Southern
Crispy Chicken Sandwiches
All the crunch of a drive-thru favorite at home. A quick marinade in milk and pickle juice keeps the chicken juicy.
- Prep15 min
- Cook25 min
- Total40 min
- Cost (est.)$3.50/serving
- Levelmedium
Servings
Ingredients
Meat
- 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally into 4 thin cutlets
Dairy and eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 large egg
Bakery
- 4 hamburger buns, toasted
Pantry
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ¾ cup cooking oil for pan-frying
- 12 dill pickle chips
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp salt
Spices
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Estimated cost: about $14.00 for the whole recipe, from typical US grocery prices. Your store and region will differ.
Steps
- Pound the chicken cutlets to an even 1/2-inch thickness. Marinate in the milk and pickle juice for 10 minutes while you prep the rest.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt in a shallow dish. Beat the egg into the marinade left in the bowl with the chicken.
- Lift each cutlet out of the marinade, press firmly into the flour mixture, and coat all sides. Let it rest on a rack for 5 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F, or until a pinch of flour sizzles right away. Fry two cutlets at a time for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deep golden and 165 degrees F inside.
- Drain on a rack or paper towels. Mix the mayonnaise and hot sauce.
- Build each sandwich with sauce on the toasted bun, a cutlet, and pickles.
Equipment
large skillet, meat mallet or rolling pin
Tips
- Do not crowd the pan or the coating will turn soggy.
- Make it spicy by adding extra cayenne to the flour and a drizzle of hot honey on top.
Photo: sarahstierch on Flickr via Openverse (CC0 1.0). All credits