Southern Crispy Chicken Sandwich (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ For the Pickle Brine

01 - 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 even pieces (or use 4 thighs if you prefer juicier meat)
02 - ¾ cup buttermilk, the real stuff if you can find it
03 - ⅓ cup pickle juice (straight from your jar of dill pickles)
04 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt (not table salt)
05 - 1 teaspoon sugar, just enough to balance the tang
06 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
08 - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional if you're spice-sensitive)

→ For the Crispy Coating

09 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
10 - ½ cup cornstarch (the secret to extra crispiness!)
11 - 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (sounds odd, tastes amazing)
12 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
13 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
14 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
15 - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (skip if you want it mild)
16 - ¼ teaspoon onion powder

→ For the Tangy Sauce

17 - ⅓ cup good quality mayonnaise
18 - 2 tablespoons honey
19 - 2 tablespoons your favorite BBQ sauce
20 - 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
21 - ½-1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)

→ For Assembly

22 - Vegetable or peanut oil for frying (enough for 3-4 inches in your pan)
23 - 4 soft brioche buns (potato rolls work great too)
24 - Dill pickle slices (be generous!)
25 - Crisp lettuce leaves
26 - Slices of cheese (optional but delicious)
27 - Coleslaw (optional for extra crunch)

# Instructions:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pickle juice, salt, sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne until well combined. Add your chicken pieces, making sure they're fully submerged in the brine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and pop it in the refrigerator. Let it work its magic for at least 1 hour, but if you can plan ahead, a longer brine of 4-18 hours will give you even more flavorful chicken. This is where all that pickle-y goodness gets into the meat!
02 - About 30 minutes before you're ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge to lose some of its chill. In a shallow dish (a pie plate works perfectly), whisk together the flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and onion powder until well mixed. Here's the pro move: take about 1 tablespoon of the wet brine liquid from your chicken and drizzle it into the dry mixture. Use your fingers to work it in until you have some little clumps throughout - this creates those extra crunchy bits that make restaurant chicken so amazing!
03 - Remove each piece of chicken from the brine, letting the excess liquid drip off for a few seconds. Place it in the flour mixture and press down firmly on both sides, really making sure the coating sticks to every nook and cranny. Pick it up, give it a gentle shake to remove any excess flour, and set it on a baking sheet. Let the breaded chicken pieces rest for about 10 minutes - this drying time is crucial for creating that shatteringly crisp crust when you fry!
04 - While the chicken is resting, pour oil into a medium saucepan or Dutch oven to a depth of 3-4 inches and heat it to 350°F over medium heat. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test it by dropping in a small piece of bread - it should bubble energetically and turn golden in about 60 seconds. Working in batches to avoid crowding (which lowers the oil temperature), carefully lower each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Fry for 5-7 minutes total, flipping halfway through, until deeply golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and immediately sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt while still hot.
05 - While your chicken is frying or resting, whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, BBQ sauce, yellow mustard, and sriracha in a small bowl until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning - add more sriracha if you like it spicier, or a touch more honey if you prefer it sweeter. This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week if you want to make it ahead of time.
06 - If you like your buns toasted (and who doesn't?), split them open and place cut-side down in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds until golden and warm. Spread a generous amount of your special sauce on both the top and bottom bun. Place a piece of crispy chicken on the bottom bun, then layer on plenty of pickle slices, lettuce, cheese if using, and a spoonful of coleslaw if desired. Crown it with the top bun and serve immediately while the chicken is still wonderfully crunchy. Prepare for sandwich bliss!

# Notes:

01 - The pickle brine is the secret to that signature tangy flavor that makes these sandwiches so crave-worthy.
02 - The combination of flour and cornstarch creates a lighter, crispier coating than using flour alone.
03 - Adding a bit of the wet brine to the dry coating creates those perfect craggly, crunchy bits on the chicken.
04 - The powdered sugar in the breading helps achieve that perfect golden brown color when frying.

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