This is my take on the classic BLT but instead of keeping it simple, I’ve loaded it up with crispy breaded chicken, creamy burrata, and homemade garlicky aioli. It’s got all the essential BLT components you love: bacon, lettuce, tomato, but the addition of golden, crunchy chicken cutlets and that oozy burrata takes it to a whole different level. The homemade aioli ties everything together way better than regular mayo ever could. Fair warning: once you make a BLT this way, the regular version might feel a bit underwhelming!

Understanding Your Components

1. Breaded Chicken: I used chicken breast for this recipe but feel free (and i highly encourage) to use chicken thighs! Thighs will give you a juicier result as there is higher fat content when compared to chicken breasts – but make sure to flatten your chicken out evenly so it cooks well and you can do this either with your knife or a meat tenderiser.
2. Homemade Aioli: This isn’t just mayo – it’s a proper garlic aioli made from scratch by emulsifying egg yolk with oil. Fresh garlic, Dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar give it tang and bite, while fresh parsley and optional Parmesan add an herby, savory dimension. It’s rich, garlicky, and way more interesting than store-bought mayo. Making aioli seems intimidating but it’s just slow whisking – once you nail it, you’ll never want jarred mayo again.
3. Bacon: Oven-baked bacon is the move here – it cooks evenly, gets perfectly crispy, and you can do a whole batch at once without standing over the stove. Baking at 180°C/350°F renders the fat slowly so you get crispy bacon without burnt edges. The bacon adds that essential smoky, salty crunch that makes a BLT a BLT.
4. Bread: Small ciabatta loaves are perfect – they’re sturdy enough to hold all the fillings without falling apart, and the crusty exterior with soft interior is ideal for sandwiches. Feel free to use any crusty loaf you have on hand! I think any Italian or white crusty loaf would be amazing for this.
5. Deep-fry/Airfry: Use a neutral oil to fry your chicken fillets (i.e. vegetable or canola oil would be good options). Make sure your oil is at a good frying temperature – i.e. 180C/350F to get a nice golden colour and the coating is crispy not soggy. If the oil is not hot enough, the breading will be soggy. If it’s too hot, the breading will burn and the chicken will not be cooked. If you like a healthier alternative, you could also airfry your chicken fillets! Just make sure to spray the outside evenly with some oil and air-fry at 180C/350F until golden brown.

Tips!

Emulsify Slowly: When making aioli, add the oil in a very slow, steady drizzle while whisking constantly. If you add it too fast, the emulsion breaks and you get separated, oily liquid instead of thick aioli. Patience is key.

Oil Temperature: Maintain your oil at 325-350°F. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks; too cool and you’ll have greasy, soggy chicken. Use a thermometer and adjust heat as needed between batches.

Don’t Crowd the Pan: Fry chicken pieces with space between them – overcrowding drops the oil temperature and causes steaming instead of frying. Work in batches if needed.

Drain on a Rack: Let fried chicken rest on a wire rack, not paper towels. Paper towels trap steam and make the bottom soggy. A rack allows air circulation and keeps everything crispy.

Hollow Out the Bread: Remove some of the soft interior crumb from both halves of the bread to create a channel for the chicken and sauce. This prevents the sandwich from being too bready and gives you more room for the good stuff.

Toast Your Bread: Toast or grill your ciabatta until golden and crispy. This creates a barrier against moisture from the tomatoes and aioli, preventing soggy bread.

Storage and Reheating Guide

• Aioli Storage: Store homemade aioli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (it contains raw egg, so don’t keep longer)
• Fried Chicken Storage: Store fried chicken separately (not assembled) in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep away from moisture to maintain crispiness.
• Assembled Sandwiches: Best eaten immediately while the bread is crusty and the chicken is hot – this isn’t one that holds well
• Reheating Chicken: Reheat in a 400°F oven for 8-10 minutes or air fryer at 375°F for 5-7 minutes until crispy and heated through
• Freezing: Freeze fried chicken (before saucing) for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen in a 375°F oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Bread Storage: Store unused bread wrapped at room temperature for 1-2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month

Make ahead tips:

• Aioli Ahead: Make aioli up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate – the garlic flavor actually mellows and improves over time
• Bacon Ahead: Bake bacon up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate. Crisp it up in the oven for a few minutes before assembling.
• Bread Early: Bread chicken completely up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate uncovered on a wire rack. This actually helps the coating set and adhere better.
• Prep Components: Slice tomatoes, wash lettuce, and portion burrata up to 4 hours ahead. Store separately and assemble when ready.
• Freezer Batch: Bread a large batch of chicken cutlets and freeze. Fry from frozen whenever a craving hits for crispy chicken in 10 minutes.

Ingredients

(makes 2 sandwiches)

2 small bread loaves of choice (i used small ciabatta)
2 burrata cheese
lettuce, chopped
8 rashers of bacon
1-2 tomato, sliced

Breaded Chicken:
1 chicken breast, halved length-wise and flattened
1/2 cup plain flour
1-2 eggs, beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp parsley, minced
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
Vegetable oil for frying

Homemade aioli:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 – 1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
100ml neutral oil
parsley, finely chopped
parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
salt

Method – How to make Crispy Chicken BLT

1. Homemade aioli: In a bowl, add in the egg yolk, mustard, grated garlic, vinegar and whisk to combine. While whisking, drizzle in the neutral oil until your sauce becomes thick and emulsified. Add in the parsley, parmesan and salt, adjust to taste.
2. Bacon: Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Place the rashers of bacon on a lined baking tray and bake the bacon until golden and crispy.
3. Breaded chicken: Slice your chicken breast into 2 pieces length-wise. While working with 1 piece at a time, cover the chicken with a piece of plastic wrap and using a meat tenderiser, flatten out the chicken into a thin even piece. Repeat with the other piece. Season the chicken with salt and pepp.
4. Add your breadcrumbs onto a plate and mix in the parsley, onion powder and garlic powder. Prepare your breading station. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, place the chicken into your flour and cover it well. Transfer the chicken to your beaten eggs and cover it well. Transfer the chicken to your seasoned breadcrumbs and press it in well. Repeat with the 2nd piece.
5. Bring a pot of oil to frying temperature (180C/ 350F). Carefully drop in 1 piece of breaded chicken at a time and fry for 4-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken and flipping halfway, or until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to drain.
6. Assemble: On 1 piece of toasted bread, spread on a layer of the homemade aioli, then top with a piece of chicken. Place 4 rashers of bacon on each sandwich then break apart a burrata on top. Top with tomato slices, salt, lettuce and close the sandwich. Enjoy!