Recipe: Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Happy National Fried Chicken Day!! To honor this day, we look no further than Cynthia Graubart’s Chicken. She includes 7 (!!!) fried chicken recipes, so you’re bound to find one that you love. Try this fun recipe for Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches, and get to celebratin’!
If you want more recipes like this, look no further than Cynthia’s addition to the Savor the South® collection. The Washington Post calls Chicken “a tidy roundup done in good taste.” We couldn’t agree more!
Cynthia Graubart is coauthor, with Nathalie Dupree, of Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking, which won a James Beard Book Award for American Cooking. Among Graubart’s other books is Slow Cooking for Two. Follow Cynthia on Twitter @CynthiaGraubart. For a bonus recipe, try Summer Anytime Bourbon Peach Chicken Thighs.
Don’t forget to “like” the Savor the South® book page on Facebook for more news and recipes. Keep an eye out this fall for a new Savor the South® cookbook!
Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups pickle juice
- 4 soft hamburger buns
- 2 tablespoons Melted butter
- 8 dill pickle slices
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- canola oil or shortening for frying
Instructions
- Flatten the chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper to 1/2 inch thick. Cut each breast into two roughly equal pieces. Move the chicken pieces to a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the pickle juice over the chicken, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 2–4 hours.
- When ready to cook, fit two rimmed baking sheets with wire racks and set aside. Open the hamburger buns and coat the inside of each with melted butter and place them on one of the prepared racks. Lay two pickle slices on one side of each bun. Remove the breasts from the brine and place them on the second prepared rack.
- Whisk the egg, baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk together in a large wide bowl. Whisk together the flour, paprika, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and cayenne in a separate large wide bowl.
- Fill a heavy skillet or Dutch oven with oil to a depth of 1 inch (or with enough shortening that when melted it is 1 inch deep). Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Dip each piece into the egg wash to coat, then dredge in the flour mixture. Shake off excess and return to the rack.
- When the oil has reached 325°, cook the chicken breasts, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, for 5–6 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and the thickest part of a breast reaches 165° on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the chicken to the prepared rack to drain briefly, then move to the prepared buns. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil to steam-heat the buns. Serve hot.