot. The goal is to cook the chicken to the perfect crisp without burning it. Having a thermometer makes it easy to adjust the heat as needed and not have to worry about burning the chicken. We cooked the chicken in three batches and made sure to keep the heat at 350º. This made it so that all the chicken was cooked the same. It even looked the same nice golden color.

classic fried chicken sandwich

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Fried chicken sandwiches seem to be having a moment, and we are okay with that! 

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes 1
• Total Time: 60 minutes 4
• Yield: 4-6 1x

Ingredients

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• one package of boneless and skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• 1 cup of pickle brine juice
• buttermilk
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• vegetable oil 
• Sriracha Mayo
• Brioche buns
• lettuce and tomato
• pickles

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Instructions

1. Pound out the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap.
2. Place the trimmed and pounded-out chicken thighs in a Ziploc plastic bag and add the pickle brine from the pickles made the day before (see above for recipe).
3. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Remove the chicken and discard the bag. 
5. Dip each thigh into the buttermilk and dredge thoroughly in the flour/cornstarch. Repeat, washing hands in between as needed. Place the chicken on platters being careful not to stack.
6. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and ensure it is at 350º using a candy/deep-fry thermometer.
7. Begin frying the chicken in batches. Turning over every 1-2 minutes for a total of 6-8 minutes. Make sure not to crowd the chicken in the pan.
8. Remove to a pan lined with several layers of paper towels. 
9.  Assemble the sandwiches: Smear each side of the bun with the Sriracha mayo and layer on the chicken. Top with pickles. Add lettuce and tomato if you like, and enjoy!