the perfect fried chicken sandwich

Perfect Fried Chicken Sandwich is one heck of a statement BUT I promise you, it’s really that good! I have had my fair share of fried chicken, whether it’s on the bone, tenders, nuggets, or just a good old sandwich. I found that sandwiches tend to be on the drier side. That’s when the pickle juice comes in. It acts as a brine and it’s a by product of the pickles. Hey I paid for it, I’m going to use it! The quick marinate infuses the chicken with extra flavor and keeps it nice and juicy when it’s fried up. Since pickle juice is naturally salty and tangy, it helps to cut some of the fattiness from the grease. Add a dab of Simmer Down Sauce and you got the perfect mixture of salty, tangy, spicy and of course, sweet. Just like the first season of Simmer Down with Viv! XO.

 
 
 

the perfect fried chicken sandwich

Prep time: 20 minutes | Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Yields: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 cup of pickle brine, preferably from dill pickles

2 cups self rising cake flour*

Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 large eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil, for frying

1/2 cup vegetable shortening**

Dill pickle slices, for serving

Simmer Down Sauce, recipe below, for serving

4 potato buns or sesame buns

Special equipment:

Dutch oven

Zip top bag

Instructions:

  1. Place the chicken thighs and pickle juice in zip top bag. Remove most of the air out and seal. Let sit in the fridge for 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to frying them up.*

  2. Meanwhile, whisk the cake flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, ground white pepper, sweet paprika, onion powder and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Transfer the beaten eggs in a separate shallow dish. The dreading station is ready.

  3. Fill a medium Dutch oven halfway with vegetable oil and the vegetable shortening over medium high heat until reaches 375 degrees F.

  4. Remove the chicken thighs from the pickle juice and discard the bag. Dip the chicken into the cake flour mixture until it is fully coated. Be sure to get in between those hidden folds of the thigh. Remove and dip into the egg mixture. Coat the chicken until all the flour is covered by the egg. Remove and dip the chicken thigh into the flour again. This time making sure, it is very well coated. Gently place into the Dutch oven and fry until chicken is cooked through and golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining thighs.

  5. Remove chicken from the fryer and place on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with salt and let cool slightly.

  6. Spread about 1 tablespoon on the bottom bun with Simmer Down Sauce. Top with a piece of fried chicken thigh, pickle slices and a quick drizzle of more Simmer Down Sauce. Add top bun and dig in!

Simmer down sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1-2 teaspoon Tabasco original hot sauce

Pinch salt

Instructions:

  1. Whisk together the ketchup, mayonnaise, maple syrup, mustards, vinegar, hot sauce and salt in a small bowl until well combined. Can be stored in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

Cook’s Note

Self rising cake flour vs cake flour vs all purpose flour

I love using self rising cake flour when frying. It is a light flour that creates an extra crispy crunch. The self rising element is baking powder and a teeny bit of salt. These act as leavening agents. So whats the difference between cake flour and all purpose flour? Cake flour is a flour that is very finely milled from soft winter wheat. It is lighter in color, softer and finer in texture. It is also bleached, so the color is paler and the grain is less dense. Because of the lower protein content, cake flour produces less gluten.

*This will allow the chicken to take the chill off. When you fry them up, you will have a crunchy exterior and hot, juicy interior.

**Adding vegetable shortening to the fat for frying will give it nice golden color. A food stylist trick. But be careful not to add too much! It will add too much color and burn before cooking through.

Mustards

Yellow Mustard. This iconic condiment is a staple at every summer barbecue. It is one of the most mild mustards and the bright yellow color comes from turmeric.

Dijon Mustard. Bonjour! This mustard is a classic French staple. Compared to yellow mustard, it is much sharper and complex. There are many tasting different tasting notes. The sharpness comes from white wine The name Dijon is from a region in France, similar to Champagne for bubbles.

Whole Grain Mustard. This mustard is all about texture because it has whole grain mustard seeds. Sometimes this mustard is referred to as country or old style. This mustard is perfect for dressing and can be used as a spread on charcuterie boards.