I don't want to exactly say this is a copycat Chick-fil-A Sandwich. I found it to be an unexpected cross between Chick-fil-A and Popeyes in terms of flavor. But I can tell you that if you've been attempting fried chicken sandwiches at home, and something is... missing... it is probably pickle juice. Using pickle juice in your chicken marinade packs a punch of salty deliciousness and gives the chicken that amazing tenderness. So today, I'll walk you through how to make a fantastic pickle juice & buttermilk-brined fried chicken sandwich.
Pickle Juice & Buttermilk are the Key to this Sandwich
As you may or may not know, I love making my own garlic dill pickles. This might feel overwhelming to some. When I filmed this recipe, all my homemade pickles had been consumed... by me. This not uncommon. However, I saved all that delicious pickle brine for fried chicken sandwich making.
In the off chance you have made your own garlic dill pickles, go ahead and use that brine. If you have not made your own pickles (which will be the majority of you reading this) you can use the jarred stuff. Make sure you've got a big ol' jar of pickles because you'll need about a cup of that juice for the recipe.
I will give you a chef's tip here: add some thin sliced garlic to the brine... fresh dill too if the brine isn't a dill pickle brine. The brine and the buttermilk are going to give you an incredibly flavorful and tender chicken.
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Pickle juice & buttermilk-brined fried chicken sandwich: White vs. Dark Meat
Choosing between dark meat and white meat is a personal choice. I do enjoy a white meat sandwich like the ones at Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. However, if you are a regular reader of my site, you know I absolutely adore chicken thighs. In the end, I decided to prepare this recipe with white and dark meat. Naturally, I preferred the dark meat sandwich. However, many of you may prefer the white meat version which is also fantastic. Again - it's a personal choice and you should do what you like here.
Follow These Easy Steps for the Best Fried Chicken Sandwich
Looking for More Awesome Sandwiches?
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- Anthony Bourdain's Macau-Style Pork Chop Sandwich
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Pickle Juice & Buttermilk-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 sandwiches 1x
Description
Look out Chick-fil-A because I am coming for you. If you want to make a pickle juice & buttermilk-brined fried chicken sandwich to rival the best of ‘em - look no further.
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless chicken breasts (see note#1)
- 4 boneless chicken thighs (see note#1)
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
- 8 brioche rolls
- 5-6 tablespoons softened butter
- 3-4 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying (may need more depending on how large your pan is)
The brine
- 1 cup of whole or 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cup pickle juice (see note#2 below)
- * combining the milk and vinegar makes buttermilk. You can also use store-bought buttermilk, but it can be expensive and you’ll have a lot leftover.
- 1-2 cloves thinly sliced garlic (only if using store-bought pickle juice)
The dredge
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- ½ cup corn starch
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
Optional Toppings/Side:
- Peperoncinis
- Cherry peppers
- Pickles
- Cole slaw
- French fries
NOTE: Prep and cook times DO NOT INCLUDE the marinade time of 3-4 hours to overnight.
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Instructions
- If you are not using store-bought buttermilk, first step is making buttermilk. Add milk to a bowl or measuring cup. Add vinegar and stir a couple times. You will see if thicken almost immediately. Let it sit for 5-10 minute to thicken more.
- Take a minute to trim any fat from around the edges of your boneless breast of chicken. Then cover the two pieces with plastic wrap and pound down the chicken a bit. You can use a mallet, pan or rolling pin for this. There is always a thicker end of the chicken breast. We’re not trying to flatten this down like we’re frying a cutlet. We just want to even out the chicken so when we cut it in half our pieces are similar in thickness.
- Cut each breast in half across the middle. (my video show this well.) Season with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper on both sides. Should be about a ¼ teaspoon total for salt and ¼ teaspoon total for pepper. After seasoning, let it sit for a few minutes.
- Next, trim the fat from the boneless chicken thighs. See note#1 below about the chicken. I also have a full tutorial on how to trim the fat from chicken thighs if you want to check that out. Season the same as the chicken breast. About ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper should be enough for both sides.
- Check on the buttermilk. It should be fully thickened by now and it may even curdle a little – this is fine and normal. Add the buttermilk to a large bowl. Add pickle juice to the buttermilk and stir. If you are using store-bought pickle juice, I recommend thinly slicing 1-2 cloves of garlic and adding to the brine for additional flavor. You don’t need salt here because the pickle juice is already salted.
- Add all the chicken pieces to the pickle juice and buttermilk mixture. Cover the bowl or container and let marinate in refrigerator for 3-4 hours and up to overnight. I did 4 hours for this batch.
- When it’s time to start cooking, get your sides ready and butter your buns. Once you start frying the chicken and toasting the buns, you want everything to be ready to assemble once the chicken has cooked.
- Make sure you have left your butter out to soften. You’ll want to lightly butter the top and bottom of the brioche buns. A very thin layer of butter is all you need here.
- You’ll need two large pans for this. One to toast your buttered brioche rolls and one to fry the chicken. You can start heating the oil on low while you dredge the chicken. You’ll want it to reach about 325 to 350 degrees before frying the chicken.
- Prepare the dredge for the fried chicken. Add flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and onion powder to a large, wide bowl and mix with a whisk to combine.
- Dredging the chicken. Place one piece of chicken at a time in the dredge and cover both sides with the flour mixture. You should add a couple spoonfuls of the buttermilk/pickle juice on top of the flour layer, then a little more flour on top of that. Pat it down with a fork or your hands. Turn the chicken piece and do the same on the other side. We want to create a “shaggy” looking piece of chicken so we get that layer of crunch when we fry it. Shake off excess flour and transfer your dredged chicken piece to a sheet pan or plate. Repeat this process for all the chicken pieces. My video show this process well.
- Start toasting you brioche buns in one pan on low-to-medium heat. Keep your eye on these so they don’t burn. Set aside once toasted.
- Start frying the boneless breast of chicken pieces in the other pan. I cooked in two batches. First batch was boneless breast of chicken. This is a shallow fry meaning we ARE NOT submerging the pieces entirely in oil. Fry on one side for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Turn the pieces carefully (oil is VERY HOT) and cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Once cooked and internal temp is at 165 degrees, transfer chicken pieces to a paper towel-lined sheet pan to blot off some of the oil. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat the cooking process with the boneless chicken thighs. They won’t take as long to cook. This will take about 2-3 minutes on each side to cook and get golden brown. Transfer cooked pieces to paper towel-lined sheet pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Time to assemble your sandwiches! Use your favorite toppings and chow down.
Notes
- Make the chicken YOU WANT. You can use all boneless breast of chicken or all boneless chicken thighs. My original plan was to make all sandwiches with boneless breast of chicken. Once I started filming, I changed my mind and decided to use boneless chicken thighs as well. You know me, I love my chicken thighs. If you don’t want to use dark meat, just use two more chicken breasts cut in half.
- For the pickle brine, I always usually use the brine from pickles I make at home. You can see my garlic dill pickle recipe and make them if you like. You’d have to plan ahead because the pickles take three weeks until they are ready. Otherwise, I recommend buying a big (emphasis on BIG) old jar of garlic dill pickles or regular dill pickles and using the pickle juice from that jar. If the pickles you have do not have garlic, I recommend thinly slicing a clove or two of garlic and adding it to the pickle juice and buttermilk. Make sure none of the garlic slices make it into the dredging process – they will burn when fried and that’s not good.
Hollis Ramsey
What a delicious idea! For me, it’s pickled jalapeño juice, with mayo, pickled jalapeños, and cole slaw in the sandwich. Put some shrettuce (as they call shredded lettuce at Turkey and the Wolf in NOLA) between the cole slaw and the top bun so it doesn’t get soggy. The mayo will protect the bottom bun from sogginess. But not from me!
Stacey
Hey Hollis! Thanks for your comment. 🙂 It is an awesome sandwich and the pickle juice and buttermilk combo takes it over the top! Pickled jalapeno juice sounds pretty awesome too.
I have a weird name
That's such a great sandwich restaurant in NOLA.
Wendy Hobson
This is hands down the best chicken sandwich I have ever eaten 😊 thank you for the recipe
Stacey
Wendy!! What an amazing compliment - thank you so much. So happy you enjoyed this. 🙂
Urania
I just made this recipe. I had to add an extra tablespoon of vinegar to the milk. Marinated all day and they are delicious. My family loved them.
Stacey
So happy to hear your family loved them! Yay! Thanks for your support.