Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich

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Remember the Chicken Sandwich wars from a few years back? Every fast-food joint was claiming to have the best Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich, and everyone had an opinion on it! Popeyes, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A all had some decent Sandwiches in our opinion however nothing tops making one yourself!

This is our take on a classic Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich which stays true to the traditional recipe because let’s face it – Fried Chicken in a beautiful bun with Pickles, Lettuce and a tangy sauce is a combination that should not be messed with

The key to getting perfect Fried Chicken every time

There is a bit of a formula when it comes to perfecting Fried Chicken that is really quite simple if you follow the process. This formula will ensure a perfectly crispy, juicy piece of Fried Chicken every time

Buttermilk Brine

Making Buttermilk is one of the simplest things you can do. Buttermilk is essentially regular Milk that has started to curdle. So, I guess you have a couple of options, either leave your Milk out in the sun for a few days beforehand (a joke, please do not do this!). Or, simply add Lemon Juice to fresh Milk and it will instantly turn into Buttermilk. It couldn’t be simpler, and there’s no need to go out and spend extra cash on buttermilk at the supermarket when you can make it yourself

A simple All-Purpose Flour Breading with Baking Powder

Adding Baking Powder to the Flour Breading is a critical step. The Baking Powder reacts with the hot oil that creates a much crispier overall coating for your Fried Chicken. All-Purpose Flour is the best flour to use in the breading, but make sure you season it liberally with salt. The breading is the primary vessel for carrying seasoning in the Fried Chicken, so season liberally!

The Double Dip

The Double Dip is a method of dipping your brined chicken into breading, then back into the brine, and finally the ‘double dip’ into a second coating of breading before deep frying. We’ve tried both the single dip and double dip on numerous occasions and can categorically tell you the double dip produces a much better result. You achieve a significantly crunchier coating with all those delicious uneven crunchy bits that we all love with a good piece of Fried Chicken. The single dip isn’t thick enough, the batter can sometimes not cover the whole chicken and give how much flavor is in the fried batter, doubling the volume for deep frying just tastes better overall

We also have it on good authority that the colonel himself – Colonel Sanders from KFC uses the double dip method. So, you can’t argue with that!

Maintaining the frying oil temperature between 350 – 375 degrees at all time

This is critical, and it is pretty much impossible to do unless you have a reliable thermometer to use. You can always wing it; however, we highly recommend getting yourself a candy thermometer to accurately monitor the temperature of the oil. If the Oil is too hot, the breading will burn before the Chicken has been cooked properly. If the Oil is too cold then it will seep into the breading and create an oily, unpleasant texture that is not crispy

The trick is to not overload your pan with too much Chicken. Remember, the Chicken will significantly cool down the Oil. So, our recommendation is to add one piece at a time, adjust the heat to maintain the temperature between 350 – 375 before adding any more. The temperature will always fluctuate, so as long as you’re keeping an eye on the thermometer and adjusting accordingly, you will be fine!

Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1 Cup Plain Flour
• 2 Cups Whole Milk
• Juice from 2 Lemons
• 1 tbsp. Paprika
• 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
• 3 tbsp. Salt
• 1 gallon of Canola Oil
• 1 jar of Pickles in Brine
• 1 bag of Martins Sandwich Potato Rolls
• 2 tbsp. Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. Japanese BBQ Sauce
  
  

Instructions

1. Create a Buttermilk brine for the Chicken by combining the Milk and Lemon Juice in a large bowl. Mix to incorporate, which will ‘split’ the milk creating buttermilk. Add the chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours. This step ensures the chicken will be lovely, moist, and flavorful
2. Remove Chicken from fridge 1 hour before cooking to bring to room temperature. In a large bowl combine the Flour, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder, Baking Powder, and Salt to create the Chicken coating
3. Carefully grab a piece of chicken with a fork and dip it into the flour coating. Cover liberally, then dip straight back into the brine, then dip again into the flour coating. Double dipping the chicken in both the brine and flour coating is a key step to getting that chicken super crunchy
   
   

Frying the Chicken

1. In a large Pot / Dutch oven heat the oil on your stovetop until the temperature is between 350 – 375 degrees then carefully place the Chicken into the oil. The safest approach is to hold the chicken with your hand, submerge half of it under the oil slowly, then carefully in one motion drop the chicken into the oil away from yourself
2. Repeat steps 3 and 4 adding a few more pieces of Chicken to the Oil. It is very important to not overload the Pot as the more chicken you add, the cooler the oil gets. Carefully monitor the oil temperature before adding more chicken, ensuring the temperature stays around the 350 – 375 mark. It’s best to cook in batches
3. Use a spider strainer to lift the Chicken out of the oil to check its internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Once the internal temperature reads 160 degrees, remove Chicken, and set aside on a wire rack above a roasting tray to keep crispy. Add a sprinkle of salt over the Chicken
4. In a small bowl mix together the Japanese Mayonnaise and BBQ Sauce. Trust me, these 2 ingredients combined make a truly magical sauce. Dip anything in it and it’ll be amazing!
5. Liberally smear the sauce over each side of a Potato roll then layer with Lettuce, a piece of Fried Chicken and pickles on top for that perfect Fried Chicken Sandwich!
   
   

There you have it, a super tasty Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich which will compete head to head with any of the famous chains in the Fried Chicken Wars. In fact, this one will beat them all hands down! For optimal enjoyment we recommend enjoying this dish with some beautiful side dishes such as the classic Mac and Cheese or some of our tasty Potato Sides

Happy Cooking!