These fried chicken sandwiches are not just crispy and delicious, they’re also excellent carriers for a variety of sauces. Spicy aioli, chipotle mayo, barbecue sauce, honey mustard…let your imagination run wild!

Special Equipment: This recipe requires a candy thermometer that reads up to 400 degrees. Otherwise you likely have what you need in your kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 – 1.5 pounds of chicken cutlets or thin-cut chicken breasts
• Garlic salt
• Paprika
• Cayenne pepper or chili powder
• 2-3 cups frying oil — you can use vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 12 ounces salt-and-vinegar chips, pulverized
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• Sandwich buns (We used brioche buns but you do you)
• Sandwich pickles
• Mayonnaise

Process

1. Take your chicken cutlets and arrange them on a cutting board. Season with garlic salt, paprika, and cayenne or chili powder.
   
   
2. Arrange your frying station. Take three wide containers and arrange them in a row.
   • In the first container, place the flour.
   • In the second container, place the two eggs with a tablespoon of water. Beat aggressively with a fork.
   • In the third container, place your pulverized chips and panko breadcrumbs.
     
   • Make two drain rigs: place a cooling sheet into a sheet pan. Use one for the uncooked chicken breasts and transfer them to the other after they’ve been fried.
     
3. Bread the chicken. Working with one piece at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, then coat in the egg wash, then dredge in the chips. Your chicken should be evenly coated with crumbs. Place the chicken on the cooling rack in the sheet pan and continue until you’ve breaded all the chicken.
   
4. Pour the oil into a deep pot. Place your candy thermometer in the oil and heat the oil over medium heat.
   • The oil temperature must be at 350 degrees before you begin frying your chicken: too cold and it will be gross and soggy, too hot and it will be charred.
   • Do not overcrowd your fry grease. I fry one breast at a time.
5. Fry the chicken breasts for two minutes per side until crispy and golden-brown. Once fried, place them on the clean drain rig. Never put cooked chicken back on a surface where you prepared raw chicken.
6. Place the chicken breasts into the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until the thickest part of the cutlet has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
7. Remove from oven and cool for five minutes. While the chicken breasts cool, prepare your sandwich buns and toppings.
8. Assemble the sandwiches: put mayonnaise on the bottom bun, then the chicken breasts, then pickles and whatever other toppings you like.
9. Serve!

Did you enjoy this tasty chicken sammich? Why not check out some of our other recipes on The Recipes Page!