Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Crispy fried chicken breast cutlets marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, brushed with a cayenne spiced oil, and piled on toasted buns with pickles and Coleslaw. Makes 10 sandwiches. The chicken marinates and the slaw is made in the morning; at dinner you fry and assemble.

Ingredients (10 sandwiches):

Chicken and marinade:

  • 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 pounds), each cut horizontally into 2 cutlets
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce (cayenne pepper style)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Seasoned flour:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Spicy oil:

  • 1/2 cup hot frying oil (ladled from the pot)
  • 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

To assemble:

  • About 3 quarts peanut or canola oil, for frying
  • 10 sandwich or burger buns (brioche is great), plus a couple spare
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • Dill pickle chips
  • About 4 cups Coleslaw

Morning prep:

  1. Cut each breast into 2 even cutlets and pound to about 1/2 inch thick.
  2. Whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Add the chicken, cover, and refrigerate until dinner (4 to 10 hours).
  3. Whisk the seasoned flour in a large shallow dish and cover. Mix the spicy oil seasonings (cayenne, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt) in a heatproof bowl.
  4. Make the Coleslaw and refrigerate.

Instructions (at dinner):

  1. Heat the oil to 350°F in a large Dutch oven (no more than half full). Heat the oven to 200°F and set a rack over a sheet pan.
  2. Lift each cutlet from the marinade, let the extra drip off, and press it into the seasoned flour on both sides. For a craggier crust, drizzle a few spoonfuls of marinade into the flour and rub it in first.
  3. Fry 3 or 4 cutlets at a time for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and 165°F inside. Drain on the rack and keep warm in the oven.
  4. Carefully ladle 1/2 cup of the hot frying oil into the bowl of spicy oil seasonings and stir. Brush it over the fried chicken.
  5. Toast the buns. Spread with mayonnaise, then add pickles, a piece of chicken, and a big scoop of coleslaw. Serve right away.