Today I take inspiration from some great fried chicken methods to create my own fried chicken sandwich that I call, “The Spicy Italian”, made with Calabrian Chili Mayo. If you are looking for something a little different in the fried chicken sandwich world, you’ll want to try this.
Ingredients:
4-6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
3 Egg Whites
1 1/2 Cup, AP Flour
1/2 Cup, Fine Breadcrumbs
1 1/2 Teaspoons, Granulated Onion
1 1/2 Teaspoons, Granulated Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon, Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon, Cayenne
Sea Salt
Canola Oil for Frying
Good Buns
Calabrian Chili Mayo
1/2 Cup Mayo
4-5 Preserved Calabrian Chili Peppers, chopped/pureed
1-2 Teaspoons of the Liquid the chilis were packed in
Directions:
Dry brine the chicken for about 4 hours. Simply season with salt and then place in the bottom shelf of the fridge uncovered. This will season the chicken and keep it dry. Pull the chicken out 30 minutes before cooking.
Bring a deep, heavy bottom pot no more than halfway filled with some high smoke point oil like canola or vegetable oil and let that heat up on medium heat to about 375 F.
Separate the egg white from the yolks and gently whisk to slightly foam the whites. Reserve the yolks for scrambled eggs or for a dish like Carbonara.
Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, and spices.
Dip the chicken into the egg whites, make sure they are well coated, then dip in the flour mixture and really be rough with it, you want flour completely covering the chicken and even better to have little chunks of clumped up flour. Once all the chicken is dredged, they are ready to fry.
Drop the chicken in the oil 2 pieces at a time. The most important part of frying is heat management. As soon as you add the chicken, the temp of the oil will drop. So you are going to have to use a thermometer and try to regulate the temp by hand to try and keep it around 350-375 so that the dredge can get properly crispy and the inside stays perfectly cooked.
Once the internal temp of the chicken is around 185-210 F and is golden brown, pull out of the oil and let it drain on a rack before assembling the sandwich. Finish frying the rest of the chicken.
Destem and deseed the Calabrian chilis and the chopped them up as fine as possible. Add that to the mayo along with some of the liquid from the chilis and then mix well.
Toast the buns and then smear the chili mayo on both sides of the bun, add the chicken and serve.
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