| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Yield: | 4 sandwiches |
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cups dill pickle juice
- 3/4 cup prepared tempura mix
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups club soda
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 4 brioche buns, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- Pickle Slaw (see recipe below)
- 5 cups packed shredded green cabbage
- 1/4 cup pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1/2 cup chopped dill pickle
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Arrange the chicken thighs on a work surface, smooth side up. Using kitchen shears, make a few cuts in the thickest part of the chicken thigh. This will help the chicken cook evenly and will also help the brine absorb. Add the chicken to a large bowl and cover with 2 cups of pickle juice. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the chicken from the pickle juice and pat dry. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Fill a large Dutch oven with about 3-inches of vegetable, attach a deep fat fry thermometer and heat to 350 degrees F.
- When the oil is almost heated, make your batter: Add the tempura mix, tapioca flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper to a medium bowl, pour in the club soda and whisk to combine. It should be slightly thinner than pancake batter.
- Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the batter, allowing the batter to cover the chicken fully. Shake off any excess batter. Transfer the chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp with an internal temperature is 165 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a wire rack and sprinkle with salt. Fry the remaining chicken.
- To assemble the sandwiches: open the buns and lay them cut side-up on a clean work surface. Spread the mayonnaise evenly over the top and bottom halves of the buns. Place a piece of chicken on each bottom bun. Top each piece of chicken with a heaping 1/2 cup of slaw. Place the top buns on the sandwiches and serve.
- Add the shredded cabbage to a medium bowl and add the pickle juice, vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using clean hands, massage the cabbage to help it slightly break down. Add the mustard, pickle, onion and dill. Toss well to combine. Keep the slaw refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the sandwiches. Any leftover slaw can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 353 |
| Total Fat | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 43 mg |
| Sodium | 367 mg |
Reviews
The slaw was perfection! I will be making the slaw as a side for other meals. The breading on my chicken was a little thin and not as crispy as I had hoped. I have never fried with avocado oil and I think that was part of the problem and next time I would add less club soda to make the batter thinner. I will absolutely make this again and again!
I’m not the cook of the house- my husband is. He just left for a long work assignment so since he doesn’t like pickles, I went ahead and made these… so amazing!! Thank you Valerie- you broke it down to where a non cook could do it.
These sandwiches tasted fantastic! And the slaw was so delicious with them and made a perfect bite.
Love, love, love this recipe!!! I couldn’t believe what a difference the pickle brine made on the taste, texture, and moistness of the chicken thighs. I even fried a few of mine a little too long, and they were still delicious. I also completely forgot to buy the tapioca flour and tempura mix…so I substituted with AP flour and cornstarch…totally worked! Thanks Valerie!
Was very dlish. Only thing diff was I toasted my brioche. Everyone loved it, doing leftovers tmrw. With the dill slaw it reminded me of a fish sandwich. Another great dish- thanks Val!
Delish! I had slider buns so figured on 2 sandwiches each – way too much food! Couldn’t get to the wedge salad with onion rings. The slaw is really bright and adds so much to the chicken. Definitely will add to the regular weeknight rotation. I used a mix of Nathan’s and Grillo’s pickles.
Simply put, the best fried chicken sandwich I have ever made and honestly one of the best chicken sandwiches I have ever eaten. Thank you, Valerie!
I love finding recipes that sound so odd I just have to try them. I used chicken breast. Cut it in half to get the thin end separate from the thicker. Then I butterflied the thicker side completely in half. Three pretty much equal shape and thickness. Covered in plastic wrap and pounded on them a bit to flatten and tenderize. I brined these for 24 hours. I forgot fresh dill so used 1 teaspoon of dry. I also added a few seasonings to the batter, garlic & onion powder, and season all mix, a teaspoon of each. Wow, the chicken was tender and moist. I put them in an oven at 225 to keep them warm between batches. Even hubby said they were great. Just enough dill pickle flavor without overwhelming everything else. Tasty!
I made this recipe after watching this episode. It was easy to follow and it’s a very good sandwich. I like the brine flavor and it was light and crispy. Not dry at all! Will make it again
The batter is light, the brine kept the chicken from drying out (I used cutlets instead of thighs because I’d already used those for something else), and the whole sandwich held up to the slaw really well without getting soggy. Speaking of the dill pickle slaw, my husband has made an earnest request that I never make another slaw recipe so long as we both shall live. Pile it on the chicken sandwich and it’s magic.