A scrumptious fried chicken sandwich, that's very easy to make! Buttermilk marinated, crispy fried chicken, with a spicy aioli and pickles, served in a buttery brioche bun. Easy to customize to your liking with your favorite fillings. Gluten free friendly too. EASY - This is an easy sandwich to assemble. If you choose to make your own burger buns, the difficulty level will be intermediate. This recipe can be customized to your liking with different toppings / fillings. Gluten free friendly
1cuppotato starchuse as needed (you can also use cornstarch or a mix of cornstarch and flour), please see notes
Oil to deep fry
Mayonnaise
1cupmayonnaisestore-bought or homemade
3garlic clovesif you can find black garlic, use that instead
3tbsphot sauce
2tbspbalsamic glazeOR you can use balsamic vinegar instead
1tbspwhole grain mustard
To serve
4brioche burger bunsyou can substitute with any kind of burger bun, or a gluten free alternative
Pickles
Lettuceor tomatoes or cheese (optional)
Instructions
Fried chicken
Place the chicken thighs in a container or ziploc bag. Add the buttermilk, and all of the ingredients of the marinade. Close the ziploc bag (removing as much air as possible), and mix the chicken with all the marinade ingredients to coat.
4 pieces chicken thighs, 1½ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup hot sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper
Let the chicken marinate overnight.
The next day
Remove all the chicken pieces from the bag and place them on a plate or bowl.
Place the contents of the leftover marinade in a separate bowl.
Take two more plates, and add the potato starch into one.
1 cup potato starch
Sprinkle some of the potato starch on the other empty plate and set aside. This is the plate where you will be keeping the coated chicken BEFORE frying (you can fry the chicken directly after coating as well).
Dip the chicken in the leftover marinade.
Place the chicken on the first plate with potato starch and toss to make sure to coat completely, pressing the starch into the chicken.
The chicken piece should have a scraggly, rough-looking coating. Place this on the second plate, or fry it right away.
Repeat with all the chicken pieces.
Heat 2 - 3 inches of oil in a large pan (with tall sides) or pot. When the oil temp. reaches 375°F / 190°C, carefully lower coated pieces of chicken into the oil. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Oil to deep fry
Cook the chicken for 3 - 4 minutes on one side. Then flip and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes on the other side. The cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken, so reduce the time for smaller pieces and increase the time for bigger pieces.
The best way to tell if the chicken is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165°F / 74°C.
When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oil, and place it on a wire rack, which in turn is placed on a baking tray. (TIP - line the baking tray with foil or parchment paper so that the oil dripping onto the tray can be easily cleaned up).
Place this tray in the oven with the warm setting turned on (or lowest heat setting). This will keep the fried chicken warm and crispy until you're ready to serve.
Mayonnaise
Place all the ingredients for the mayonnaise in a small food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
1 cup mayonnaise, 3 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp hot sauce, 2 tbsp balsamic glaze, 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Assembling the chicken sandwiches
I use homemade brioche burger buns for these sandwiches, but you can use any burger buns you like. For a gluten free option, use gluten free buns or lettuce leaves as a bun alternative.
4 brioche burger buns
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
Split the buns, and toast them lightly on the heated pan until the surface is lightly caramelized and toasted.
Place the lightly toasted buns on a tray to assemble the sandwiches.
Spread a dollop of mayonnaise on the bottom bun half. Then place the pickles over the mayonnaise.
Pickles
Next, place a piece fried chicken on top. Optional - add a slice of cheese, tomatoes and lettuce on top as well, if you prefer.
Lettuce
Spread a little mayonnaise on the other half of the bun as well, and place it over the fried chicken. Press down gently to spread the mayonnaise more.
Serve immediately.
Notes
Note on potato starchI use just over 1 cup for this recipe, but it will depend on the size of the chicken thighs.Using potato starch or cornstarch will make the fried chicken gluten free.