Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken Sandwich

A good homemade Fried Chicken Sandwich is one of the tastiest things you can make in our opinion. It’s just the perfect bite of food! A perfectly crispy piece of Chicken that’s coated in the most wonderfully spiced breading topped with a simple combination of Pickles, Lettuce, and Mayo. Then, a fluffy and sweet bun holding it all together. It’s simple and delicious. In this recipe we ramp up the flavors significantly with our amazing Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken Sandwich. The Tamarind Glaze adds a sweet and sour coating to the Fried Chicken which tastes phenomenal in a sandwich!

To make our Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken there are two main cooking components required

Of course, there is the techniques involved in making the perfect Fried Chicken. That in itself is an artform to master. Simple in technique, yet surprisingly how many people get it wrong (mostly bars and restaurants we’ve found!)

The second cooking technique is making this wonderful Tamarind Chili Jam, which is used to glaze the Fried Chicken right before serving. It combines some traditional and some unique ingredients that add a delicious spicy, citrussy flavor to the Sandwich. The combination of flavors is what truly sets this sandwich apart. The best news? We’ll show you how to master each of these cooking techniques to make the perfect Chicken Sandwich right now!

We kick off by making the amazing Tamarind Chili Jam Glaze

Tamarind is an ingredient that is widely used in Asia. It has a tart, citrus flavor that is a great substitute or complimentary ingredient to Lemons and Limes. It’s great in a Jam because it offsets the sugary sweetness and provides a wonderful balance

You can get your hands on Tamarind easily these days. Most grocery stores should sell it. For the easiest preparation, get your hands on some Tamarind Paste. If you can’t find that you can make your own Tamarind Water using Tamarind Blocks

Simply let the Tamarind Blocks soak in boiling water for 30 minutes. Give the Tamarind a good press every 5 minutes or so to release all the flavor. Once all that flavor has been extracted, strain the Tamarind and reserve the water and you’re ready to go

Making the Jam is the easy part. All you need to do is combine the Tamarind Water / Paste into a saucepan along with Sugar, Ginger, Garlic, finely diced Tomatoes, Chili, Red Wine Vinegar, and Fish Sauce. Bring the whole thing to a boil then drop the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour

After 1 hour the liquid will start to turn into a jam-like consistency. Nice and thick and gooey! It will still be runny when it’s hot, which is what we want for the Chicken as we’ll need to paste it onto the cooked pieces of Fried Chicken to coat it

You can also prepare the Jam in advance and refrigerate it

This Jam will keep for ages in the fridge. Easily more than 1 month. However, there’s no chance it’ll stay in there that long as it’s so tasty! To make preparing the Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken Sandwich a little easier, we recommend making the Jam in advance. That way you can just reheat what you need in a pan once your Chicken is cooked

The Tamarind Jam has loads of different uses. It’s great when spread on bread (try it with some Roti or Naan Bread!). It can also be used to make this delicious Asian Style Whole Fried Fish. The Jam coats the Fried Fish and the whole thing is placed under the broiler to make it beautifully caramelized and crispy

We’ve dedicated an entire recipe to making this amazing Tamarind Jam here. Feel free to check it out to go more into detail on this amazing ingredient. We’ve also got the recipe outlined below!

Making the perfect Fried Chicken

Frying Chicken is an artform, and there’s a few critical steps you must follow to nail it. First, ensure that you soak the Chicken in a seasoned Brine made of Buttermilk for at least 30 minutes (preferably overnight) before breading

You can make your own Buttermilk at home by simply adding Lemon Juice to Whole Milk. Along with the Lemon, we recommend seasoning the brine aggressively with a combination of Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Cayenne Pepper

In a separate bowl prepare a breading mixture by combining AP Flour with the same spices and seasoning that you put in the Brine. This will add even more seasoning to the Chicken and ensure every bite tastes amazing

Double Coat for a thicker, crispier Fried Chicken

The absolute best way to bread your Chicken is to apply the ‘double dip’ method. That is, not just coating your Chicken in the Flour breading once, but twice! This technique adds so much more crunch and texture to the Fried Chicken

To double dip, simply coat the Chicken well with the Flour breading mixture. Tap any excess Flour off the Chicken and then dunk it back into the brine. Then, take the Chicken and coat it again in breading. I like to use a fork to do this, as it’ll keep all the breading on the Chicken. If you use your hands you’ll find there will be a big chunk of breading missing from where your fingers are

I recommend breading the Chicken right before it goes into the hot oil instead of preparing it all in advance. You get the best result this way. So, add your Oil to a large pot and heat it to deep frying temperature (around 350F). Check the temperature using a thermometer and never fill the Oil more than halfway up to ensure there won’t be any spillage

Fry the Chicken for about 6 minutes until golden brown and the internal temperature of the Chicken is 160F. You can check it by using a meat thermometer. Carefully remove the Chicken using a spider strainer and pierce the Chicken to check its internal temperature. Once cooked, set it aside on a wire rack and season immediately

The final step is adding the Glaze then you can build your Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken Sandwich!

As soon as you’ve seasoned the Hot Fried Chicken straight out of the Oil, brush it generously with the Tamarind Glaze. Ensure the Glaze has been heated prior, so it’ll easily apply to the Chicken. Once it cools it will thicken and apply the most amazing, rich coating to the Fried Chicken

Then it’s a simple matter of assembling your Sandwich. I like to keep things simple with my Fried Chicken Sandwiches. A little bit of Mayo (or Aioli) on the bottom bun, followed by Lettuce, Chicken, and topped with some Pickles. I recommend using a Potato Bun or Brioche Bun for the best result. Then that’s it! Your amazing Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken Sandwich is ready to be devoured

Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

Tamarind Glaze Ingredients

• 2 cups of White Sugar
• 2 tbsp. Tamarind Paste or Tamarind Water
• 2 large Tomatoes, deseeded and finely diced
• 2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 Chilis, finely sliced (seeds included)
• 3 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• ½ tbsp. freshly grated Ginger
  
  

Brine and Breading Ingredients

• 2 cups of Whole Milk
• Juice of ½ a Lemon
• 2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 4 tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Black Pepper
• 2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 2 cups of All Purpose Flour
  
  

Sandwich Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Thighs
• 4 Burger Buns (Potato or Brioche Buns)
• 4 Large Romaine Lettuce Leaves
• 12 Pickle Slices
• 4 tbsp. Aioli or Mayonnaise
• 1 Gallon of Frying Oil (or enough to fill a large pot halfway)
  
  

Equipment Needed: Thermometer and Spider Strainer

Instructions

1. Combine Milk, Lemon Juice, 1 tsp. Onion Powder, 1 tsp. Garlic Powder, 2 tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. of Black Pepper, and 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper in a large bowl and mix well to create seasoned Buttermilk. Submerge the Chicken and leave at room temperature for 40 minutes
2. While the Chicken is in the brine, place all the Tamarind Glaze Ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a Boil. Drop the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour until a jam-like consistency forms
3. Mix the Flour and remaining Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Cayenne Pepper in a bowl to create the breading
4. Add your frying Oil into a large pot, ensuring there’s enough Oil to fully submerge the Chicken (don’t fill the Oil more than halfway up). Heat until the temperature reaches 350F, using a thermometer to monitor
5. Using a fork, remove a piece of Chicken from the Brine and place it in the Breading. Coat well, then dip it back into the brine. Place back into the breading to double-coat it. Tap the Chicken to remove any excess Flour then carefully place in the Hot Oil
6. Fry the Chicken for 6 minutes until golden brown. Using a spider strainer, remove the Chicken and check the internal temperature. Once it reaches 160F, place it on an elevated wire rack to strain. Season immediately with Salt
7. While it is still hot, coat the Chicken well in the Tamarind glaze using a brush then place it in your Burger along with the Mayo, Lettuce, and Pickles
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Try to avoid overcrowding the Oil with Chicken when cooking, as this will reduce the Oil temperature resulting in a greasy Chicken. We recommend a maximum of 2 pieces at once
• You can prepare the Tamarind Glaze in advance and refrigerate it until it is ready to use. Simply add it to a saucepan to reheat
  
  

Our amazing Tamarind Glazed Fried Chicken Sandwich is a rich and decadent way to enjoy this classic American comfort food staple. You’ll enjoy the crispy batter of the double dipped Fried Chicken and the Sweet and Sour flavors from the amazing Tamarind Glaze

If you enjoy this recipe then check out some of our other favorite Fried Dishes:

• Fried Pumpkin Fritters
• Deep Fried Oysters
• Fried Pulled Pork Balls with Cheese
• Pan Fried Chicken Schnitzel
  
  

Happy Cooking!