I loveee myself a good spicy chicken sandwich but all the good ones are quite far from where i live. Honestly, i thought it would be quite challenging to make but it turned out to be sooo much better and easier than i had expected. This recipe is going to show you to make your own crispy buttermilk fried chicken, spicy mayo and a tangy slaw! I really hope you try it out!

There are 3 main components to this dish: Buttermilk fried chicken, spicy mayo and tangy slaw.

1. Buttermilk fried chicken: you could use either chicken thigh fillets or breast fillets. I do prefer thighs as they are a bit fatter and hence will result in a juicier fried chicken. If you do end up using breasts, just make sure you portion it out and butterfly so that the piece is even in thickness throughout for even cooking. High recommend you to marinade the fillets overnight so the flavours can penetrate and the fillets get tenderised. If you are short on time then minimum 2 hours.
2. Spicy mayo: it’s going to be a spicy ketchup mayo but please do adjust the spice level to your taste
3. Tangy slaw: this helps to cut through the greasiness of the chicken and adds freshness to the sandwich. Hack: buy store-bought pre-sliced cabbage (coleslaw packet) so that you can save time and not have to cut the cabbage yourself.

Ingredients

4 brioche burger buns, toasted
Pickles, sliced

Buttermilk Fried Chicken:
4 chicken thigh fillets
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup pickle juice
1 egg
2 tbsp your favourite hot sauce (i used sriracha)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp salt

Dry Breading:
2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup potato starch (you could also use cornstarch)
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper, adjust to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt + pepper

Coleslaw:
400g or 4 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup mayonnaise (i used kewpie but you can use normal egg mayo)
1-2 tsp mustard, adjust to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt + pepper

Spicy mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (i used kewpie)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
salt + pepper

Method

1. Marinade Chicken: In a bowl, add in the buttermilk, pickle juice, egg, hot sauce, paprika, baking soda, and salt. Mix well then submerge the chicken thighs into the mixture. cover and fridgerate for 2 hours or best overnight.
2. Coleslaw: In a bowl, add in all the ingredients for the coleslaw, minus the cabbage, mix well to make the dressing. Add in the cabbage and toss for the dressing to be evenly coated. Set aside
3. Spicy mayo: In a bowl, add in all the ingredients for the sauce and mix well to combine. Set aside.
4. Dry Breading: In a bowl, add in all the ingredients for the dry breading mixture. Mix well to combine.
5. Breading the chicken: Take your marinaded chicken out of the fridge. With a spoon, pick up some of the marinade and drip droplets into the dry breading mixture to create some texture for the chicken when we bread. Lift up 1 fillet at a time and allow the excess batter to drip off. Dip the fillet into the dry breading mixture and allow the fillet to be evenly coated by the flour mixture. Make sure to press the flour into every nook and cranny. Repeat with the other fillets then set them aside for 10 minutes.
6. Frying the chicken: Bring a pot of neutral oil (i.e. vegetable or canola oil) to 175-190C or 350-375F. Carefully and slowly drop in 1 fillet at a time and fry for roughly 7-8 minutes, flipping halfway through. Drain on a paper towel to cool slightly.
7. Assemble: Place some spicy mayo on the bottom bun, followed by the fried chicken, 4 pieces of pickles, slaw and lastly the top bun. Enjoy!