Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Honey Mustard Sauce

Two hands holding a fried chicken sandwich, topped with all the fixings.

5 from 4 votes

Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Honey Mustard Sauce

Fried Chicken Sandwiches are the ultimate summer food! These crispy chicken sandwiches are made with basic ingredients and a technique simple enough for anyone to pull off. Load up your sandwiches with plenty of toppings - pickles, slaw, tomatoes, and of course, honey mustard sauce! Serve on a toasted brioche bun for summertime perfection!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Marinating Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Main Dish

Keyword: Summer Recipes, Memorial Day Recipes, Labor Day Recipes

Servings: pieces

Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Chicken "Marinade"

4 large chicken breasts about 2.5 to 3 lbs
1 cup buttermilk see note for sub
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 and 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 large egg

For the Honey Mustard Sauce

2/3 cup mayonnaise Light or regular are both fine!
1/4 cup honey mustard or more, to taste
2 tbsp honey

For the Dry Mix

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp corn starch
1 and 3/4 tsp salt
1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken: Mix all chicken marinade ingredients together in a large tupperware container. Slice chicken breasts in half so they're not so thick - it'll be very hard to fry them without burning them if you don't do this step. I ended up cutting some of the chicken breasts in half through the thick part, and then if one piece was twice as big as the other, I cut that in half across the width of it too.
Toss chicken in the marinade mixture, pop the lid on, and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
4 large chicken breasts, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 and 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 large egg
Mix up the Honey Mustard Sauce: Stir all sauce ingredients together, and adjust to taste (sometimes I add a splash of pickle juice, too!). Store in the fridge until ready to use.
2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup honey mustard, 2 tbsp honey
Get Your Oil Heating + Prep: At this point, you want to get your oil heating up since it can take a bit. Add about 1 inch of vegetable oil to a sturdy pan or dutch oven and let it heat up over medium heat. Keep an eye on the temp - we're frying our chicken at 350℉. I don't recommend making this recipe without an instant read thermometer to check the oil temperature. Any hotter, it'll burn, and any colder, it won't fry up properly.
Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and line the cooling rack with a few paper towels. This is where you'll place the fried chicken pieces as they come out of the oil to cool a bit + to drain.
Mix the Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the dry mix ingredients in a large shallow bowl.
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp corn starch , 1 and 3/4 tsp salt, 1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder
Dredge + Fry the Chicken: Coat each piece of chicken in the dry mix, flipping each piece over and back a few times to make sure it's well coated. Set these on a clean plate while you check the oil temp - remember, 350 is the magic number! (It helps if the chicken pieces rest for a few minutes before you begin frying. You can do a few pieces at a time, and then while you're waiting for each batch of 2-3 pieces to fry, you can be dredging the next few pieces).
I always fry a smaller piece (or I'll cut a small piece off a larger piece) first as a test piece. If the oil is too hot, the skin on the outside will burn and you'll know to turn the heat down.
Once the heat is right, add 2-3 pieces of chicken. Note that each time you add something to hot oil, it will reduce the temperature, so keep an eye on it and adjust as needed. It sounds complicated and scary but I promise you'll get the hang of it! Fry the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown, and then flip it over. Cook another 2 minutes or so on that side, or until golden brown. Check for doneness in the thickest part of each piece of chicken with an instant read thermometer - chicken is fully cooked at 165℉.
Place your cooked chicken pieces on the prepared rack to let the oil drain and to let them cool a bit - they'll be SUPER hot when you take them out of the pan, so they'll need a little bit of time to cool. Remember to check your oil in between batches as the temperature will fluctuate.
Serve + Store: Serve with toasted brioche buns, honey mustard sauce, slaw, tomato slices, pickles, and anything else you can dream up! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. It's best fresh, of course, but the chicken reheats pretty well for a few days after, too.

Nutrition