Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Thighs brined in buttermilk, pressed hard into seasoned flour, and fried until the crust cracks louder than the pickle on top.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
-
Whisk the buttermilk and hot sauce together, add the chicken thighs, and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
-
Whisk the flour, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, a big pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a shallow dish.
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Lift each thigh from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, then press it firmly into the flour until fully coated and craggy on every side.
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Pour oil into a heavy pot or cast-iron skillet to a depth of 1 inch and heat to 350°F.
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Fry the chicken in batches, turning once, until deep golden brown and a thermometer reads 165°F at the thickest point, about 4 minutes per side.
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Drain on a wire rack while the rest fries — draining on the rack instead of paper towels keeps the crust from steaming soft.
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Spread mayonnaise on the buns, then stack each with a fried thigh and pickle chips.
Notes
Pressing the floured chicken instead of just dredging it is what gives you a craggy, broken crust rather than a smooth one — those raised edges are what actually go crisp and shatter when you bite in. The buttermilk brine is doing real work too, tenderizing the meat the way a light marinade would, so don’t skip it even for the minimum hour.
Swap in chicken breast pounded to an even thickness if you’d rather have white meat, though thighs stay juicier at the high heat frying demands. Leftover fried thighs reheat better in a hot oven than a microwave — ten minutes at 400°F brings the crust most of the way back.