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I have to be honest — this fried chicken sando took me several weeks to tweak and finetune and that’s mostly because this was my first (!!) time using buttermilk.  In case it’s not obvious already, I LOVE fried chicken: wings, tenders, popcorn, nuggz...all of it.  There will eventually be a full-on section of just fried chicken 🍗🍗🍗  

This recipe was inspired by Mekelburg’s (in Brooklyn) Hot Chicken Sando, which my friend raved to me about for a couple years but I only finally got to try during COVID because they used to only sell 25 a night post-midnight (usually when I’m in BK post-midnight it’s just not possible to make this happen lol).  When quarantine started, however, they started selling these sandos during all business hours and I definitely biked over to get this sandwich several times.  Mekelburg’s Hot Chicken Sando is sticky & sweet but not really spicy and while I was originally trying to do an exact copycat of their sandwich, mine eventually became a thing of its own.  The reason this recipe is filed under Heritage is because this is fully my recipe and fried chicken is important to me (obviously not as a POC but just in general).  This is definitely something I would cook for people if they came over to Dita’s Place!

The reason I was so nervous working on this recipe is because I’ve never worked with buttermilk before and from all the recipes out there online, the amount of time people brine their chicken in buttermilk varies WILDLY — anywhere from a simple-and-quick dip to overnight.  I just couldn’t wrap my head around how to use this miracle brine and trust me when I say if I don’t understand how something works, I tend to kind of freak out (you should have seen me the first time I used an Instant Pot...all I could think of was the Boston Marathon and how I would die using mine in my small apartment).  Another reason for the anxiety is because I decided to get a little crazy and brine mine for 48 hours — something I could find little reference for on the interwebz.  Some say that it isn’t advised because it’s kind of overdoing it and I stand by this claim if you’re just eating the fried chicken solo and not in a sandwich, if you’re using chicken breast, OR if you’re just plopping it in plain buttermilk; however, my buttermilk brine is spiced and I like how the flavors really get in there.

I don’t have a lot of process photos for this one because I was mostly too distracted and nervous as I mentioned above to remember; however, most of the steps are pretty straightforward and shouldn’t require picture demos.  If you think otherwise, though, just drop me a note and I’ll take pics the next time I make this recipe.  I have tried both single- and double-battering the chicken and found that the batter kind of just falls off while cooking & handling if you double-batter; besides, you’re infusing so many great spices into the meat itself already that the usual reasons you’d double-batter don’t really apply (e.g. flavor).  When making solo fried chicken, though (i.e. not in a sandwich), I would double-batter!

Important notes:

• The 48-hour brine is optional but it should at least marinade for 24 hours — I’ve tried both ways and they’re both delicious

• Like I always say, “DON’T BE A DICK, use dark meat only;” use thigh meat (skin-on is best) and if you decide to go with chicken breast I won’t be accountable for your dry- and/or rubbery-ass sandwich

• I have NOT tried this with the “quick and dirty” substitute versions of buttermilk where you just add an acid to regular milk

• Every step of this recipe has a lot of spices and this really shines through in the sandwich; I use minimal toppings and accoutrements because they aren’t really necessary due to this

• I shallow-fry the chicken for chicken sandwiches because it helps the chicken remain flat for the sandwich

Again, the 48-hour brine is optional but it should at least marinade for 24 hours — I’ve tried both ways and they’re both delicious

Multi-day prep needed (24 - 48 hrs); enough for 4 sandwiches

For the marinade (24 - 48 hrs before):

• 4 boneless chicken thighs*

• For the marinade:

  • 1½ cup buttermilk

  • ½ TBSP garlic powder

  • 1 TBSP salt

  • ½ TBSP paprika

  • 1 TBSP cayenne

• For the dry rub:

  • ⅓ cup dark brown sugar

  • 1 tsp cayenne

* Mine weighed in at ~ 1 pound for all 4 thighs total; skin-on preferable

For frying (day of):

• For the batter & frying:

  • 1 cup AP flour, sifted

  • ⅓ cup cornstarch, sifted

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • ¼ tsp baking soda

  • 1 TBSP paprika

  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp salt

  • Peanut oil (or other high-heat-friendly neutral-tasting oil, like organic canola oil)

• For the glaze:

  • 1 TBSP paprika 

  • 1 TBSP cayenne pepper powder

  • 2 tsp fresh-cracked black pepper

  • ½ cup generic honey

• For the rest:

  • 4 sesame seed buns (or other neutral-tasting, non-sweet buns, like potato rolls)

  • Kewpie mayo

  • Sandwich pickles (or half-sour pickles)

Marinade the chicken, part 1 (24 or 48 hours before):

1. In a flat container that will fit all your chicken thighs in one layer, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well

2. If your chicken thighs have skin, cut off any excess skin and throw this and the 4 thighs into the marinade

Marinade the chicken, part 2 // the dry brine (24 or 4 hours before cooking)%:

1. Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well; pour half of this mixture evenly into a clean and dry flat container (that will also fit all the chicken in one layer)

2. Take the chicken thighs out of the buttermilk and scrape off the excess+, place into the flat container with the dry rub and sprinkle the rest of the dry rub evenly over the top of the chicken; use your fingers to make sure the dry rub gets into all the nooks & crannies and keep the buttermilk in the fridge if you choose to double-batter the chicken (don’t forget the excess chicken skin pieces if you had them!)

% If you’re marinating your chicken 48 hours before frying, dry brine the chicken the next day (aka 24 hours before frying); if you’re marinating your chicken for 24 hours, dry brine the chicken 4 hours before frying

+ Just a quick swipe for each thigh so that it’s not dripping anymore but you don’t have to OCD-remove all traces of the buttermilk marinade

Fry the chicken (the day of…duh):

1. Place a cast iron skillet on your stove and turn the heat to medium-high with at least ½” of peanut oil and prepare a wire rack over a baking sheet; turn your oven to 325 to preheat

2. Prepare your batter station by mixing all the dry ingredients together (don't forget to sift the flour and cornstarch!) on a large plate or other flat container (and bring out your leftover buttermilk marinade from the fridge if double-battering)

3. [If you used skin-on thighs and had some of those excess pieces of chicken skin, dip these bad boyz in the flour mixture first — they’re perfect to test if your oil is hot enough to start frying]

4. Once the oil is hot enough^, take a chicken thigh and let any excess marinade drip off (but don’t actively remove any from the meat), dip it into the flour mixture to coat; really use your hands to make sure the flour gets into all the crags

5. Shake off any excess flour from the first chicken thigh (obviously repeat this if double-battering) and gently place into the oil; let cook for 2½  minutes per side and I would only fry a max of 2 thighs at a time

6. Remove the thighs and place onto the wire rack; place into the oven to warm for a max of 10 minutes while you fry the other two thighs (or just wait until they’re all done to be safe)

7. While the thighs are finishing in the oven, prepare your glaze by adding the glaze ingredients into a small saucepan or pot, allow to warm up over low heat — don’t forget to stir every now and then and remember you just want to warm up this glaze and infuse the spices, do NOT let come to a boil; toast buns on a pan with some butter

8. Once the chicken has finished in the oven, drizzle a small amount of the glaze over each thigh (or use a pastry brush to gently brush on); assemble the sandwiches with some Kewpie mayo and pickle slices for each!

^ You can test this with your chicken skin pieces if you have them; you can also throw in a cube of bread and if it browns in 30 seconds, your oil is ready

While it’s a lot of time to marinade, this recipe doesn’t actually take that much time of active cooking. This sandwich is definitely “happy food” and I really hope you enjoy!

Enjoy with a super hoppy IPA (citrus- or pine-forward hops); would not recommend a juicy/hazy IPA because it’ll be too much sweetness and you need something to cut the heartiness of the sando.

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