Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 5 hr 25 min (includes marinating time)
- Active: 1 hr 50 min
Ingredients
Wet Chicken Dredge:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons chipotle pepper puree (blended canned chipotles)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Four 5-ounce chicken breasts, pounded thin into scaloppini
Slaw:
4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1 cup thinly-shaved fennel
1/2 cup julienne red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Dressing:
1 jalapeño, stem removed, and grilled until black on all sides
1 1/3 cups mayonnaise, preferably Best Foods
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 1/3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon salt
Hot Honey:
1 cup honey
2 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Tapatío
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Aioli:
1 cup mayonnaise, preferably Best Foods
1/2 tablespoon garlic granules
1 clove garlic, grated
Dry Chicken Dredge:
1 1/4 pounds all-purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds corn masa flour, such as Maseca
5 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chile de arbol powder
1 1/2 tablespoons guajillo chile powder
3/4 tablespoon ground cumin
Fried Chicken Sandwich:
Rice bran oil, for frying
1 lime, cut in half
4 brioche buns, buttered
3/4 cup bread-and-butter pickles
Directions
Special equipment:
a deep-fryer or deep-fry thermometer- For the wet chicken dredge: Mix the rice flour, cornstarch, chipotle puree, sugar, wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Add the chicken and let sit, covered and refrigerated, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- For the slaw: Mix together the cabbage, fennel, onion and cilantro in a bowl.
- For the dressing: Place the jalapeño, mayonnaise, honey and vinegar in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and whisk in the poppy seeds. Season with salt and keep covered in the fridge until using. (This will keep, refrigerated, for about 10 days.)
- For the hot honey: Bring the honey to a simmer on the stove. Turn the heat off and whisk in the hot sauce, salt and 2 1/2 tablespoons water. (This will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.)
- For the aioli: Whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic granules and garlic in a bowl. (This will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 month.)
- For the dry chicken dredge: Mix together the all-purpose flour, masa, salt, black pepper, chile de arbol powder, guajillo chile powder and cumin in a bowl. Remove the chicken from the wet dredge and coat with the dry dredge. (This can be done up to 2 hours ahead of frying.)
- For the fried chicken sandwich: Heat 2 to 3 inches rice bran oil in a pot or deep fryer to 250 degrees F.
- Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and squeeze a little lime juice on top. Meanwhile, place the buttered brioche buns down in a warm sauté pan or a hot flat top. Cook until golden brown, then remove and spread the aioli evenly on both sides of the buns. Top each bun bottom with fried chicken. Drizzle hot honey evenly over the chicken, then top each one with the bread-and-butter pickles. Spread the slaw evenly over the 4 sandwiches. Top with the bun tops and serve right away.