Crispy buttermilk fried chicken, drizzled with honey butter in a toasted brioche bun
with crispy lettuce, burger sauce and of course pickles.
Mouthwateringly delicious and I’m going to share with you exactly how to make it.
Welcome to recipes by Carina where I share with you how to make classic and simply delicious
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This buttermilk fried chicken sandwich isn’t too difficult at all and you don’t need
any special equipment than what you already have in your kitchen so you need to try it.
We’re going to start by marinating the chicken, this is a really important step to don’t
try skip it.
In a medium sized bowl we want to add our chicken, this recipe will make four and I’m
using chicken thighs which do work the best but you can use chicken breast if thats what
you have on hand.
If you would like the full recipe for these buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches it will
be on my website as well as the full measurements listed in the description box below.
To the chicken we want to add half a cup of buttermilk.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand there are a couple other options you can use here.
The first is making your own buttermilk replication which would be half a cup of milk and a half
a tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar.
Another option is yoghurt, please make sure it is natural unsweetened as we don’t want
any extra berry or fruit flavours added here.
The buttermilk or the substitutes are all acidic, this is going to tenderise the chicken
as it marinates making for a more delicious sandwich.
This next part is completely optional, you don’t have to add anything extra if you
don’t want.
I’m adding 3 tablespoons of hot sauce as I want a little heat to my chicken, it is
really diluted in the buttermilk so it is just a little spice and not too full on.
Using your tongs give the chicken and buttermilk a good mix together, making sure the chicken
is completely coated.
You want to leave the chicken like this ideally for about 24 hours as this will give you the
best result but you can do it in the morning if you’re making that evening or even a
few hours before if you are really short on time.
Cover the top of the bowl and place it into the fridge until you are ready to cook.
After the chicken has marinated and you’re ready to cook we need to make the coating.
In a medium sized bowl measure out 1 and a half cups or 190g of flour.
We wont use 100% of this flour, there will be some left in the bowl at the end but we
need enough to really easily be able to coat the chicken to toss it back in forth, and
there’s nothing worse than running out of coating part of the way through.
You can also easily make this gluten free if you need to by using a gluten free flour
or cornstarch or corn flour, these are the same ingredients just different names depending
on where you live.
There are a few things needed to flavour the coating, salt and pepper, garlic powder, paprika,
and optional again is some chilli flakes for a little spice.
We’re not going overboard with the flavouring here as we’ll be making honey butter and
using sauce so we don’t want it too be overwhelming with different flavours fighting over each
other, the texture is going to be the main stand out here.
Using a measuring spoon add a couple tsp of white pepper to the bowl, this has a more
mild flavour but again use what you have so if you don’t white pepper, normal pepper
will work just as well.
To carry on from the hot sauce added in the buttermilk marinade for the chicken I’m
also using a half tsp of chilli flakes.
Next is paprika for a sweet smokey flavour and also some colour, that’s how we get
the chicken to look that deep golden brown without cooking it at too high of a temperature.
Add three teaspoons of the paprika to the bowl followed by 3 teaspoons of garlic powder.
I don’t think I need to explain the garlic too much, I don’t think you’ll find too
many fried chicken recipes without it, it just adds perfect flavour.
We finally want to follow up with some salt, about a tablespoons worth.
This may seem like a huge amount of salt to be adding but if you do think about it, the
amount that will actually be on each piece of chicken we dredge in the coating will be
really minimal so we want to season it the best we can.
Give the coating a really good whisk until everything is evenly combined.
Get yourself a plate to put the coated chicken on and get some tongs to start with the first
piece.
Lift it up out of the buttermilk and leave it hanging for a few seconds to let any excess
buttermilk drip off, we want it well coated but not completely saturated.
Drop the chicken into the bowl with the coating and pick it up flipping it over.
There are a few different techniques you can use here but essentially we just want to have
the chicken really well coated in the flour mixture so however that best works for you
works perfectly.
I’m using tongs but you can use clean hands if you find that easier.
Shake it a little to let the excess flour fall off and place it on your plate before
following with the next piece.
When you’re ready to cook your chicken we want to do it in batches, two pieces at a
time or if you have quite a small pot even one piece at a time.
Fill the largest pot or saucepan you have 2/3 full with a flavourless oil and heat over
medium high heat.
To check it’s hot place a wooden spoon in the oil and if you see bubbles forming around
it you’re ready to go.
Place your chicken in the oil, being careful to place it down away from you so you don’t
get any splatter and cook it for about 5 minutes, turning it over a few times.
Keep an eye on it and if it’s getting too much colour turn the heat down and not enough
colour turn the heat up.
It’s not essential to have it at a really specific temperature so don’t even worry.
While the chicken is cooking quickly whip up the honey butter.
This is what we’re going to drizzle all over the buttermilk fried chicken, it takes
no time at all but takes the chicken to the next level so I would say it’s pretty essential.
In a small saucepan measure out a couple tbsp of butter followed by a 1/4 cup of your favourite
honey.
You’ll probably have some left over after you’ve made you chicken sandwiches but you
can place it into the fridge in a sealed container for about a week.
Just warm it up to use with other meats or it works perfectly with most desserts, maybe
whip up an apple crumble for dessert to drizzle it over.
Place the saucepan over medium heat, letting the butter melt and the ingredients combine,
stirring occasionally.
The chicken will take about 5 minutes too cook so make sure to keep checking on it.
It should be getting a deep golden brown colour, make sure it’s not dark or to light and
adjust your temperature accordingly.
A thermometer is going to be the best way to know your chicken is fully cooked but if
it’s getting this deep of colour it should be just about ready.
Go by colour and time, about 5 minutes and a really nice deep golden brown coating will
let you know it’s ready.
This is also a great time to prep your other ingredients, toast your brioche bun and slice
up your pickles and iceberg lettuce if you’re using it.
When the honey butter has melted together remove it from the heat and pour it into a
small bowl.
We want to let it cool down for a few minutes so it thickens slightly and won’t burn your
mouth while you’re eating.
Remove your chicken from the oil and place on a cooling rack to drain, this is the best
way to keep it crispy.
It’ll keep its heat really well so you can repeat the process with the next two pieces
of chicken.
Once all of your chicken is fried we can make the sandwiches.
Start by taking a toasted brioche bun, you make your own or store bought is perfectly
fine, and add your favourite sauce, this could be burger sauce, aioli, hot sauce, or even
something fruity like plum anything you would prefer, I’m using a really tangy burger
sauce here.
Top with a piece of the crispy buttermilk fried chicken and drizzle over some of that
sweet and sticky honey butter, about a tablespoons worth is perfect.
Top with some shredded iceberg lettuce, of course pickles and the top bun with more sauce.
Now all that’s left is to take a bite and enjoy.
I hope you try out this recipe, I promise you’ll love it.
So delicious and enjoyable to make, don’t forget to share a picture with me on instagram,
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Thank you so much for watching and I will see you in my next video.