Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich

Fried chicken is one of my ultimate comfort foods, and I feel like that probably rings true for a lot of us.  If I could pick the perfect meal, it would consist of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans from the garden, with a fresh fruit cobbler and vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.  Clearly I’ve given this some thought. 

When I first started teaching kids how to cook at summer camps many years ago, I made this recipe using chicken tenders and buttermilk left over from an earlier lesson’s freshly churned butter. Every kid I know loves chicken fingers, and this was no exception.  We made a myriad of dipping sauces, and the kids were over the moon.  Years later one of the kid’s mom’s stopped me in the grocery store to tell me that her daughter was making their family homemade chicken fingers like she had many times since that summer, using the recipe book that we had created together.  To this day, that was one of my proudest moments in my cooking career. 

This weekend I once again found myself at the grocery store, and in doing so I spotted some beautiful, soft, freshly baked ciabatta buns and I simply couldn’t resist.  I toasted them lightly, smeared a dollop of mayonnaise on them, added a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of fresh tomato, a leaf of romaine lettuce, and a crispy piece of buttermilk battered chicken.  It was exactly as delicious as you would imagine.  

If fried chicken is your jam, I strongly urge you to try this recipe at home. 

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups canola oil, for frying

1/4 tsp salt 

Directions 

Butterfly cut chicken breasts, tender removed (cut in half horizontally into two even pieces).

Soak chicken in buttermilk for a minimum of 4 hours in fridge, preferably overnight. 

Remove chicken from fridge, and add 2 whisked eggs to buttermilk mixture. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. 

Remove chicken pieces from buttermilk mixture, and dip into flour mixture. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat (or use a deep fryer if you have one).  Once oil is heated, add battered chicken breasts being sure not to crowd the pan. 

Fry for approximately 10 minutes per side, or until batter is golden brown and chicken is cooked throughly.  

TIp: To retain maximum crispiness, strain excess grease on a paper towel lined cooling rack placed on a foil lined baking sheet. 

Salt Chicken and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.