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closeup shot of glaze dripping off chicken sandwich

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

This Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich is ultra crispy on the outside, soft & juicy on the inside and loaded with flavour all over!
4.89 from 9 votes
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Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings (click & slide): 4 sandwiches
Calories per serving: 955kcal
Author: Chris
Cost per serving: £4 / $5

Equipment

  • Cling Film & Rolling Pin or Mallet (for pounding chicken)
  • Large Pot & Tongs (for deep frying)
  • Large Mixing Bowl & Cling Film (for marinating)
  • Large Shallow Bowl or Curved Tray (for dredging)
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
  • Cooling Rack & Paper Towels
  • Small Mixing Bowl & Whisk (for glaze)
  • Kitchen Thermometer

Ingredients

Chicken & Marinade

  • 4x 5-7oz/150-200g Chicken Breasts
  • 1 1/4 cups / 300ml Buttermilk (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup / 60ml Hot Sauce (something vinegar based like Franks or Cholula)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp White Pepper
  • 3-4 cups / 750ml - 1litre Vegetable, Peanut or Sunflower Oil

Dry Mix

  • 1 3/4 cups / 250g Plain/All Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp Paprika
  • 1.5 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Sandwich

  • 4 large Burger Buns, halved & toasted (see notes)
  • 4 tbsp Mayo
  • 1/2 head of Iceberg Lettuce, finely sliced/shredded
  • Bread & Butter Pickles Slices, to preference
  • Pickled Jalapeños, to preference

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup / 120ml Oil from deep frying
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tbsp Hot Sauce, or to taste
  • 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Pound Chicken: Lay a chicken breast on your chopping board, cover with cling film and pinch around the edges (so no juices escape). Pound until even thickness, but not so thin it starts breaking apart. Around 3/4" is fine. Cut and discard any parts around the breast that rip off (can cut the tails off to create circle/burger shape if you want). Repeat with remaining breasts.
  • Marinate: In a large mixing bowl combine buttermilk, hot sauce, salt and white pepper. Add in the chicken breasts and combine to ensure they'll all coated. Cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge. I recommend a minimum of 4 hours (up to overnight) but just as long as you have time for. Take the chicken out the fridge 30mins before needed to bring close to room temp (see notes).
  • Dredge: In a large shallow dish or tray combine flour with paprika, cayenne pepper, onion & garlic powder, baking powder and salt & black pepper. One by one coat the breasts in the flour, making sure you completely coat each time. Really get in all the cracks and crevices of the chicken to create lots of little flaky parts. Place to one side.
  • Fry: In a large pot or deep pan heat up oil to 180C/356F. In batches of 1-2 (depending on pot size), carefully lower the chicken in the hot oil. The temp will likely drop to around 165C/300F, just maintain that heat as the chicken fries. Depending on the thickness of the chicken it'll take around 4-5mins on one side, then flip and continue frying for another couple of minutes. The chicken should be deep golden, visibly crunchy with the bubbling oil starting to slow down. The internal temp of the chicken should reach 75C/165F. Carefully remove and rest on wire rack with paper towels underneath (don't place directly on paper towel or they'll lose crispiness). Bring oil temp back up to 180C/356F between each batch.
  • Glaze: Once you've fried the 4 breasts, scoop out 1/2cup of the oil and pour into a mixing bowl. Add in honey, hot sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt & black pepper and whisk until it emulsifies and thickens into a glaze. Brush both sides of the chicken with the glaze.
  • Sandwich: Stack the sandwich in the following order - toasted bun, mayonnaise, lettuce, chicken, pickles & jalapeños, top bun. Enjoy!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Buttermilk - You'll find this in nearly all supermarkets/grocery stores in the milk/cream section, but if for whatever reason you can't find it I recommend either of the following:
  • 3/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup milk to thin out.
  • 1 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp acid (white vinegar or lemon juice). Mix them together and let it sit for 10mins before adding the chicken. This is a slightly thinner consistency than buttermilk, so if you’re doing this ensure you properly dredge the chicken through the chicken to create the flaky parts.
b) Burger Buns - I prefer sesame buns, but you can use any buns you fancy. I do recommend toasting though. To do this just place them in a smoking hot DRY griddle or frying pan until lightly charred. You can also slice them open and place them under the grill and broil until toasted.
c) Chicken - Important for the chicken to be close to room temp before you fry it. Frying cold meat will cause it to seize up and go chewy. Hence why taking the chicken out the fridge 30mins before needed.
d) Preventing the batter falling off: 
– Really ensure you bread the chicken as well as you can. Get in every crack and crevice of the tenders and build up a nice thick, flaky crust. This step is crucial.
– Allow the chicken to rest a little before hitting the oil, just to help the batter and chicken glue together.
– Make sure you don't move the chicken too much in the first instance when it’s in the oil. Again, just to allow time for the batter to glue to the chicken.
– Ensure the chicken is close to room temp before it hits the oil. Cold meat seizes up and releases a lot of moisture, which may push the breading off.
– Check oil temp is on point. Too low and the batter goes soggy and falls off. Too high and it’ll burn and flake off.
e) Calories - Rough estimate based on using 5.3oz/150g chicken breasts, all the flour buttermilk included, 2 tsp oil per fried chicken:

Your Private Notes:

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts
Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Amount Per Serving
Calories 955 Calories from Fat 436
% Daily Value*
Fat 48.4g74%
Saturated Fat 5.931g37%
Trans Fat 7.448g
Polyunsaturated Fat 8.279g
Monounsaturated Fat 26.655g
Cholesterol 118mg39%
Sodium 1816mg79%
Potassium 1038mg30%
Carbohydrates 82.79g28%
Fiber 5.5g23%
Sugar 18.85g21%
Protein 47.42g95%
Vitamin A 2116IU42%
Vitamin C 16mg19%
Calcium 215mg22%
Iron 5.89mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.
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