Description
Juicy crispy fried chicken thigh, sweet & spicy mayo with huge garlic punch, crisp fluffy shreds of iceberg lettuce, and a thick pile of dill pickle rounds sandwiched between a soft pub bun.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the chicken marinade
- 4 Chicken thighs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Oil for frying
For the flour dredge
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
For the spicy garlic honey mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, more to taste
- 5-6 garlic cloves, finely minced
For the sandwich
- 4 buns
- hot garlic honey mayonnaise
- 2-3 cups shredded lettuce
- 1-2 whole dill pickles, sliced into rounds
Instructions
- In a non-reactive container add the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and set aside to prepare the chicken.
- On a cutting board, lay the chicken thighs on top of some paper towels using more paper towels to soak up any moisture on the chicken. Dispose of the paper towels.
- Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears trim off any excess fat or bone fragments pulling open any extra folds within the thigh.
- (Optional step) When all the thighs are trimmed, lay them on the cutting board with plastic wrap over the top and hit them with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are a bit thinner and more even. You can skip this step if you like, and just have a thicker sandwich. That's what I prefer!
- Once the chicken is prepared, add it to the buttermilk marinade and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
- Next prepare the hot garlic honey mayonnaise. In a small bowl add the finely minced garlic, mayonnaise, honey, and hot sauce and stir to combine. Assemble the mayo sauce at least 30 minutes before serving, but it's best to do when the chicken goes into the marinade so the flavors have time to mingle.
- When it's time to fry the chicken, prepare the flour dredge. In a shallow dish or pie pan add the flour and seasonings and stir well to combine.
- Pick each thigh out of the marinade with tongs, and without scraping off any marinade, dredge each thigh individually in the seasoned flour, getting it into every nook and cranny. Set aside while you bread the rest of the chicken.
- In a deep fryer or large pot, add the cooking oil and warm to 350°. Using tongs, slowly drop 1-3 thighs, depending on the size of the pot, into the hot oil until they are fully submerged. Stir a bit to make sure they are not stuck together. Fry until the chicken thighs temp at 175° to 190°, about 6-7 minutes (SEE NOTE). Set the chicken on paper towels to catch the oil.
- While the chicken is frying, get out the hot garlic honey mayonnaise, plain mayonnaise, pickles, and lettuce. Spread a thin layer of plain mayonnaise (or butter) on each side of the bun and toast.
- To assemble the sandwiches, spread a thick layer of hot garlic honey mayonnaise on the top bun. Pile a large handful of shredded lettuce onto the bottom bun and lay the chicken on the lettuce. Top with pickle slices and the top bun. Serve with chips, potato salad, or slaw.
Notes
If you do not have a thermometer, poke the chicken in a place you can see the flesh and look for the juices that come out. They should be yellowish-clear; no pink at all. Fry a few more minutes if you need to.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Marinating Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: American