American🥩 Meat

Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich

Name: Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich
Total time: 10 h 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 24 oz kosher dill pickles; ¼ cups mayonnaise; ½ piece red onion; 2 garlic cloves; 2 tbsp fresh dill; a pinch cayenne; 1¼ cups pickle brine; 8 fresh dill sprigs; 6 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp dry mustard; 1 tbsp kosher salt; 1 tbsp black pepper; 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1¼ cups all-purpose flour; ½ cup cornstarch; 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp granulated garlic; 2 tsp dry mustard; 2 tsp kosher salt; 2 tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp fresh dill; 3 cups vegetable oil; 4 brioche buns; 4 tbsp mayonnaise; 2 cups iceberg lettuce

⏱ 645 min🍽 Serves 4

A classic American fried chicken sandwich that infuses pickle brine flavor through three stages: sauce, marinade, and flour coating. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are brined in pickle juice for 6 to 12 hours, then coated in a seasoned flour mixture with cornstarch for extra crispness and pan-fried until golden brown, then served on toasted brioche buns.

Adapted from a video by America's Test Kitchen

The Secret for a Perfect Fried Chicken Sandwich | America's Test Kitchen

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

kosher dill pickles24 oz
mayonnaisefor sauce¼ cups
red onionfinely chopped½ piece
garlic clovesminced2
fresh dillminced, for sauce2 tbsp
cayennefor saucea pinch
pickle brine1 tbsp for sauce, 1 cup for marinade, 0.25 cup for coating1¼ cups
fresh dill sprigs

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1
Prepare the sauce. Drain the pickled dill pickles and mince about a quarter cup of the pickle pieces. Combine a quarter cup of mayonnaise, finely chopped red onion, two minced garlic cloves, two tablespoons of fresh minced dill, a pinch of cayenne, and one tablespoon of pickle brine. Mix thoroughly and set aside covered.
2
Make the marinade. Pour one cup of pickle brine into a container. Add eight sprigs of fresh dill, six smashed garlic cloves, one tablespoon of dry mustard, one tablespoon of kosher salt, and one tablespoon of black pepper. Mix well.
3
Place four boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours and no longer than 12 hours. Going beyond 12 hours will make the chicken rubbery.
4
Prepare the coating. In a bowl, mix together one and a quarter cups of all-purpose flour, half a cup of cornstarch, one teaspoon of baking powder, two teaspoons of granulated garlic, two teaspoons of dry mustard, two teaspoons of kosher salt, two teaspoons of black pepper, and two tablespoons of fresh minced dill. Make sure everything is well incorporated.
5
Add a quarter cup of pickle brine to the flour coating mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the mixture together to create shaggy, crumbly bits with nooks and crannies, which will result in a crispier exterior when fried.
6
Remove the chicken from the marinade and press the coating firmly onto each piece using your fingertips, ensuring thorough coverage. Refrigerate the coated chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 2 hours to allow the coating to set.
7
Heat three cups of vegetable oil in a pot to 350°F. Fry the chicken for 8 to 12 minutes total, flipping halfway through. Maintain the oil temperature between 325 and 350°F and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175°F.
8
Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil and cool slightly.
9
Assemble the sandwiches. Toast the brioche buns. Spread one tablespoon of mayonnaise on the bottom of each bun, place a fried chicken thigh on top, add a quarter cup of the pickle sauce over the chicken, and top with a half cup of shredded iceberg lettuce.

Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients

Steps

More like this