Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Honey Mustard Sauce
Made with basic ingredients, and a technique simple enough for anyone to pull off. Load up your sandwiches with plenty of toppings - we love pickles, slaw, tomatoes, and of course - our honey mustard sauce - and stuff them in a toasty brioche bun for summertime perfection!
Servings 8 pieces
Ingredients
For the Chicken "Marinade"
- 4 large chicken breasts about 2.5 to 3 lbs
- 1 cup buttermilk see note for sub
- 1 TBSP paprika
- 1 t salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1 and 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 large egg
For the Dry Mix
- 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 1 and 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
For the Honey Mustard Sauce
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 TBSP honey mustard
- 2 TBSP honey
Instructions
- Prep 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.
- Mix up the Honey Mustard Sauce: Stir all sauce ingredients together, and adjust to taste. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Get Your Oil Heating + Mix the Dry Ingredients: 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 degrees. I don't recommend making this recipe without a thermometer like this one to check the oil temp. Any hotter, it'll burn, and any colder, it won't fry up nicely. Whisk together the dry mix ingredients in a large shallow bowl. 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.
- 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 they 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 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. Remove a piece and set it on the prepared rack - cut into the thickest part of the chicken to check doneness. Return to the oil for a minute or so if it's still pink. It's hard telling exactly how long to cook each piece for since the size will vary. You'll get a feel for it as you start doing it! Place fried 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.