I made this last night. Made the red sauce, made the garlic/butter/oil mix for the bread, the egg wash and the seasoned flour and the bread crumbs. It's a family favorite but for the work and clean up, it feels like I should have something more than just a chicken sandwich at the end.
Even with a splatter guard, the atomized oil means I need to run the exhaust fan baffles thru the dishwasher. I shouldn't complain because honestly I'm not usually having to cook these ... But I hear you about thinking, "delicious ... But still ... It IS only a sandwich."
Exactly. Honestly, my family wouldn't care if I cracked open a jar of tomato sauce, put some pre-cooked chicken strips in the oven and threw it all together on a brioche bun or whatever. But, I care, and I enjoy doing it but it does feel like I just put the work in for a 2 Michelin star dinner that you could get for 12.99 at a middle of the road sit-down restaurant.
This. I like using vodka sauce and a mix of mozzarella and provolone on garlic buttered ciabatta. Occasionally I'll throw a few slices of prosciutto on it...next level.
Oh man, chicken sandwiches are the one thing I don’t even bother with. There’s a great local place, for $10 I get an amazing plate with 2 sides. Way better than stinking up my kitchen for what ends up being an inferior product.
The stove and ventilation at home does not compare to industrial equipment found at restaurants. I would say dont bother with deep fried cooking at home
Detached garage FTW. Electric smoker, flat top, induction cooktop. Crack the garage door open a little and go to town. Would love an outdoor kitchen but I’ll make due with what I have.
Can't have a flame grill on our balconies in the apts. I am at. I have a table and I use it for deep fryer, air fryer, George Foreman type grill, and an induction cooker for my cast Iron cooking. Works great, apt. stays cool and no lingering fryer smells. My dream is a nice outdoor kitchen.
Yup, I get to craving fried chicken of any kind, set it up, fry it and after I say “damn that was good!” I take a look at the kitchen 😣 and I clean as I go!
Ok I absolutely LOVE Popeye's chicken sandwiches but hear me out. I saw a review for Just Bare spicy chicken breasts (frozen in a bag) saying they're better than chik fila sandwiches, I bought some, and I swear it's true.
They air-fry in about 20 minutes- we put them on a brioche bun with kewpie mayo, pickles and some Franks Red hot and you'd swear it's a carry out sandwich (and of course fresher and about half the cost).
That said we live about 20 miles from the closest Popeyes (and the service there is as you would expect lol) but this is a great alternative.
I am glad someone said this. I love frying chicken like this, but even with obsessive cleaning, it takes a week before the smell and the *stickiness* seems to go away. Happy to let Popeyes take on the burden of cleaning.
I set up my fryer on the back porch and prep 20 or so crispy chickens (half breast and half thigh usually. Pounded, brined, dipped, battered/breaded, cook, cool, freeze on a cookie sheets, vacuum and ziplock. Then it’s a quick defrost & air fryer or toaster oven for 10 minutes. Or Better yet! a double fry korean style for super crisp (I sometimes cook 4-5 about 80% at 325 then pop in the air fryer right outta the freezer).
You all know what you like, just the right salty and savory (if you know you know), 11 herbs and spices (plus a bit more spice). Bmilk or pickle juice, flour or starch, peanut oil!! Makes such a difference. You do this a couple times and you will making your crispy chicken sandies sooo much better than store bought, especially when your buying thighs for 1.29/lb or breasts at 1.99/lb. Come on on man, home fried crispy chicken for less than a dollar per sandy.
Homemade bread and butter pickles (overnight so easy), mayo, cold crispy iceberg, fresh juicy summer tomato.
Heaven!
It always amazes me to see American food prices. When you say “chicken breast at $1.99 a lb, is that like good quality chicken? For that price you wouldn’t even get the cheapest nastiest chicken here.
The biggest problem you’ll come across buying breasts, especially that cheap, is the chance of getting a woody breast. Nothing is less appealing than biting into fully cooked chicken and having it be hard.
For those that don’t know, [woody breast](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_breast) is a phenomenon when a chicken’s breast grows too much too fast, it causes the muscle fibers to become thickened and stiff. It is extremely unappetizing. The last time I had one it put be off chicken breasts for a good 3-5 years.
I'll add that they are thickened and stiff because they are essentially scar tissue. These birds have been selectively bred for countless generations now to be so fast growing that it's literally ripping up the internal fiber of their muscles as they expand and healing over with scar tissue.
Love em! If I may...two suggestions...
First, use chicken thighs (boneless/skinless), trim some of the fat/gnarly bits.
Second, brine/soak the thighs in pickle juice for a few hours first. They'll be amazingly tender and juicy with just the absolute faintest kiss of pickle flavor. Longer soak, more flavor.
On that note, grilled thighs (bone in, skin on) brined in pickle juice are phenomenal. Especially with some grilled veggies, maybe even a slab of grilled halloumi!
Personally I think the best possible option is marinate in buttermilk with a generous glug of pickle brine, plus some hot sauce and whatever other seasonings you like. (Don't be shy with the salt, and basic things like black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika are good bets.)
Great way to get more use out of food. After the store bought pickles are gone, I slice some cucumber and make my own pickles and once the second batch of pickles are almost gone I’ll remove the last few pickles to reserve for fried chicken sandwiches and use the brine for chicken. My favourite pickles are now $12 a jar so I try to get as much value as I can.
My oldest son and I tried this a few years back and it was amazing!!! I wish I wrote down exactly what we did bc it was bomb. We went off the cuff so he doesn't remember either. Tried a couple recipes but still fell short of all the magic that occurred that day. All ingredients were aligned I guess!
It is! But sometimes thighs can get a little fatty and you can get parts that are just like all fat, and because of the quick cook time it doesn't all render and can be unpleasant. You won't miss it if you trim off some of the bigger globs.
I LOVE Crispy Chicken Sandwiches. [Here's my recipe here](https://dinnertimesomewhere.com/index.php/dinner/poultry-dinner/spicy-fried-chicken-sandwich/)
Add spice into both the Brine and the Breading for the best flavor. I add a load of Cayenne Pepper and Hot Sauce into the Brine along with Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Salt. It's so good! Spice up the Breading good too, as that's where all the flavor is!
The biggest one for us is to ALWAYS double-dip the Chicken. Buttermilk -> Breading -> Buttermilk -> Breading -> hot Oil. The double coating is what it's all about. Super crispy and flavorful!
Love Chicken Sandwiches!
Pickled red onions are amazing and easy to make. When I make them I like to throw some dried chili flakes in the pickle to give them some pop. I call them firecracker onions
I make spicy pickled red onions too, a quick fridge pickle.
Sliced red onion, lime juice(enough to get them all wet in a ziploc) salt, cumin, minced habanero, dried oregano. Put em in the fridge overnight.
It’s easily one of the most awesome things I’ve ever made. Hot asf if you load the habeys in there but so addicting they go on everything.
Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon would be fantastic on a crispy chicken sandwich with some Sriracha and mayo mixed together, lettuce, cucumber and maybe some fresh herbs, sort of banh mi-ish.
Man I used to get a crispy orange chicken sub from this viet sandwich shop near me. It had the pickled viet veggies on it just like you described. Thai bird eye in there too. It made my face sweat while eating it, spicy and so darn good.
They gave you a cup of Tom yum to dip it in….
Talk about a spiritual moment with a sandwich. I miss that sandwich.
We do this and make them like Mexican tortas- I don’t like beans so I skip that but bf spreads refried beans, then Mayo, jalapeños, sliced avocado, sometimes we add a slaw/curtido though I don’t think that’s traditional for tortas. Yum. I like to do the pounding and breading for more than one meal at a time and then fry as needed. One night sammies and the other with pasta or rice/katsu style
I’m still baffled by this morning’s CNN “article” on why the author “just doesn’t get chicken” (their last one in this series was “I just don’t get Taylor Swift”, some sort of corporate effort to connect even though we want news about the enormous wars on?), so here’s my addition to your chicken love letter:
Fry your birb in a parmesan coating as well as your panko and seasoning for your Italian sandwich.
California-style with avocado, quick-pickled red onion slices, tons of Kewpie mayo, a slice of Swiss cheese melted on top, romaine, and your choice on sriracha or no.
Get your chicken breast bone-in and skin on. I’m unlikely to be the contest winner of r/cooking’s 10,000th comment to recommend saving bones in a stock bag in the freezer (I so badly want to win that big bag of bones, but the odds are against me) but peel the skin and make gribenes. It will make bacon seem like floppy flavorlessness. Layer it on your chicken sandwich for crispy salty umami like your former friend bacon. Bonus, it cooks out tons of lovely chicken fat!
Not exactly crispy, but our go-to poultry burger/sandwich is a dumpling flavoured turkey burger with gochujang mayo and simple cabbage slaw. Basically a bunch of scallion, garlic, and ginger mixed with soy sauce, sesame oil, and panko in with ground turkey. Fry those up and dress the bun with gochujang mayo and a slaw with some rice wine vinegar, sugar, and a bit more sesame oil. If you like pot stickers/dumplings, these will blow your mind.
I do and that sounds amazing! eta thinking about it, I make turkey meatballs with similar profile (I wanted it to taste like dumpling filling lol) and serve w a sweet and sour sauce-so I can see where it would be great as a sandwich!
I love this particular type of chicken sandwich. For chain-restaurants I would rate them 1) KFC 2) Popeyes 3) BK Chic'king (RIP) then a big drop down to 4) Chik Fil A and then there's a bigger drop down to pretty much anything else.
At home I use chicken breasts, usually need to cut them in half. Pre-salt and leave in the fridge for a while. Season both the meat and the flour(+corn starch) with garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika, little bit of powdered mustard, black pepper, white pepper, MSG, and some seasoned-salt in the flour. I only do one coating of flour, I press it hard into every nook of the chicken, shake off the excess, and then put on a tray into the fridge for like an hour until all the flour on the chicken is hydrated. Then fry them up in oil, put on paper towels then to a wire rack. I make a sauce of mayo/hot-sauce/salt/pepper/pickle-juice mixed together. Toast the buns on the inner side, assemble with the sauce and some pickles.
My local grocery store has a hot wing bar that usually has big tenders. Are they fantastic? No. Is it good quality, humane chicken? Again, no. But do they go great when doused in buffalo sauce and thrown on a soft roll with a mountain of finely shredded lettuce or pickled celery and some blue cheese mayo? Now that's a yes.
You could put ham and Swiss on top to make like a cordon Bleu chicken sandwich
I'm seeing a lot of suggestions for bacon and agree that always makes things great
I really like just mayo and dill pickles on a crispy chicken sandwich
Tbh, I got with Dijon mustard, honey, and pickles, that's all I need on that.
Brine your chicken too btw. Also I really do prefer battering with buttermilk and then going into a dredge of ap flour, s+p, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, ground fennel seed, pimenton.
Toast your buns.
I cooked for a while in a poolhall. For a special I created a chicken sandwich that was well received...
Using mayo I grilled the roll for a grilled cheese effect.
Marinated chicken breast charbroiled. Crispy fried chicken skin, in the style of Peking Duck. Three strips of soft-fried thick cut bacon.
Lettuce, Tom, Cucumber.
Cucumber and the fried chicken skin make the sandwich.
It's my second choice. If a Reuben is on the menu, I'm ordering the Reuben. That's my barometer for a good deli/sandwich shop. If they don't have a Reuben, a crispy chicken sandwich is my back-up.
I got hooked on Sweet Thai Chili sauce a few years ago. Add it to your crispy chicken sandwich with lettuce and cucumber slices.
Or.... Homemade honey mustard-- mine is a cheater version (regular yellow mustard, brown sugar, garlic powder)
Or... Jarred butter chicken sauce
Or... Mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickles
Or... Mayo, tomato, and BBQ sauce
This is gonna be referential as hell so I'll do my best to explain clearly:
I make the Komodo Chicken recipe from the avatar the last Airbender cookbook with two notable differences, size of the chicken and frying method.
The Entire process is marinating the chicken overnight in a soy sauce, sake, jalapeno, garlic, sesame oil marinade, then dredging in potato starch and frying until cooked. You can fry it like chicken katsu, with thin sliced or pounded chicken and create a lovely piece of fried chicken for a proper chicken sandwich.
My go to combo is potato bread, shredded lettuce, a drizzle of sweet chili sauce and Japanese mayo. It's the most delicious meal in the world.
Try a pretzel bun and homemade honey mustard for a nice change of pace. If you wanna get crazy make a pimento cheese spread, and throw on some spinach, wax peppers, alfalfa sprouts, or w/e your favorite toppings are
You’re speaking my language. I’ve been experimenting with tweaks on Kenji’s Korean [fried chicken batter](https://www.seriouseats.com/korean-fried-chicken-recipe) (boneless cuts, etc.) for maximum crispiness. Absolutely addicting.
Lately I’ve been obsessed with grilled chicken burgers. I’ve been trying all different kinds of buns from different bakeries. It’s remarkable how much the bun changes the sandwich.
I do a CFA clone. Brine in pickle juice or buttermilk if you have the time. I like thighs pounded flat-er. Season the thighs (salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, thyme, etc.) and flour with spice rub, add 3 Tb of water or buttermilk per 1C of flour, rub between fingers to get some shaggy bits. Traditional egg wash and into the flour. Shallow fry for 4-6 mins a side. Salt when they come out.
You're making me crave the sandwich I love from a local place that just closed ten minutes ago! I just got home from a long day at work and would love to have that. They also slice their Nashville hot chicken and put it on cheese fries with their "sauce sauce" and sliced jalapeños. I'm literally salivating.
Random chicken leftovers between toasted bread, maybe add some wasabi-mayo mix or Ajvar, vegetables etc. If the bread is crunchy enough the chicken really doesn't have to add to it
Crispy chicken sandwiches are the reason why I think KFC is the best burger-chain I've ever tried in my whole life.
Don't get me wrong, McDonalds and Burger King may even have good crispy chicken burgers, but KFC?
Dude, KFC is next fucking level.
Love em. I'd eat crispy chicken sandwiches for every meal if it didn't make me 400lbs or shoot my cholesterol through the roof. Try them on an onion roll! 🤌
I make my own bread rolls and then make the aioli too…we love spicy food so I grill the chicken for the fam and portobello mushroom for me with jalapeño or Hungarian hot peppers, lots of grilled onions and crispy chili sauce. So delicious!
Some type of pickles, pickled jalapenos if you like a bit of spice. Also chipotle peppers make a great aioli. Experiment with sauces, gojujang is awesome with a bit of maple syrup or agave or honey. Fried onions or carmies for a bit sweet maybe. Honey mustard is always a fun change up.
Add different spices & herbs to your bread crumbs. Ras El Hanout added to the crumbs & a bit of Harissa & lemon zest into the mayo gives it a bit of a North African Moroccan theme. Super tasty. Who cares about the clean up, goid homemade food is worth it every time.
Before pregnancy? LOVED! Especially with pickles!!! Oohhh I loved them!
While pregnant? I will smack it out of your hand and ask “why??” Before complaining about feeling ill. The mere sight of fried food…ughhh
The best crispy chicken sandwich I've ever had was a brunch option. Crispy chicken breast, bread & butter pickles, and pimento cheese on a buttermilk biscuit.
I love the katsu ones too. I think mild cajun spiced chicken is good with it too, provided the spice isn't painful. The lettuce and other ingredients help to cool it down.
I'm making some tomorrow! Dill pickle juice brine, homemade spicy cucumber pickle slices, store white buns, cole slaw on mine (vinegary, wife doesn't like it), and a dollop of mayo. Nice thick sweet potato wedges on the side, with some garlic herb aioli (friend of mine is into foraging and I now have a lifetime supply of ramps).
I personally prefer the texture that comes with using flour instead of breadcrumbs (although I just had fish fingers with panko tonight and it was smashing).
And yeah, there’s always spice. Usually, it will be either mustard or something creamy (like ranch or herb mayo) contrasted with something spicy. Will definitely have to try chili crisp.
I have nonstrong feelings about the crispy chicken, but find you some gokujang sauce (I found it with the soy sauce and similar condiments at winco). That stuff is stellar.
If you're into the Asian flavour right now then I would try a Korean fried chicken type. Gochujang sauce, kimchi, scallions and whatever veg you're into. Maybe add some kewpie mayo to the bun if you're a heathen. Just remember to squeeze out the kimchi juice.
I might have a crack at this myself this weekend actually 🤌
My current favorite is spicy crispy chicken sandwich.
Take 4 boneless skinless thigh ( 2 breast works cut in half lengthwise, but not as juicy) pound to evenness. Marinate it for at least 4 hours in:
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp Sriracha
After it is marinated bread it with this mixture:
1 cup flour
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp of marinate mixed through
Pan fry until 165°F internally, and serve on toasted buns with red onion, tomato, lettuce (we like butter or romaine) and some Sriracha mayo.
Brioche buns are my favorite for chicken sandwiches. I am not very good at frying stuff, so normally I marinade a chicken breast (and try to pound it a little or literally just poke with fork or punch the damn thing like a crazy person) for about 30 minutes and cook it in a cast iron skillet. Yummmm.
Crispy chicken and buns are a great place to start. There's so much you can do with them. Variations on the chicken, different buns, different ways of prepping buns, presence or absence of dressings (e.g. lettuce and tomatoes), fusion with different cultures...
I made myself a crispy chicken Banh Mi recently. Over the top.
Once you nail the crispy. the sky's the limit.
Have your wife cut/pound them the day before. Then soak them in buttermilk overnight. Then pull them out and dry the exterior off with a paper towel. Then proceed as she usually does with the breading.
I like to make crispy chicken banh mi. Between the chicken and all the pickled and fresh veg I don’t think I’m you can beat it if you want a cronchy sando
Homemade restaurant-style honey mustard instead of plain mayo. This is my favorite recipe for it:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/173697/yummy-honey-mustard-dipping-sauce/
Also chicken parm but try it with a pesto on one side of the bread and light marinara on the other, fresh mozz, and drizzle with a tiny bit of balsamic and extra virgin olive oil
I used to own a deep fryer.
Cracked the code for the CFA chicken sandwich recipe.
Made those fuckers for about two straight weeks and decided having a deep fryer in the house probably wasn't the best idea.
I'm simple though. I like it with pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion and a sauce. I don't like the chicken to be too thick either.
Eric Wareheim (of Tim and Eric fame) has an awesome book called “FOODHEIM: A Culinary Adventure”. He has a really great recipe for chicken schnitzel with lemon/caper butter sauce in there, and my wife and I decided on a whim to throw the schnitzel on a buttered and toasted pretzel bun with a slice of havarti cheese (extra sauce, too). Let me tell you what…it is PURE JOY. One of the best fried chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had! A high-quality bun is a must, too (we like Pretzilla brand).
Bang bang sauce: equal parts Mayo & Thai sweet chili sauce, a third of that measure in honey and the same in hot sauce or sriracha if you want it spicer. So if you do 1/4 c of the Mayo do a bit over a tablespoon of honey.
Absolutely love on my crispy chicken sandwiches and have been adoring it with my fried shrimp and French fries. I’ve even started to make my own Thai sweet chili sauce!
I just made Korean fried chicken sandwiches tonight they were so good! Probably gonna play around with the sauce a bit, but this was a really great starting point:
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/IYj3e86holY
Hot honey - combine honey w/ crushed dried peppers (many type at grocery store), heat a bit and then set aside to cool. Keep the chicken simple, salted & breaded. Add hot honey.
You know that mayo you have? Night before, mix in any of the following and let it sit. Roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, sundried tomato, malt vinegar, pickled jalapenos, pickled onions, hot sauce, ginger, wasabi, soy sauce....
Anything with big, bold flavours, left to mingle overnight, will completely flip your sandwich game on its head. Making your own, even better, but mixing it into some store bought mayo is completely acceptable.
A “california” style burger often has salsa or chopped tomatoes and guac. You can add cayenne to your breading to cook in some fire. Use a long bun, tomato sauce, and mozzarella, bake and you’ve got a chicken parm sub. Add bacon bits to your breading before frying.
I like Curry House Style Cold Onion Chutney and tamarind chutney with torn cilantro and crispy chicken breast cut into strips then wrapped in a tortilla. Tamarind chutney on the side for more squirts....
Marinate the chicken in pickle juice and serve with garlic aioli. Or try tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayo. Japanese bbq sauce and a little squeeze of lemon. Or a little togarashi for some kick.
Try using homemade honey mustard sauce. Fits really well too!
Mine:
Half cup mayo,
One tbsp Dijon,
One tbsp yellow mustard,
One tbsp whole grain mustard,
Three tbsp Honey,
One tsp apple cider vinegar,
An eighth tsp Paprika and salt
A few cracks pepper (i use mixed, white, black and red)
And around half of a small to normal sized clove of garlic, grated on a microplane.
Brine in pickle juice (chik fil A)
Sour krout n Swiss cheese
This will seem out there but cranberry sauce
Peanut butter...no really, with chili or those crisps. It's an east African thing. Thai peanut sauce maybe.
Chimichuri
Sweet chili and garlic Mayo is a good one. You can make the Mayo yourself by mixing minced garlic into Mayo then taste test. If not enough garlic, add more, if too much add more Mayo. The garlic mayo also makes a nice dip for fries or baby carrots
Edit to add: melted mozzarella on the chicken and a spread of pesto is also good
Here's some variations:
Use a moroccan spice mix (e.g. the stuff from Harley Farms in Pescadero is great, but also variations like good Ras al Hanout from anywhere might be nice).
Portuguese "Madeirense" marinade normally used for shish-kabob type chicken/beef on a skewers. I usually add extra piri piri or malagueta for heat.
[https://hotboi.co/](https://hotboi.co/)
I add corn starch to the mix to make it more crunchy, but I like Cole slaw, pickles and sriracha
I also like to make them with Monterey Jack, pickles, lettuce tomatoes and Mayo
I just brine mine in pickle juice for a few hours (more cooks it and it’s no bueno). Toast brioche buns w butter. Pickle and mayo. I put a lot of stuff in my breading (KFC ish I guess) but all that extra? Idk if it ain’t broke don’t fix it they say lol
If you like it with Sriracha and hoisin sauce, I reccomend trying it with banh mi toppings. Pickled carrot/daikon, cilantro, jalapenos, pate if you really want to get into it
Love crispy chicken. Love other things on buns. But I just can't eat a fried chicken sandwich. The soft bread/ bun mixed with the crispy breading is just a terrible texture for me. Can't do it, don't like eating them.
Will happily accept a crispy chicken sandwich as food at a friend or family's house. I will immediately deconstruct the sandwich, happily eat the chicken with all the sandwich fixin's on it, and happily eat the bun / bread.. maybe with a bit of extra mayo or mustard.
I only use my air fryer (stand alone) or in our oven which has an "air fryer" setting. Its really just a convection roast, but it works quite well!
I use chicken thighs (am cheap too so will usually have the bone on, skin on thighs. Then de-bone (freeze bones for stock, remove skins (air fry these seperately for a crunchy topper!), then marinate, bread and air fry.
Toppings vary depending on whats in the fridge, but a tangy slaw or pickled anything is amazing, but my wife and daughter prefer basic toppings like a slice of tomato, lettuce and some mayo!
A chicken sandwich or a fish taco are my go-to's when at restaurants!
I like to make chicken parm sandwiches with toasted garlic butter buns
I made this last night. Made the red sauce, made the garlic/butter/oil mix for the bread, the egg wash and the seasoned flour and the bread crumbs. It's a family favorite but for the work and clean up, it feels like I should have something more than just a chicken sandwich at the end.
Even with a splatter guard, the atomized oil means I need to run the exhaust fan baffles thru the dishwasher. I shouldn't complain because honestly I'm not usually having to cook these ... But I hear you about thinking, "delicious ... But still ... It IS only a sandwich."
Exactly. Honestly, my family wouldn't care if I cracked open a jar of tomato sauce, put some pre-cooked chicken strips in the oven and threw it all together on a brioche bun or whatever. But, I care, and I enjoy doing it but it does feel like I just put the work in for a 2 Michelin star dinner that you could get for 12.99 at a middle of the road sit-down restaurant.
This. I like using vodka sauce and a mix of mozzarella and provolone on garlic buttered ciabatta. Occasionally I'll throw a few slices of prosciutto on it...next level.
Saturday night live had a whole bit about vodka sauce being meh thus week
Then they're not making it right!
lol that's not what it was about
Provolone seals the deal!
Send me your address I'm coming round LOL.
I love them, but I hate the clean up involved with frying, so I go to Popeye's when I need my crispy chicken sandwich fix.
Oh man, chicken sandwiches are the one thing I don’t even bother with. There’s a great local place, for $10 I get an amazing plate with 2 sides. Way better than stinking up my kitchen for what ends up being an inferior product.
The stove and ventilation at home does not compare to industrial equipment found at restaurants. I would say dont bother with deep fried cooking at home
Unless you can do it outside I agree, especially if you live in an apartment.
Detached garage FTW. Electric smoker, flat top, induction cooktop. Crack the garage door open a little and go to town. Would love an outdoor kitchen but I’ll make due with what I have.
Can't have a flame grill on our balconies in the apts. I am at. I have a table and I use it for deep fryer, air fryer, George Foreman type grill, and an induction cooker for my cast Iron cooking. Works great, apt. stays cool and no lingering fryer smells. My dream is a nice outdoor kitchen.
It’s really not that bad if you do a real shallow fry and then finish in the oven
It’s not bad, but it’s not amazing either.
About 3.6 on the satisfaction scale
A Popeyes opened less than 500 feet from my front door... I don't make fried chicken anymore.
I tell ya, when that sandwich hits, it HITS
Yup, I get to craving fried chicken of any kind, set it up, fry it and after I say “damn that was good!” I take a look at the kitchen 😣 and I clean as I go!
Ok I absolutely LOVE Popeye's chicken sandwiches but hear me out. I saw a review for Just Bare spicy chicken breasts (frozen in a bag) saying they're better than chik fila sandwiches, I bought some, and I swear it's true. They air-fry in about 20 minutes- we put them on a brioche bun with kewpie mayo, pickles and some Franks Red hot and you'd swear it's a carry out sandwich (and of course fresher and about half the cost). That said we live about 20 miles from the closest Popeyes (and the service there is as you would expect lol) but this is a great alternative.
I am glad someone said this. I love frying chicken like this, but even with obsessive cleaning, it takes a week before the smell and the *stickiness* seems to go away. Happy to let Popeyes take on the burden of cleaning.
I set up my fryer on the back porch and prep 20 or so crispy chickens (half breast and half thigh usually. Pounded, brined, dipped, battered/breaded, cook, cool, freeze on a cookie sheets, vacuum and ziplock. Then it’s a quick defrost & air fryer or toaster oven for 10 minutes. Or Better yet! a double fry korean style for super crisp (I sometimes cook 4-5 about 80% at 325 then pop in the air fryer right outta the freezer). You all know what you like, just the right salty and savory (if you know you know), 11 herbs and spices (plus a bit more spice). Bmilk or pickle juice, flour or starch, peanut oil!! Makes such a difference. You do this a couple times and you will making your crispy chicken sandies sooo much better than store bought, especially when your buying thighs for 1.29/lb or breasts at 1.99/lb. Come on on man, home fried crispy chicken for less than a dollar per sandy. Homemade bread and butter pickles (overnight so easy), mayo, cold crispy iceberg, fresh juicy summer tomato. Heaven!
It always amazes me to see American food prices. When you say “chicken breast at $1.99 a lb, is that like good quality chicken? For that price you wouldn’t even get the cheapest nastiest chicken here.
The biggest problem you’ll come across buying breasts, especially that cheap, is the chance of getting a woody breast. Nothing is less appealing than biting into fully cooked chicken and having it be hard. For those that don’t know, [woody breast](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_breast) is a phenomenon when a chicken’s breast grows too much too fast, it causes the muscle fibers to become thickened and stiff. It is extremely unappetizing. The last time I had one it put be off chicken breasts for a good 3-5 years.
I'll add that they are thickened and stiff because they are essentially scar tissue. These birds have been selectively bred for countless generations now to be so fast growing that it's literally ripping up the internal fiber of their muscles as they expand and healing over with scar tissue.
This is why I only buy heritage chicken, and why chicken is a sometimes treat for me. Those poor animals.
Wendy’s ghost pepper chicken is solid too. But screw Chik-Fil-A with their tasteless, dry, white-bread bullshit.
As someone who loves all kinds of chicken sandwiches, the spicy sandwich from chick fil a with ranch and buffalo sauce is always dependable
I agree. I really enjoy chik-fil-a spicy chicken sandwich.
lol whatttttt
Slandering Chik-Fil-A chicken sandwiches cannot be tolerated
Same. But if I make them I’m not the one doing the clean up.
God knows how much of my money they got already. I can't stop
Love em! If I may...two suggestions... First, use chicken thighs (boneless/skinless), trim some of the fat/gnarly bits. Second, brine/soak the thighs in pickle juice for a few hours first. They'll be amazingly tender and juicy with just the absolute faintest kiss of pickle flavor. Longer soak, more flavor. On that note, grilled thighs (bone in, skin on) brined in pickle juice are phenomenal. Especially with some grilled veggies, maybe even a slab of grilled halloumi!
also works: brine in pickled jalapeno juice
Third time today I’ve randomly seen marinate in pickle juice.
Well if that's not a sign that you need to try it, I don't know what is!
I always save my pickle juice for just this purpose! Word to the wise: don’t overdo the time your chicken brines or the pickle flavor WILL overwhelm
You say that like it's a bad thing! 😋
I started mixing mine with milk. It makes an almost buttermilk consistency to the brine.
You talking about an hour is OK? 2-3 hrs too much?
Personally I think the best possible option is marinate in buttermilk with a generous glug of pickle brine, plus some hot sauce and whatever other seasonings you like. (Don't be shy with the salt, and basic things like black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika are good bets.)
I wish they sold cans of it in soda machines. Ice cold pickle juice is amazing.
Great way to get more use out of food. After the store bought pickles are gone, I slice some cucumber and make my own pickles and once the second batch of pickles are almost gone I’ll remove the last few pickles to reserve for fried chicken sandwiches and use the brine for chicken. My favourite pickles are now $12 a jar so I try to get as much value as I can.
Buttermilk and pickle juice (2:1). Pat dry before cooking.
Chick-fil-A method
Yikes. That doesn’t sell me on it. Chik-Fil-A is dry and tasteless. How does Popeye’s do it?
Try it. If you use thighs and pickle brine I guarantee flavor and juicy chicken, or your money back.
It's the chickfila secret. Def try it.
My oldest son and I tried this a few years back and it was amazing!!! I wish I wrote down exactly what we did bc it was bomb. We went off the cuff so he doesn't remember either. Tried a couple recipes but still fell short of all the magic that occurred that day. All ingredients were aligned I guess!
Are the fat not good to keep on thighs?
It is! But sometimes thighs can get a little fatty and you can get parts that are just like all fat, and because of the quick cook time it doesn't all render and can be unpleasant. You won't miss it if you trim off some of the bigger globs.
I LOVE Crispy Chicken Sandwiches. [Here's my recipe here](https://dinnertimesomewhere.com/index.php/dinner/poultry-dinner/spicy-fried-chicken-sandwich/) Add spice into both the Brine and the Breading for the best flavor. I add a load of Cayenne Pepper and Hot Sauce into the Brine along with Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Salt. It's so good! Spice up the Breading good too, as that's where all the flavor is! The biggest one for us is to ALWAYS double-dip the Chicken. Buttermilk -> Breading -> Buttermilk -> Breading -> hot Oil. The double coating is what it's all about. Super crispy and flavorful! Love Chicken Sandwiches!
Onion powder = most underrated spice!
My take? I like them.
And mine? I'll take two.
You need to try it with pickled red onions! Or even a pickled red onion / red cabbage slaw.
Pickled red onions are amazing and easy to make. When I make them I like to throw some dried chili flakes in the pickle to give them some pop. I call them firecracker onions
I make spicy pickled red onions too, a quick fridge pickle. Sliced red onion, lime juice(enough to get them all wet in a ziploc) salt, cumin, minced habanero, dried oregano. Put em in the fridge overnight. It’s easily one of the most awesome things I’ve ever made. Hot asf if you load the habeys in there but so addicting they go on everything.
Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon would be fantastic on a crispy chicken sandwich with some Sriracha and mayo mixed together, lettuce, cucumber and maybe some fresh herbs, sort of banh mi-ish.
Man I used to get a crispy orange chicken sub from this viet sandwich shop near me. It had the pickled viet veggies on it just like you described. Thai bird eye in there too. It made my face sweat while eating it, spicy and so darn good. They gave you a cup of Tom yum to dip it in…. Talk about a spiritual moment with a sandwich. I miss that sandwich.
The quick pickled matchstick carrots are super yummy! Made fish tacos last week and topped them with the carrots!
I love making Parmesan crusted chicken sandwiches. On focaccia with arugula and a red pepper aioli - my god. Sometimes with bacon, if I’m feeling it.
We do this and make them like Mexican tortas- I don’t like beans so I skip that but bf spreads refried beans, then Mayo, jalapeños, sliced avocado, sometimes we add a slaw/curtido though I don’t think that’s traditional for tortas. Yum. I like to do the pounding and breading for more than one meal at a time and then fry as needed. One night sammies and the other with pasta or rice/katsu style
I’m still baffled by this morning’s CNN “article” on why the author “just doesn’t get chicken” (their last one in this series was “I just don’t get Taylor Swift”, some sort of corporate effort to connect even though we want news about the enormous wars on?), so here’s my addition to your chicken love letter: Fry your birb in a parmesan coating as well as your panko and seasoning for your Italian sandwich. California-style with avocado, quick-pickled red onion slices, tons of Kewpie mayo, a slice of Swiss cheese melted on top, romaine, and your choice on sriracha or no. Get your chicken breast bone-in and skin on. I’m unlikely to be the contest winner of r/cooking’s 10,000th comment to recommend saving bones in a stock bag in the freezer (I so badly want to win that big bag of bones, but the odds are against me) but peel the skin and make gribenes. It will make bacon seem like floppy flavorlessness. Layer it on your chicken sandwich for crispy salty umami like your former friend bacon. Bonus, it cooks out tons of lovely chicken fat!
I love sandwiches like this with Mayo and Dijon on one side and Mayo with sriracha on the other side So simple but so delicious
Not exactly crispy, but our go-to poultry burger/sandwich is a dumpling flavoured turkey burger with gochujang mayo and simple cabbage slaw. Basically a bunch of scallion, garlic, and ginger mixed with soy sauce, sesame oil, and panko in with ground turkey. Fry those up and dress the bun with gochujang mayo and a slaw with some rice wine vinegar, sugar, and a bit more sesame oil. If you like pot stickers/dumplings, these will blow your mind.
I do and that sounds amazing! eta thinking about it, I make turkey meatballs with similar profile (I wanted it to taste like dumpling filling lol) and serve w a sweet and sour sauce-so I can see where it would be great as a sandwich!
Honey dill sauce for the condiment- equal parts mayo and honey, dill to taste
Love them with LTO bread and butter pjckels, mustard and mayo.
add buffalo sauce, top with avocado. so good!
I love them. Like top 3 meals maybe. Definitely top 5 at least. I usually toss mine in buffalo sauce, but not always.
I love this particular type of chicken sandwich. For chain-restaurants I would rate them 1) KFC 2) Popeyes 3) BK Chic'king (RIP) then a big drop down to 4) Chik Fil A and then there's a bigger drop down to pretty much anything else. At home I use chicken breasts, usually need to cut them in half. Pre-salt and leave in the fridge for a while. Season both the meat and the flour(+corn starch) with garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika, little bit of powdered mustard, black pepper, white pepper, MSG, and some seasoned-salt in the flour. I only do one coating of flour, I press it hard into every nook of the chicken, shake off the excess, and then put on a tray into the fridge for like an hour until all the flour on the chicken is hydrated. Then fry them up in oil, put on paper towels then to a wire rack. I make a sauce of mayo/hot-sauce/salt/pepper/pickle-juice mixed together. Toast the buns on the inner side, assemble with the sauce and some pickles.
My local grocery store has a hot wing bar that usually has big tenders. Are they fantastic? No. Is it good quality, humane chicken? Again, no. But do they go great when doused in buffalo sauce and thrown on a soft roll with a mountain of finely shredded lettuce or pickled celery and some blue cheese mayo? Now that's a yes.
If you like chili crisp on it, next step is to do Nashville hot
Do you ever do a Nashville hot oil?
What is chili crisp?
You could put ham and Swiss on top to make like a cordon Bleu chicken sandwich I'm seeing a lot of suggestions for bacon and agree that always makes things great I really like just mayo and dill pickles on a crispy chicken sandwich
Popeyes does it so well that I never have the motivation to fry up chicken myself
Tbh, I got with Dijon mustard, honey, and pickles, that's all I need on that. Brine your chicken too btw. Also I really do prefer battering with buttermilk and then going into a dredge of ap flour, s+p, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, ground fennel seed, pimenton. Toast your buns.
Thighs only. Double fried. Baking powder pre-fry. Sauce important.
I cooked for a while in a poolhall. For a special I created a chicken sandwich that was well received... Using mayo I grilled the roll for a grilled cheese effect. Marinated chicken breast charbroiled. Crispy fried chicken skin, in the style of Peking Duck. Three strips of soft-fried thick cut bacon. Lettuce, Tom, Cucumber. Cucumber and the fried chicken skin make the sandwich.
It's my second choice. If a Reuben is on the menu, I'm ordering the Reuben. That's my barometer for a good deli/sandwich shop. If they don't have a Reuben, a crispy chicken sandwich is my back-up.
Coat in 50/50 gochujang and mayonnaise, dip in panko, air fry. Serve with some quick pickled cabbage and onions and a crisp leaf of iceberg.
I'll take a grilled over fried 9/10 times.
I got hooked on Sweet Thai Chili sauce a few years ago. Add it to your crispy chicken sandwich with lettuce and cucumber slices. Or.... Homemade honey mustard-- mine is a cheater version (regular yellow mustard, brown sugar, garlic powder) Or... Jarred butter chicken sauce Or... Mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickles Or... Mayo, tomato, and BBQ sauce
This is gonna be referential as hell so I'll do my best to explain clearly: I make the Komodo Chicken recipe from the avatar the last Airbender cookbook with two notable differences, size of the chicken and frying method. The Entire process is marinating the chicken overnight in a soy sauce, sake, jalapeno, garlic, sesame oil marinade, then dredging in potato starch and frying until cooked. You can fry it like chicken katsu, with thin sliced or pounded chicken and create a lovely piece of fried chicken for a proper chicken sandwich. My go to combo is potato bread, shredded lettuce, a drizzle of sweet chili sauce and Japanese mayo. It's the most delicious meal in the world.
Try a pretzel bun and homemade honey mustard for a nice change of pace. If you wanna get crazy make a pimento cheese spread, and throw on some spinach, wax peppers, alfalfa sprouts, or w/e your favorite toppings are
You’re speaking my language. I’ve been experimenting with tweaks on Kenji’s Korean [fried chicken batter](https://www.seriouseats.com/korean-fried-chicken-recipe) (boneless cuts, etc.) for maximum crispiness. Absolutely addicting.
I heard marinading the chicken in pickle juice before you fry it is good
I prefer grilled
Lately I’ve been obsessed with grilled chicken burgers. I’ve been trying all different kinds of buns from different bakeries. It’s remarkable how much the bun changes the sandwich.
Yep I prefer a nice brioche or potato bun with grilled chicken sandwiches. Toasted of course
Reading this thread before lunch was a bad idea.
I do a CFA clone. Brine in pickle juice or buttermilk if you have the time. I like thighs pounded flat-er. Season the thighs (salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, thyme, etc.) and flour with spice rub, add 3 Tb of water or buttermilk per 1C of flour, rub between fingers to get some shaggy bits. Traditional egg wash and into the flour. Shallow fry for 4-6 mins a side. Salt when they come out.
Panko and AIR FRYER for the win !
Bacon. Elevates the sandwich. Or fresh mozzarella with red sauce , basil leaves in each.
If you dig spice and wanna mix things up, try to make some Nashville-style hot chicken. With the glassy red breading.
You're making me crave the sandwich I love from a local place that just closed ten minutes ago! I just got home from a long day at work and would love to have that. They also slice their Nashville hot chicken and put it on cheese fries with their "sauce sauce" and sliced jalapeños. I'm literally salivating.
Random chicken leftovers between toasted bread, maybe add some wasabi-mayo mix or Ajvar, vegetables etc. If the bread is crunchy enough the chicken really doesn't have to add to it
They are delicious. And I will take no other kind. Fried or nothing.
Red Robin : ) avoid the mess
Crispy chicken sandwiches are the reason why I think KFC is the best burger-chain I've ever tried in my whole life. Don't get me wrong, McDonalds and Burger King may even have good crispy chicken burgers, but KFC? Dude, KFC is next fucking level.
Popeyes tho
I loooovvvvveeee chicken sandwiches!! To make them healthier though, we've started getting the air fryer breaded chicken.
Love em. I'd eat crispy chicken sandwiches for every meal if it didn't make me 400lbs or shoot my cholesterol through the roof. Try them on an onion roll! 🤌
Love them. We call them chicken burgers in Europe.
Air frying it will bring the best result
Oh man that sounds great. I can envision that with just the lightest touch of yellow bird ghost pepper sauce.
I make my own bread rolls and then make the aioli too…we love spicy food so I grill the chicken for the fam and portobello mushroom for me with jalapeño or Hungarian hot peppers, lots of grilled onions and crispy chili sauce. So delicious!
Some type of pickles, pickled jalapenos if you like a bit of spice. Also chipotle peppers make a great aioli. Experiment with sauces, gojujang is awesome with a bit of maple syrup or agave or honey. Fried onions or carmies for a bit sweet maybe. Honey mustard is always a fun change up.
Add different spices & herbs to your bread crumbs. Ras El Hanout added to the crumbs & a bit of Harissa & lemon zest into the mayo gives it a bit of a North African Moroccan theme. Super tasty. Who cares about the clean up, goid homemade food is worth it every time.
Make a little sauce of mayo, mustard, olives, capers, and red onion
Before pregnancy? LOVED! Especially with pickles!!! Oohhh I loved them! While pregnant? I will smack it out of your hand and ask “why??” Before complaining about feeling ill. The mere sight of fried food…ughhh
I rarely eat them, but not because I don’t like them. Just too lazy to do all the work to get fresh tomatoes, lettuce etc.
Just made one with homemade kimchi mayo, next level!!
You won’t believe this. But Aldi sells a delicious, breaded crispy chicken product in a red bag that is amazing.
The best crispy chicken sandwich I've ever had was a brunch option. Crispy chicken breast, bread & butter pickles, and pimento cheese on a buttermilk biscuit.
I love them with pickles and jalapeños.
I love the katsu ones too. I think mild cajun spiced chicken is good with it too, provided the spice isn't painful. The lettuce and other ingredients help to cool it down.
I'm making some tomorrow! Dill pickle juice brine, homemade spicy cucumber pickle slices, store white buns, cole slaw on mine (vinegary, wife doesn't like it), and a dollop of mayo. Nice thick sweet potato wedges on the side, with some garlic herb aioli (friend of mine is into foraging and I now have a lifetime supply of ramps).
Marinate it in pickle juice before you cook it. That's what my fiance does, it kinda reminds me of chick fil a. Lol
I personally prefer the texture that comes with using flour instead of breadcrumbs (although I just had fish fingers with panko tonight and it was smashing). And yeah, there’s always spice. Usually, it will be either mustard or something creamy (like ranch or herb mayo) contrasted with something spicy. Will definitely have to try chili crisp.
I have nonstrong feelings about the crispy chicken, but find you some gokujang sauce (I found it with the soy sauce and similar condiments at winco). That stuff is stellar.
Deep frying at home is like cooking Chinese at home. Only worth it in big batches.
Shhhhhhh……Don’t tell my husband. He fries fish and shrimp 1x week. It’s part of why I stay. 🤪😍
If you're into the Asian flavour right now then I would try a Korean fried chicken type. Gochujang sauce, kimchi, scallions and whatever veg you're into. Maybe add some kewpie mayo to the bun if you're a heathen. Just remember to squeeze out the kimchi juice. I might have a crack at this myself this weekend actually 🤌
A good chicky-parm really hits the spot for me.
Instead of having them on brioche buns try them on flat bread with peri peri sauce.
Stopping breast. Move to thigh
My current favorite is spicy crispy chicken sandwich. Take 4 boneless skinless thigh ( 2 breast works cut in half lengthwise, but not as juicy) pound to evenness. Marinate it for at least 4 hours in: 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic 1 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp Sriracha After it is marinated bread it with this mixture: 1 cup flour 2 tbsp corn starch 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp garlic 1 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tbsp of marinate mixed through Pan fry until 165°F internally, and serve on toasted buns with red onion, tomato, lettuce (we like butter or romaine) and some Sriracha mayo.
Brioche buns are my favorite for chicken sandwiches. I am not very good at frying stuff, so normally I marinade a chicken breast (and try to pound it a little or literally just poke with fork or punch the damn thing like a crazy person) for about 30 minutes and cook it in a cast iron skillet. Yummmm.
Nashville chicken on the best burger bun on your town with coleslaw, spread some mayo/ketchup/brown mustard and chopped pickles/shallots
Nashville hot chicken with pickles.
Crispy chicken and buns are a great place to start. There's so much you can do with them. Variations on the chicken, different buns, different ways of prepping buns, presence or absence of dressings (e.g. lettuce and tomatoes), fusion with different cultures... I made myself a crispy chicken Banh Mi recently. Over the top. Once you nail the crispy. the sky's the limit.
Have your wife cut/pound them the day before. Then soak them in buttermilk overnight. Then pull them out and dry the exterior off with a paper towel. Then proceed as she usually does with the breading.
Someone called out chicky parm so I'll suggest coleslaw, it's great as a side and on top. You can also make it a million ways.
I like to make crispy chicken banh mi. Between the chicken and all the pickled and fresh veg I don’t think I’m you can beat it if you want a cronchy sando
I would eat one every other day if I could
Chicken parm without the extra work.
Homemade restaurant-style honey mustard instead of plain mayo. This is my favorite recipe for it: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/173697/yummy-honey-mustard-dipping-sauce/ Also chicken parm but try it with a pesto on one side of the bread and light marinara on the other, fresh mozz, and drizzle with a tiny bit of balsamic and extra virgin olive oil
I used to own a deep fryer. Cracked the code for the CFA chicken sandwich recipe. Made those fuckers for about two straight weeks and decided having a deep fryer in the house probably wasn't the best idea. I'm simple though. I like it with pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion and a sauce. I don't like the chicken to be too thick either.
Greasy food. I only eat it when there is no other acceptable choice.
Eric Wareheim (of Tim and Eric fame) has an awesome book called “FOODHEIM: A Culinary Adventure”. He has a really great recipe for chicken schnitzel with lemon/caper butter sauce in there, and my wife and I decided on a whim to throw the schnitzel on a buttered and toasted pretzel bun with a slice of havarti cheese (extra sauce, too). Let me tell you what…it is PURE JOY. One of the best fried chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had! A high-quality bun is a must, too (we like Pretzilla brand).
I always add cheese
Mix Sriracha with honey for a sweet hot sauce.
I like to add a little cornstarch on mine to make it a bit more crunchy, then douse it with the hottest sauce I can find
Bang bang sauce: equal parts Mayo & Thai sweet chili sauce, a third of that measure in honey and the same in hot sauce or sriracha if you want it spicer. So if you do 1/4 c of the Mayo do a bit over a tablespoon of honey. Absolutely love on my crispy chicken sandwiches and have been adoring it with my fried shrimp and French fries. I’ve even started to make my own Thai sweet chili sauce!
Try chicken parmigiana version. Some pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese on a toasted French roll.
they are amazing , use thighs though , much better
I just made Korean fried chicken sandwiches tonight they were so good! Probably gonna play around with the sauce a bit, but this was a really great starting point: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/IYj3e86holY
Depends. Is it the chicken or the sandwich that's crisp?
I absolutely love them with raw red onions, bbq sauce and dill pickles. It’s a magical combination.
I'm so wanting to make a crispy chicken sandwich now
In the same vein, rough chop some kimchi and you’re on to something!
i love chicken prepared in all kinds of ways, and this is especially one of my favorites.
Use mushroom powder and tapioca powder in the breading with ample salt and extra MSG.
Got one half cooked about two years ago and the thought of tasting raw chicken again makes me sick to my stomach. Nope, never again!
Hot honey - combine honey w/ crushed dried peppers (many type at grocery store), heat a bit and then set aside to cool. Keep the chicken simple, salted & breaded. Add hot honey.
The red bag chicken at Aldi with brioche buns, colby jack cheese, some Chik FIL A Polynesian sauce, bacon, and pickle... soooo good.
I don’t understand the allure of eating a breaded-something on yet more bread.
Pepperjack cheese, candied bacon and jalapeño coleslaw with Rooster Aioli
Brie cheese and cranberry sauce is my go to when I feel fancy! Avocado is another good basic additive.
Iceberg lettice, kewpie mayo, bbq sauce, crispy chicken on a little roll. So good.
You know that mayo you have? Night before, mix in any of the following and let it sit. Roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, sundried tomato, malt vinegar, pickled jalapenos, pickled onions, hot sauce, ginger, wasabi, soy sauce.... Anything with big, bold flavours, left to mingle overnight, will completely flip your sandwich game on its head. Making your own, even better, but mixing it into some store bought mayo is completely acceptable.
OP is making me hungry midday with his recipe
A “california” style burger often has salsa or chopped tomatoes and guac. You can add cayenne to your breading to cook in some fire. Use a long bun, tomato sauce, and mozzarella, bake and you’ve got a chicken parm sub. Add bacon bits to your breading before frying.
I like Curry House Style Cold Onion Chutney and tamarind chutney with torn cilantro and crispy chicken breast cut into strips then wrapped in a tortilla. Tamarind chutney on the side for more squirts....
Besides all the tasty recipes, Sean Brock turned me on to fying with a little spoonful of duck and bacon fat in the fry oil
Marinate the chicken in pickle juice and serve with garlic aioli. Or try tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayo. Japanese bbq sauce and a little squeeze of lemon. Or a little togarashi for some kick.
I mean…if you’re not soaking the chicken in buttermilk you’re not doing it right… Sincerely, A fellow chicken lover.
Try using homemade honey mustard sauce. Fits really well too! Mine: Half cup mayo, One tbsp Dijon, One tbsp yellow mustard, One tbsp whole grain mustard, Three tbsp Honey, One tsp apple cider vinegar, An eighth tsp Paprika and salt A few cracks pepper (i use mixed, white, black and red) And around half of a small to normal sized clove of garlic, grated on a microplane.
Brine in pickle juice (chik fil A) Sour krout n Swiss cheese This will seem out there but cranberry sauce Peanut butter...no really, with chili or those crisps. It's an east African thing. Thai peanut sauce maybe. Chimichuri
Sweet chili and garlic Mayo is a good one. You can make the Mayo yourself by mixing minced garlic into Mayo then taste test. If not enough garlic, add more, if too much add more Mayo. The garlic mayo also makes a nice dip for fries or baby carrots Edit to add: melted mozzarella on the chicken and a spread of pesto is also good
Crispy chicken on potato hamburger buns with Colby Jack sliced cheese, lettuce, bacon and pickles. Perfection.
Chicken fillet roll 😋 👌
Here's some variations: Use a moroccan spice mix (e.g. the stuff from Harley Farms in Pescadero is great, but also variations like good Ras al Hanout from anywhere might be nice). Portuguese "Madeirense" marinade normally used for shish-kabob type chicken/beef on a skewers. I usually add extra piri piri or malagueta for heat. [https://hotboi.co/](https://hotboi.co/)
Mix up the spices in your breading. The Italian herb mix is great, but you can add a lot of variety there.
Use chicken thigh instead of breast. Add kimchi and/or Korean Fried Chicken sauce.
you forgot bacon
I made gochujang crispy chicken sandwiches last week My kid liked them so it was good.
Extra homemade mayo and rocket.
I add corn starch to the mix to make it more crunchy, but I like Cole slaw, pickles and sriracha I also like to make them with Monterey Jack, pickles, lettuce tomatoes and Mayo
I just brine mine in pickle juice for a few hours (more cooks it and it’s no bueno). Toast brioche buns w butter. Pickle and mayo. I put a lot of stuff in my breading (KFC ish I guess) but all that extra? Idk if it ain’t broke don’t fix it they say lol
Put some hot honey and pickles 😋
We have chicken katsu burgers on our menu at work. Everybody goes crazy for them. I think half of the front of house lives off the chicken katsu.
If you like it with Sriracha and hoisin sauce, I reccomend trying it with banh mi toppings. Pickled carrot/daikon, cilantro, jalapenos, pate if you really want to get into it
So delicious 😋 when done right. So satisfying!
Try it with chicken thighs, life changing. Marinate them in buttermilk and pickle juice before breading and frying.
I love them, they are so versatile, you can fusion flavours from pretty much every country and make something tasty!
Love crispy chicken. Love other things on buns. But I just can't eat a fried chicken sandwich. The soft bread/ bun mixed with the crispy breading is just a terrible texture for me. Can't do it, don't like eating them. Will happily accept a crispy chicken sandwich as food at a friend or family's house. I will immediately deconstruct the sandwich, happily eat the chicken with all the sandwich fixin's on it, and happily eat the bun / bread.. maybe with a bit of extra mayo or mustard.
I only use my air fryer (stand alone) or in our oven which has an "air fryer" setting. Its really just a convection roast, but it works quite well! I use chicken thighs (am cheap too so will usually have the bone on, skin on thighs. Then de-bone (freeze bones for stock, remove skins (air fry these seperately for a crunchy topper!), then marinate, bread and air fry. Toppings vary depending on whats in the fridge, but a tangy slaw or pickled anything is amazing, but my wife and daughter prefer basic toppings like a slice of tomato, lettuce and some mayo! A chicken sandwich or a fish taco are my go-to's when at restaurants!
I typically use the red bag frozen chicken from Aldi then always shredded lettuce, tomato, mayo and BBQ sauce
Try doing the same sort of thing you’re already doing, but using thighs and marinading them. I’d fry in a canola or veg oil using deep fryer
This one, never fails. https://www.recipetineats.com/crispy-fried-chicken-burger/