Crisp buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with hot honey mayo

Name: Crisp buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with hot honey mayo
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 600 g / 1 1/4 lb); For the brine: 250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, 2 tsp fine salt, 1 tbsp hot sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder; For the dredge: 200 g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour, 50 g (1/3 cup) cornstarch, 2 tsp fine salt, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp baking powder; Oil for frying, about 1.5 liters (1 1/2 quarts); Hot honey mayo: 120 g (1/2 cup) mayonnaise, 2 tbsp honey, 1 to 2 tsp hot sauce or chopped habanero; Quick slaw: 150 g (2 cups) shredded cabbage, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, pinch of salt; 4 soft brioche or potato buns, split; 1 tbsp butter; 16 dill pickle chips

4 hr brine (or overnight), 30 min · 4 sandwiches

The sandwich behind 20ft, Ekiben-style buns and every chicken shop with a line: boneless thigh (never breast; it stays juicy) brined, double-dredged and fried hard, on a soft toasted bun with sharp pickles and slaw to cut it.

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The real one

No. 17 20ft Fried Chicken, London No. 24 Ekiben, Baltimore No. 30 Daybird, Los Angeles No. 49 Kim Woa Store, Philadelphia No. 56 Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, Chapel Hill No. 58 Germain's Chicken Sandwiches, Gainesville No. 65 P.G. Clucks, Toronto No. 69 Butchies, London No. 74 Hector's Deli, Melbourne No. 88 Jojo, Portland

You need

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 600 g / 1 1/4 lb)
For the brine: 250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, 2 tsp fine salt, 1 tbsp hot sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder
For the dredge: 200 g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour, 50 g (1/3 cup) cornstarch, 2 tsp fine salt, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp baking powder
Oil for frying, about 1.5 liters (1 1/2 quarts)
Hot honey mayo: 120 g (1/2 cup) mayonnaise, 2 tbsp honey, 1 to 2 tsp hot sauce or chopped habanero
Quick slaw: 150 g (2 cups) shredded cabbage, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, pinch of salt
4 soft brioche or potato buns, split; 1 tbsp butter; 16 dill pickle chips

How to make it

Brine (4 hr to overnight): Mix the brine and add the thighs. Refrigerate.
Prep (10 min): Stir the mayo, honey and hot sauce together. Toss the cabbage with the vinegar, sugar and salt. Whisk the dredge and work in 2 tbsp of brine with your fingers.
Double dredge (5 min): Lift a thigh from the brine, press it into the flour, dip it back in the brine, then press into the flour again. Flatten it slightly so it's an even thickness. Rest 10 minutes on a rack.
Fry (7 to 8 min): Heat 4 cm (1 1/2 in) oil to 175°C (350°F). Fry 2 thighs at a time, 7 to 8 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden and 74°C (165°F) inside. Drain on a rack and salt lightly.
Build (3 min): Toast the cut sides of the buns in the butter. Spread both halves with hot honey mayo, then add pickles, the chicken and a pile of slaw. Close and eat while the crust still crackles.

Tips

For Nashville hot, brush the fried thigh with the hot paste from the Nashville recipe before it goes on the bun.
Leftover thighs reheat crisp in a 200°C (400°F) oven on a rack in 10 minutes.

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