Classic Fried Chicken Sandwich
This fried chicken sandwich is ultra crispy on the outside, tender & juicy on the inside and bursting with flavour all over!
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Servings (click & slide): 4 sandwiches
Calories per serving: 477kcal
Cost per serving: £3 / $4
Equipment
- Cling Film & Rolling Pin (for pounding chicken)
- Medium Sized Mixing Bowl (for marinating)
- Large Shallow Bowl or Curved Tray (for dredging)
- Large Pot & Tongs (for deep frying)
- Cooling Rack & Paper Towels (for draining oil)
- Small Mixing Bowl (for sandwich sauce)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Kitchen Thermometer
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless Chicken Thighs (see notes)
- Vegetable Oil, for deep frying (see notes)
Marinade
- 1 cup / 250ml Buttermilk (see notes)
- 1 tsp EACH: Paprika, Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, White Pepper, Cayenne Pepper
Breading
- 1 3/4 cups / 250g Plain/All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp EACH: Baking Powder, Oregano, Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Sandwich
- 4 Burger Buns, toasted (see notes)
- 1/2 head of Lettuce, shredded
- sliced Bread & Butter Pickles/Gherkins, to preference
Honey Sriracha Mayo
- 1/2 cup / 120g Full Fat Mayo
- 1 tbsp EACH: Honey, Pickle Juice, Sriracha (can adjust to spice preference)
Instructions
- Pound Chicken: One by one lay a chicken thigh on a chopping board and rest over cling film. Pinch around the edges to avoid any moisture escaping, then pound with a rolling pin, mallet or even a heavy pan. You want them fairly thin, but not so thin they start breaking apart. The main goal is to achieve even thickness across the thigh.
- Marinate: In a medium sized mixing bowl combine 1 cup buttermilk with 1 tsp salt & paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Add in chicken thighs and use your tongs to ensure they'll all evenly coated. Cover with cling film then marinate in the fridge. I highly 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.
- Dredge: In a shallow dish or curved tray, combine 1 3/4 cups flour with 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp baking powder, salt and oregano, 1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp black pepper. One by one dredge the thighs through the flour, making sure you completely coat each time. Really get in all the cracks and crevices of the chicken to create lots of craggy bits on the batter. Place to one side.
- Fry: In a large pot or deep pan heat up 3-4 cups oil to 180C/356F. Place in 1 thigh and fry for 3-4mins each side, or until deep golden and crunchy. The internal temp of the chicken should reach 75C/165F (will continue cooking slightly as it rests). The temp of the oil will likely drop when the chicken starts frying, and that's fine, but make sure the temp stays at around 165C/300F as the chicken fries (a medium flame should obtain this). 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 and fry the next thigh.
- Serve: In a small pot whip up your sriracha honey mayo, then stack the sandwiches in the following order - Bottom bun, mayo, lettuce, chicken, pickles, top bun (spread with mayo). Enjoy!
Quick Demo
Notes
a) Chicken - Your thighs should weigh around 5.3oz/150g each. You can use slightly smaller/bigger thighs, you'll just need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breast, and the process is exactly the same. The breast may end up slightly thicker, so will require a couple mins more cooking. Breast works best with 5.3oz/150g - 7oz/200g breasts. In all cases it's important to make sure you don't fry the chicken if it's still cold, otherwise it'll seize up when it hits the oil and come out slightly tough/chewy i.e taking it out the fridge 30mins before needed.
b) Oil - Anything with a neutral flavour and high smoking point works well like vegetable, sunflower or canola oil. You want enough to comfortably cover the depth of the chicken. Around 3-4cups / 750ml-1litre should suffice.
c) Buttermilk - You'll find this in most stores in the milk/cream section. If you can't find it you can make your own by combining 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp acidity (lemon juice, white vinegar). Leave it 10mins to slightly curdle then use as needed.
d) Burger Buns - I've just used regular burger buns here, but sesame seeded buns also work nicely. I personally don't like brioche buns here because the honey sriracha mayo already adds sweetness, but you could if you wanted. To toast them just place in a scorching hot DRY griddle or frying pan until lightly charred.
e) Calories - Tricky to work out as not all the buttermilk, flour and oil attaches to chicken. Calories per piece of chicken assuming half the buttermilk attaches, all the flour and 2 tsp oil per thigh. Calories just for chicken.
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition:
Nutrition Facts
Classic Fried Chicken Sandwich
Amount Per Serving
Calories 477
Calories from Fat 146
% Daily Value*
Fat 16.22g25%
Saturated Fat 9.323g58%
Trans Fat 0.042g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.884g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.427g
Cholesterol 142mg47%
Sodium 1366mg59%
Potassium 502mg14%
Carbohydrates 44.42g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1.77g2%
Protein 36.4g73%
Vitamin A 618IU12%
Vitamin C 0.5mg1%
Calcium 61mg6%
Iron 4.06mg23%
* 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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