Motherclucker Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 servings
- Total: 1 day 1 hr 5 min (includes brining time)
- Active: 1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
Six 6-ounce chicken breasts
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Oil, for frying
2 quarts buttermilk
1/2 cup hot sauce, preferably Crystal
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
Nashville Hot Dip, recipe follows
6 potato buns, toasted
30 dill pickle slices
Pimiento Cheese, recipe follows
Nashville Hot Oil:
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pimiento Cheese:
5 pounds shredded Cheddar
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
14 ounces roasted red peppers, drained and rough chopped
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/8 cup hot sauce
3 jalapeño peppers, deseeded
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
Directions
Special equipment:
a perforated pan; a deep-fryer- Place the chicken breasts in a mixing bowl and toss with the salt and pepper. Place in a perforated pan with a pan underneath to catch the juices. Cover and refrigerate to let dry brine for 24 hours.
- Heat a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F and an oven to 200 degrees F.
- Place the buttermilk, hot sauce and eggs in a bowl and mix together. In a separate bowl, place the flour. Place the chicken in the flour with one hand, then in the wet mix with the other; then back in the flour. Pat the flour into the chicken, making sure it is coated thoroughly (it does not have to be a smooth surface—think: fried chicken). Fry the chicken breasts in batches to avoid overcrowding to 165 degrees F, about 8 minutes. Reserve the cooked chicken in the warm oven.
- Remove 3 cups hot oil. Stir in the Nashville Hot Dip; it will bubble a little but won’t explode. Dip the chicken into the hot spice oil with tongs, then set aside.
- Place the toasted bun bottoms down with 2 pickle slices on each, then spread 4 ounces Pimiento Cheese on each. Put the Nashville spiced chicken on top of the cheese and top with about 2 more ounces of Pimiento Cheese on each, followed by 2 more pickle slices on each. Top with the toasted bun tops and enjoy.
Nashville Hot Oil:
- Combine the brown sugar, cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl.
Pimiento Cheese:
- Combine the Cheddar and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Reserve. In a food processor, add the red peppers, garlic, hot sauce, jalapeños, salt and pepper. Pulse on low until combined like a thick puree or salsa. Mix these items with the mayonnaise and cheese, making sure that all the ingredients are combined well.
Cook’s Note
Before dipping the fried chicken into the finished oil, stir to get the seasonings off the bottom and ensure total spicing of the chicken. You can use this Nashville Hot Oil for baked chicken, fried shrimp or bone-in chicken — just use your imagination. The pimiento cheese recipe is a standard recipe; you can use it on crackers, as a dip (add a little sour cream to it) OR the best grilled cheese sandwich. I like mine with ham, too.