Buttermilk-Brined Skillet Fried Chicken Sandwich

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A shatteringly crisp fried chicken sandwich you can make in a 12-inch skillet — no deep fryer, no gallon of oil. The secret is a 4-hour buttermilk brine that seasons the cutlet all the way through, a craggy dredge built with a splash of that same brine, and holding the oil between 325°F and 350°F so the crust browns in the same four minutes it takes the chicken to cook. Piled onto a buttered potato bun with cold pickles and a tangy comeback sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz each)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (Crystal or Frank's)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup dill pickle brine

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp dill pickle brine
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 3 to 4 cups peanut or vegetable oil
• 4 potato buns
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 16 slices dill pickle chips, cold
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce (optional)
• flaky salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Butterfly each chicken breast: lay it flat, press down with your palm, and slice horizontally through the thickest side to open it into two thin cutlets. You should have 4 cutlets total. Place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently with a rolling pin or heavy skillet to an even 1/2-inch thickness — even thickness is what lets the crust and the interior finish at the same moment.
2. In a bowl or zip-top bag, whisk together the buttermilk, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 cup pickle brine. Add the cutlets, press out the air, and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24. Four hours is the minimum for the salt to travel through the meat; overnight is better.
3. Make the comeback sauce: stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, 1 tablespoon pickle brine, Dijon, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Refrigerate until serving — it improves after 30 minutes.
4. Whisk the dredge together in a wide shallow dish: flour, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt, paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, onion powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, cayenne, and baking powder. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk brine straight from the bag and rub it through the flour with your fingertips until the mixture is full of small shaggy clumps. Those clumps become the crunchy ridges.
5. Lift a cutlet from the brine and let the excess drip off for a few seconds — you want it wet, not dripping. Lay it in the dredge, mound flour over the top, and press hard with your whole hand on both sides for a solid 10 seconds. Lift, shake once gently, and set on a wire rack. Repeat with all four. Let the breaded cutlets rest on the rack for 10 to 15 minutes so the coating hydrates and glues itself on.
6. Pour oil into a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet to a depth of 3/4 inch (about 3 to 4 cups). Clip on a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer and heat over medium to medium-high until the oil reads 360°F. It will drop to roughly 330°F the second the chicken goes in — that dip is why you start high.
7. Meanwhile, butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them in a dry skillet or under the broiler until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
8. Fry two cutlets at a time, laying them in away from you. Adjust the burner to hold the oil between 325°F and 350°F: below 325°F the crust drinks oil and turns pale and greasy; above 350°F the outside darkens before the center is safe. Fry 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, until deep golden at the edges, then flip once with tongs and fry 3 to 4 minutes more. The chicken is done at 160°F on an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part — it will coast to 165°F while resting.
9. Transfer to a clean wire rack (never paper towels, which steam the bottom crust) and sprinkle immediately with flaky salt. Let the oil climb back to 360°F before frying the second batch, and skim out any loose crumbs so they don't burn and taint the oil.
10. Rest the cutlets 3 minutes, then build: comeback sauce on both bun halves, 4 cold pickle chips on the bottom, the hot cutlet, a handful of shredded lettuce if using, and the top bun. Press gently and eat right away.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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