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(THE PICKLING JUICE OF JALAPENO) WILL WEAVE SALTINESS, THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF ACIDITY, AND THE LIVELY SPIRIT OF JALAPEÑO INTO EVERY STRIPS OF MUSCLES, TRANSFORMING THEM INTO SUCCULENCIES THAT LEAKS SAVOURY JUICES…
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We all feel it, right? The wind is changing.
You don’t have to do much to be in the know. The signs are everywhere, twinkling strategically across the rim of lights on social medias, designed to be picked up by scavengers sniffing for fat bits. But even if you were only mildly interested in fads, or so much so as unsuspectingly reading the business section of NYTimes during an overly squeezed lunch-break… there’s still no escaping it. You would have heard it, like it or not, that as far as New York is concerned at least, burger is dead. Yes, dead, out, and over its twitching body beneath the surface of trending news, comes the unstoppably uprising aroma of soul-nurturing fried chickens being carried between two pieces of bread. Behold, a new era for the couture fried chicken sandwiches, has come.
From David Chang’s Fuku to Shakeshack’s elusive chicken shack and the other fifty shades of white-to-dark meats in between, fried chicken sandwich has finally broke free from the taboo of tiring fast food-chains, and reinvented itself as the new cool kid on the block, or at the very least, the block where it counts. Now I’ll be honest. This really makes me angry. Why does everything wonderful has to happen promptly after my departure? The High Line, the cronuts, my high school’s renovation and now this? I mean, I love fried chicken sandwiches! It’s kind of my thing! But where were they when I was right there, still looming around Manhattan spitting out dissatisfying McChicken over the sidewalk like an overly fed and self-pitying city pigeon? Where were they when I was readily unemployed, in the perfect fit for duty to stand in a line while lusting over instant feeds of trophy-images being posted by the dudes way in front of me? Where were they when I was just two, ok may be three, subway-rides and way-too-much-Taylor-Swift-on-radio away from Brooklyn and tagging myself on IG with the hottest Shack in town?
And now, outcasted and bitter, the only mean to make myself feel remotely included, I guess, is to forge my own. What would I have done, I asked myself, if I were to create a fried chicken sandwich inspired by Shake Shack’s (I’ve decided, after investigations, that Fuku is really more of a colossal fried chicken thigh-cutlet garnished with steamed buns, and that it is another subject entirely). There are basic premises that I would keep, deeming the soft potato rolls, the southern-style of batter-frying, the tangy element of a cool dressing and the classic companionship of lettuces to be, well, legit. But the agreement probably stops here. I mean, jeezes, they use chicken breasts for crying out loud, the unfounded, outdated and herd-mentality syndrome that practically murdered chicken nuggets. Well, that has to go for sure. Then, an additional element of kicks has to be introduced through two separate channels. First, the brine, or shall I say, pickling? Yes, the skinless and boneless chicken thighs are soaked for several hours in a mixture of grated onion, ginger, salt’n pepper and most importantly, the pickling juice of jalapeño, the most wasted ingredient in the kitchen pantry. It weaves saltiness, the right amount of acidity, and the lively spirit of jalapeños right into every strips of muscles, transforming them into succulencies that leak savoury juices even after the necessary frying-time to crisp up the coating (quick tip check out chicken breast in air fryer recipes to get the perfect crispiness). Speaking of coating, the second channel for introducing kicks and flavours, will be a batter made from sriracha sauce. Yeah, I mean, why not? It’s there for your taking, so take it. Now the only things left to bring it all together, is a hot and cool dressing made with finely chopped pickled jalapeño, herbs, mayonnaise and thick plain yogurt.
It’s big. It’s guilt-filled. It shatters in between bites, making ways for the juices to flow through, savoury and tangy, hot and cool at the same time. You’ll probably need a nap after this, and dream about having another one in the nap. But don’t feel sorry, because make no mistake about it, that everyone else is doing it, too.
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The handmade embroidered plate is from Dishes Only.
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Ingredients
- 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs (23.3 oz/660 grams)
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) jalapeno pickling juice
- 1/4 small onion, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (105 grams) mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) thick plain yogurt, or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup (84 grams) pickled jalapeno, finely minced
- 2 tbsp (28 grams) finely minced onion
- 2 tbsp (20 grams) finely minced scallion
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (9 grams) Japanese panko breakcrumbs
- 2 tsp ground cayenne
- 2 tsp ground white pepper (must be white pepper)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup (69 grams) sriracha sauce, preferably cold
- 1/4 cup + 2 tsp (70 grams) ice cold water
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- Approx 1/2 cup of potato starch (or cornstarch), plus ground black pepper for drenching
- Canola oil for frying
- Ground white pepper to dust (must be white pepper)
- Shredded lettuce and 4 potato rolls to serve
Instructions
- TO BRINE THE CHICKEN: Evenly mix all the ingredients in “CHIKEN AND BRINE” together, then set aside in the fridge for at least 4 hours to 6 hours to brine. The acidity will partially turn the surface of the chickens to an opaque color, looking like it’s cooked, but that’s totally fine. I wouldn’t leave this overnight, because the texture of the chicken would change too much for my liking.
- TO MAKE THE JALAPENO YOGURT MAYO: Evenly mix all the ingredients in “JALAPENO YOGURT MAYO” in an air-tight container, then keep chilled inside the fridge until needed.
- TO FRY: In a shallow dish/pan, season approx 1/2 cup of potato starch with some freshly ground black pepper, then set aside. Remove the chickens from the brine, and gently dab away any excess liquid and solids with a clean towel (this prevents the chickens from taking too much breading, and helps the batter stick better). One piece at a time, drench the chickens inside the potato starch until evenly coated, making sure that all surfaces are covered, then pat gently over the sink to dust off excess starch. Set aside over a rack and let sit for 5 min.
- Meanwhile, add enough canola oil into a deep frying-pot until it reaches at least 3″ deep, then bring to 310F/155C over medium high heat (or until it bubbles up immediately and actively around an inserted wooden chopstick).
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, panko breadcrumbs, ground cayenne, ground white pepper, garlic powder, ground black pepper, salt and baking soda. Add sriracha sauce, ice cold water and rice vinegar, and stir with a fork just until the batter comes together. It’s ok if the batter looks slightly lumpy. One piece at a time, dip the chicken into the batter until coated on all sides, then grab the chicken with a tongs and gently lower it into the frying oil, but don’t let go yet. For the first 15 seconds, swivel the chicken gently in the oil with your tongs until the batter has firmed up, to prevent it from sticking to the sides/bottom of the pot. then release it into the oil completely. Keep the temperature above 310F/155F, to 330F/165C over medium heat, and fry until the batter is golden browned and crispy. Set aside on a rack to drain, and immediately dust it with more ground white pepper, and ground cayenne if you want more heat. Repeat with the remaining chickens.
- TO SERVE: Add a generous amount of jalapeño yogurt mayo on each side of a sliced potato roll. Toss the shredded lettuce with more yogurt mayo to thinly coat, and pile it on top of the bottom-bun. Put a piece of fried chicken on top then cap it with the top-bun. Serve immediately.
Notes
I like dark meat. But if you must must have white meat, you can substitute with chicken breasts for the recipe.
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55 responses to “MY SPICY FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH”
Oh my. I seriously can’t think of the right words to say how much I love this.
I want chicken sandwich
Oh. My. There is a 100% chance that I will be making this in the imminent future. Thank you for introducing this chicken into my life, my husband is going to lose his mind when I make this.
Life goal: eat this sandwich. Second life goal: one day take a single photo as good as any one of yours.
Oh boy, I’m hungry!
I want a chicken sandwich!
This chicken sandwitch…..
N-O-W!!!
I am dreaming about this sandwitch while I’m wide awake!
I am holding it in my hands, spicy mayo dripping down my fingers….
I don’t want to wake up.
Amazing pictures, excuse me while I wipe the drool from my keyboard.
The burger is dead!!!???!!!! Shock horror!! Hmm.. here in London we may be following the same trend as the new “hit” product is hot dogs…. still a novelty in these parts… The jalapeno yoghurt mayo is to die for…. !
Jalapeno yogurt mayo?? My sandwiches will never ever be the same.
sriracha batter fried chicken = crave
Please marry me!!!
gahh! you had me at “brined in jalapeno pickling juice”. totally brilliant!!!
i died. forget the burger, the nyc food scene is dead to me. mandy, you’re single handedly turning beijing into the new brooklyn.
Thank you for a properly spicy dark meat chicken sandwich! I’m not huge on white meat and boring breading (and I love beef or venison burgers intensely over chicken) so I am typically at a loss when it comes to loving chicken sandwiches. I am excited to try these!
Oh, hell yes. This looks absolutely insane!! You had me at pickled jalapeño brine.
I think Beijing needs a pop up stand that just serves these! Consider this a home run. I thank you, but my husband thanks you more.
” (the pickling juice of jalapeno) will weave saltiness, the right amount of acidity, and the lively spirit of jalapeño into every strips of muscles, transforming them into succulencies that leaks savory juices…” –damn!, just damn. that moment when you know you make the bomb eats! *wipes away the drool*
i have never loved an oiled inflicted bird between simple carbohydrates so much <3
You could serve these in a Food Truck! I can’t wait to try this.
Mandy, this post is perfection from top to bottom. Those insane photos, that insane food description, the insanely perfect ingredient list — every single component of this chicken sandwich is perfection from the jalapeno pickle brine (omgomgomg) to the Sriracha batter to the mayo. You are and will always be my idol.
No eggs in your breading? In my experience, all breading methods can be improved with eggs, especially when combined with chicken.
Not sure what I’m more excited about: the recipe or your mouthwatering photography! Absolutely perfect! I see your note about using breasts for white meat – do you think they will fry just as well?
Felicia, I think breasts may have to be pounded slightly at their thickest part, to get them to about 3/4″ thick. The frying time won’t vary that much, basically the time it takes for the batter to really brown and crips up. And of course, they won’t be as juicy as dark meats but oh well…
Another quick question: any reason why you prefer potato starch over plain flour? It seems to be more prevalent in eastern cooking.
Andrew, I feel like the starch sicks onto the meat better than flour :)
the CHICKEN in that spicy fried chicken sandwich looks AWESOME. giving Mr. Chang and Shake Shack a run for their money :)
Love a recipe that states “You’ll probably need a nap after this” Gorgeous inventiveness and all round mouth-watering inducing writing.
This is food heaven for me. definatly trying this week :)
why is Clean 9 most popular diet ?
Holy crap this looks good.
I drool’d.
So I made this last night for me and the husband. It was the best fried chicken I have ever had. I have never seen such crispy chicken before. There was a small problem at the beginning, I did swirl the chicken like u said but instead the batter started coming off the chicken, so I decided not to do that the next time. It did get stuck a bit to the pan but it was easy to remove and that worked out well.
This looks incredible. I bet if you made with chef Josh Galliano’s fried chicken, your head would literally explode from the deliciousness. Here’s his recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/creole-spiced-fried-chicken
This looks so yummy! I love spicy food, and the Jalapeno sauce looks amazing!
Hi Mandy,
Can you suggest an average frying time for each chicken thigh just to be safe/make sure the chicken is cooked?? :)
Emi, I’m gonna say 5~6 min if you want to be really safe.
It’s just not FAIR. How can you be so funny, AND so culinarianly talented, AND a great food photographer, AND so pretty, all at the same time? What a talent you are, and what joy you bring to so many! Laughter and terrifically tasty food– I ask you, what better combination?!
I really am going to make this sandwich, though I very decidedly do not use white pepper in my cooking. ( You can’t MAKE me!) It’s funny; there’s a local cult-lined up sandwich shop here in a Boston suburb,Cutty’s, that is famous for its ‘cluckin’ good chicken sandwich’ but really, they have noooo idea how great a sandwich they could make if they followed your lead. Gosh, I think I’m gushing Admiration!!
xo mindy
I love spicy food and man does this look good! I might have to try this!
I’ve been digging alot of spicy foods these days. Looking forward to testing this out!
Great recipe! Please improve you English, or stop pretending to be linguistically adept.
“your English”! Pretty funny, nevertheless!
My goodness! This recipe looks absolutely mouth-watering! But could there be a substitute for the jalapeño pickling juice for the chicken? I am definitely making this the minute I get the chance!
Dua, any pickling juice of any kind of chili will do.
I somehow stumbled upon this recipe. I don’t remember how, because we don’t do a lot of frying in our home. But I will have to admit my family really wants to try out this sandwich!
Like I said, I just happened upon this, but continued to look over this recipe because your photos are so inviting. I decided I would start by making the jalapeno mayo.
It is amazing!! We put it on a turkey burger my husband grilled for us. We made the sandwich toppings the same fashion as yours. We have used it again and again…..it has transformed our usual “hohum” burgers.
Tracey, frying is a commitment to do at home, but you can definitely use grilled chickens (marinated the same way) too. It just won’t have a crispy component to it :)
Woow, that looks so delicious. Great article and recipe!
omg!!! it’s like a fastfood
Mandy,
I have been in love with everything about the idea of this sandwich for two years now. Tonight, I finally got a wild hair and decided to make them. Not even two years of anticipation could have built them up too much. They were perfection. My boyfriend would like me to tell you he has now eaten so much he can’t move. You’re a rockstar! Thanks so much for the recipe.
-Leah
I made these spicy fried chicken sandwiches for the super bowl party and it was a crowd favorite! Thanks a lot for sharing!
This info is absolutely amazing. I really liked it.
Wow! Nice recipe for chicken burger. I’m loving it.
This looks so delicious!
It looks very juicy and delicious, and easy to make. Thanks for sharing, now i want to make it.
This looks delicious.
I usually add a bit of oats to the batter.
Thank you for this.
Not sure what I’m more excited about: the recipe or your mouthwatering photography! Absolutely perfect! I see your note about using breasts for white meat – do you think they will fry just as well?
Wow. The flavor profile is amazing!!!! We used a deep fryer and it was perfect, great crunch, and we added your suggested pepper at the end. Sadly it wasn’t spicy. It had kick but would I call it spicy? Sadly no. Still love it for the flavor, so I’ll turn up the heat on my own next time.
I dream about this sandwich until its healthy to make it again…..