Skip the drive through and make these double crunch, juicy-on-the-inside, crispy fried chicken sandwiches on a poppyseed bun with mayo and shredded ice burg lettuce.
The chicken is soaked in buttermilk in a zip lock bag, which means it's super juicy, and the double crunch dredging ensures you get the crispiest chicken ever.
Pound The Chicken
Start by shaping the chicken. Cut each breast as evenly as possibly on the bias.
Then place them all in a zip lock bag and pound them with a rolling pin or meat mallet to uniform thickness, about ¼ inch thick.
Once an even thickness is achieved, pour the buttermilk into the bag and allow them to marinate for an hour.
Dredging Station
To make the dredge, whisk together the flour and seasonings in one bowl and an egg mixture in another bowl.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels, coat both sides in the seasoned flour mixture, then shake off the excess.
Dip the coated chicken in the egg mixture, then back into the flour mixture a second time to create a double layer of seasoned flour.
This is what makes the breading crispy and crunchy.
Frying the Patties
Once you've coated the chicken, just keep setting it up on a plate until it is all finished.
Prepare a place to transfer the fried chicken to when it's ready to be pulled out of the oil. Line a plate or tray with paper towels, then place a baking/cooling rack over that.
Set the prepared draining rack aside.
Don't rush too much because the sitting time actually reinforces the crispy coating into the chicken breast, so you're good to let it stack up until ready to fry.
With the patties all dredged, dunked, and coated, it's time to fry them.
Bring the oil temperature to 350 degrees, using a thermometer or you can test that it's ready when a bit of flour sprinkled in sizzles. Don't heat it too high that it begins smoking.
Deep fry only two chicken patties at a time about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown.
Remove the fried chicken patties from the oil with tongs or a wire skimmer, and place them on a baking rack that has been placed over a paper towel lined plate or tray (to catch excess grease).
Assemble The Sandwiches
To assemble, spread mayonnaise on the bottom of a sesame seed bun.
Top with the fried chicken patties, shredded lettuce, and top sesame seed bun with more mayonnaise.
If you tried this recipe, leave a comment below.
Also try these other related recipes.
Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Equipment
- stove
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts sliced on the bias
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
Flour Dredge
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika avoid smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard powder
- ⅛ teaspoon white or black pepper
Egg Wash
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk or regular milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts on the bias so that they are somewhat even in height.
- Place cut chicken breasts in a zip lock bag; seal and pound with a rolling pin or mallet to create uniform thickness of about ½ inch.
- Open the zipper bag, and pour buttermilk into the bag so it coats the chicken; zip it up and place it in the fridge for an hour. (Using a bowl underneath protects against leaks in the fridge.)
- Combine dredging ingredients in one bowl, and egg wash ingredients in another. Place a plate nearby, as this will serve as the "dredging station".
- Pour oil into skillet or pot to 2 inches deep. Set to 350 degrees (which is roughly the medium to medium high setting on most stoves.) Be careful of little ones and handles as oil heats up to prevent injury.
- Remove chicken from buttermilk bag. Roll in the flour mixture.
- Dip in the egg wash mixture, and then roll back into the flour mixture to make sure
- Work in batches so that chicken isn't crowded and it gets very crispy. it sticks. Stack onto a plate as you go.
- Drain on a metal baking rack that is set over another baking sheet to catch the drips. Don't ever set fried chicken (or fried anything) directly on paper towels or other absorbent materials.
- Spread mayonnaise onto the top and bottom sesame seed buns. Place chicken on the bottom bun, followed by shredded lettuce and top bun.
Notes
- Don't marinate chicken in buttermilk for over an hour. The acidity can "cook" the chicken, and it can become tough.
- Don't drain chicken pieces on paper towels, or anything that will come into contact with them.
Denise says
Loved it!
Erin says
I'm glad, thanks Denise!!
penis Anthony Dooblinyay “Doobs” says
Was good, enjoyed it. LOL.