Name: Calabrian Fried Chicken Sandwich
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H45M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT2H0M0.000S
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup buttermilk; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound); 2 tablespoons garlic-olive oil mayonnaise, such as Graza “Garlic” Aioli; 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage; 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped; 1 small bulb fennel, thinly sliced, plus 1/4 cup fennel fronds, coarsely chopped; 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup garlic-olive oil mayonnaise, such as Graza “Garlic” Aioli; 2 tablespoons chopped Calabrian chiles in oil; High-heat cooking oil, such as Graza “Frizzle” High Heat Cooking Oil, for deep-frying; 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup cornstarch; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 hamburger potato buns, split and toasted

Directions

Special equipment:

a deep-fry thermometer

For the chicken and marinade: Add the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper to a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix until evenly coated in the buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
For the fennel slaw: Meanwhile, whisk the garlic-olive oil mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a large bowl until smooth and combined. Toss in the cabbage, parsley, sliced fennel, fennel fronds and red onion until well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Calabrian chile aioli: Stir together the garlic-olive oil mayonnaise and Calabrian chiles in a small bowl until smooth and combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For frying and serving: Fit 2 rimmed baking sheets with wire racks. Fill a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot about halfway with high-heat cooking oil and heat over medium high to 360 degrees F.
Meanwhile, to make the dredge, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, hot paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a large bowl until combined. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk brine from the chicken to the dredge and mix to combine and form craggy bits. One at a time, remove each piece of chicken from the brine, draining off excess. Place in the dredge and coat evenly, shaking off excess, then transfer to one of the racks.
In batches to avoid overcrowding, fry the chicken, adjusting the heat as needed to keep a constant temperature and gently stirring halfway through, until the chicken is golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the second wire rack and sprinkle with salt. Continue with the remaining chicken, bringing the oil back to temperature between batches.
To serve, place a piece of chicken on the bottom of each bun, then top evenly with the fennel slaw. Spread the Calabrian chile aioli on the top buns and sandwich together.

Cook’s Note

We recommend using a mandoline for thinly slicing the fennel, cabbage and red onion. A very thinly sliced slaw will dress quickly/evenly and sit nicely on top of the sandwich.