For this recipe, we took everything you love about a fried chicken sandwich and turn it into a small, handheld appetizer. Cutting the chicken into bite-sized nuggets before covering it with batter and frying it, is key here — doing so transforms the protein into the perfect topping for crunchy lettuce cups.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 14 to 16 lettuce cups |
Ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/3 cup diced spicy dill pickles, plus 2 tablespoons brine
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- Kosher salt
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 14 to 16 leaves Little Gem lettuce
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, 1 cup buttermilk, the pickle brine and cayenne in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk, the sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, scallion, dill and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Chill until ready to use.
- Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot until it reaches 350˚ F. Combine the flour, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, letting the excess drip off, and toss with the flour mixture. Fry until golden and cooked through, 6 minutes. Remove to a rack and season with salt.
- Divide the fried chicken among the lettuce cups. Top with the chilled dressing and diced pickles.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 167 |
| Total Fat | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 21 mg |
| Sodium | 159 mg |
Reviews
well… let me just say the flavors are GREAT! especially the homemade dressing – even with my modifications. I made oat milk buttermilk and cooked most of the chicken in the air fryer. I will make this chicken again except next time I will TRIPLE the flour mixture, dip the chicken in the flour, then dip the floured chicken into an egg wash, REDIP the chicken in the flour mixture and yes, air fry the thighs (18 minutes at 400 degrees) YUMMY!