![Buttermilk Fried Chicken](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/07/25/dining/25FRIED-CHICKEN/25FRIED-CHICKEN-mediumThreeByTwo440-v2.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich
![Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/08/05/dining/aw-pickle-brined-fried-chicken-sandwich/aw-pickle-brined-fried-chicken-sandwich-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus brining
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 4boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 ounces each)
- 24dill pickle coins (about ¾ packed cup), plus ½ cup pickle brine
- ½cup mayonnaise
- 4teaspoons drained capers, chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ¾cup buttermilk
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- ¼cup cornstarch
- 1tablespoon onion powder
- Canola oil or other neutral oil, for frying (4 to 6 cups)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4soft buns, like brioche, split
- 1⅓cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 4 ounces)
- Thinly sliced red onion, for serving (optional)
- Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Add the chicken thighs and ½ cup pickle brine to a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning the bag occasionally to marinate evenly.
- Step 2
While the chicken marinates, prepare the pickle mayonnaise: Finely chop 8 dill pickle coins. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, capers and chopped pickles; season generously with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Step 3
When ready to cook the chicken, pour the buttermilk into a wide shallow bowl. In a separate wide shallow bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, onion powder and 1 tablespoon each salt and pepper; whisk to combine.
- Step 4
In a large Dutch oven or deep cast-iron skillet, add 2 inches of oil and, over medium-high, heat to 325 degrees, about 5 minutes.
- Step 5
Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the brine, transfer to the buttermilk and turn to coat. Lift chicken from the buttermilk, allowing the excess liquid to drip off, then add it to the flour mixture and turn to coat, patting extra flour mixture on top to ensure the chicken is well coated on all surfaces. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Step 6
Working in two batches, add the chicken to the hot oil and cook, turning every 1 to 2 minutes, until crust is deep golden and chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool and season with salt and pepper. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the thickest part of the thigh should read at least 165 degrees.) Repeat with the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat to ensure that the oil maintains a temperature of 325 degrees.
- Step 7
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large, preferably nonstick, skillet over medium. Add 2 buns, split-side down, and cook until warmed and toasted, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and buns.
- Step 8
Make the coleslaw by tossing the cabbage with half of the pickle mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Slather the remaining pickle mayonnaise on the bottom of the buns and top with the chicken, red onion, remaining pickles and coleslaw. Serve with hot sauce, if using.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
We loved this with my slight mods 1. You only need the pickle mayo and pickle coleslaw. there is no need for more pickles on the sandwich. 2. Don't salt the coleslaw or the pickle mayo (pickle adds plenty). 3. No capers necessary for pickle mayo 4. halve the salt in the flour coating. 5. Don't butter buns (already super decadent) just toast in toaster oven. 6. Serve with a hot sauce (we used frank's red hot) it makes it extra good.
This was INCREDIBLE! My wife and I love to cook and this is honestly one of the best things to come out of our kitchen. Made a few minor adjustments just for personal preference. Would definitely not skimp on either the salt or butter... why would you?! - added Frank’s hot sauce to the mayo - double dipped the chicken (buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour) - served with only mayo and romaine, very simple, very delicious
I've made this family favorite as written at least ten times before. Tonight I rolled the dice and substituted red grouper for the chicken thighs. I followed the rest of the recipe faithfully. I must admit I was nervous plunking $35/lb. grouper into a pickle juice marinade, but the sandwiches were amazing. The pickle slaw and buttermilk batter did not drown out the taste of the fish (as I had feared), they enhanced it. I bet any firm white fish would work. This is a fabulous recipe.
Oh. My. Word. Frying food has always been incredibly intimidating to me, but this was shockingly easy. I used a Dutch oven and (cover you ears) an entire bottle of canola oil and the chicken came out PERFECTLY! Juicy, crispy, flavorful! I only marinaded the meat for an hour so I can only imagine how good it would be with longer time in the pickle juice. Hot sauce is a superb addition. I cooked it as is with no modifications and am eager to repeat it ASAP!! Happy cooking :)
Great recipe, followed it exactly. I used a big pickle jar instead of a plastic bag to marinate the chicken. Really looking at ways to not use plastic bags.
I use chicken thighs for almost everything chicken but I find the extra fattiness is a bit too rich & heavy in this sandwich. I prefer breasts in this application. The brine keeps everything moist, so no fear of drying it out. If you're comparing, both Chick-fil-A and Popeye's use chicken breasts.
This was amazing. Didn’t change a thing. Kept thinking, “this is too much salt.” Nope. It’s delicious, sinful, soulful, home cooking. Enjoy. Husband said put mayo on top side of bun. I said I probably didn’t toast the bottom enough. We both still devoured with a box of Annie’s Deluxe Mac and cheese and a bag salad. This is what Sunday’s are made for.
I have not made this YET. However, I am already in love with all of it. (The preamble particularly nicely written. Mmmmm pickles!)
We had this for dinner last night. My husband said it was the best fried chicken he’s ever had. It was 100 degrees here yesterday, but I went outside and did the deep frying on the cooktop next to our grill. I was hot, but we had no spatter mess and no oil odors in the house! My daughter said Chick-Fil-A brines their chicken in pickle juice. I don’t like CFA but this was excellent!
Hardest part for us was making sure the oil temp stayed reasonably close to 325. Putting the chicken in dropped the temperature pretty drastically and we had to crank the heat back up on the first batch to get it right. Next time I'll keep the heat high and try to hit 325 on the way up before moderating it to keep it as close as possible. Thermometer was key! Neither of us talked after we served these up. Ten minutes of perfect silence broken only by the crunch of perfect fried shell. Amazing!
Making this again! This time with breast meat, cut into large fingers. Marinated for 4 hours. Made the pickle mayo, and added the onion to it. Then I used large lettuce leaves, slathered in pickle mayo, and put the strip of chicken in for a bread less dinner. OMG! So good!
Used Bob's Red Mill 1-for-1 all purpose GF flour to make this gluten free. I nearly cried, it was so good. I haven't had a "real" chicken sandwich in over twelve years. This was better than I remember and my family all loved it.
Made this for July 4. Wow. So good. Didn’t butter the buns and used a pound and a half of boneless skinless chicken breast, but other than that, followed the recipe to a T. My teenagers gave it a 10 out of 10. My son and I added sriracha to the pickle mayo, which I recommend.
This recipe is spot on delicious when fried, but is also fabulous grilled, which we tried for the first time tonight!
This is a wonderful recipe. The only downside is that it's ruined ordering chicken sandwiches from restaurants for me - this one is better than what you can get eating out. If you need to impress someone (or apologize, or thank, or woo, or whatever), I'd recommend you make this. They also freeze well, so you can double the recipe and have a decadent treat waiting for you later. 10 minutes reheated from frozen in the air fryer and Bob's your uncle.
This is so so so good. Made it exactly as written except I used my mini deep fryer and cooked the chicken pieces separately for 3 min on each side. Perfection. The second time we had it, we topped the chicken with a little chili crunch instead of hot sauce. *chef's kiss*
The recipe for this chicken sandwich is a keeper. I’ve tried others and this is a winner! The pickle brine js a must. Kept the chicken moist and flavorful.
This was fun to make as well as yummy. Alexa's video was good too. I had to use chicken tenders because I accidentally grabbed the wrong pack from the freezer. Still good!
I’ve made this as written(frying) and just recently by baking it. Used panko breadcrumbs instead of flour and cornstarch, flavored with onion/salt/pepper as per recipe. Dipped in buttermilk then panko placed on a rack over a baking sheet and baked at 400 for 20 minutes. Not as crunchy and decadent as frying but 100% delicious.
This is a great recipe, everyone loves it and I usually need to fry up a few extras. In my opinion, the coleslaw makes the sandwich.
I am a novice fryer, so I did not cook the thighs long enough and they were pink (probably didn't have oil hot enough) and served them at a party! Otherwise they would have been great. Just make sure to check the temp of the oil and the chicken when you pull it ;) Let is sit until its fully golden, longer than you think. Since they are thighs they really don't get too dry...
I’ve made so many iterations time and again alongside so many countless approaches to finally get at home fried chicken right. And time again the simple pickle brine and relatively low temp fry mood the floor. It’s the all time great recipe and I’ve got half a block of neighbors who’d agree. Today I sliced chicken thighs and served them with bbq mayo and spinach in kings Hawaiian rolls. It never ends. This recipe is the Matrix of fried chicken. Never stop believing.
Used pickled jalapenos and the brine instead of regular pickles. Worked well.
I usually love Lidey’s recipes but this one failed me on Easter morning. At 30m with an oven that runs generally true-to-temp it was scorched on top and raw on the bottom. Wish directions had said to cover with foil for the first 15-20 minutes as I think that one tweak could have saved it.
I certainly agree with both the chef and most of the commentariat that she loves salt too much. But she acknowledged that so just taste as you go, like she said to do in the video. I made these for my family and they got scarfed down. The only changes I made were adding sliced avocados and tomatoes to the sandwiches to sneak in a little something healthier.
Experienced cook here. Made this (and I’ve fried chicken a gazillion times before). Dredged in the egg and then flour. Coating wasn’t sticking properly, with virtually all coming off in the oil. Thought maybe the buttermilk was bad. Repeated the whole recipe-this time with new buttermilk. Same result. Could. Not. Figure. Out. The. Problem. Then I realized the “flour” I was using was powdered sugar! Doh! Third time-they were perfect!
I just used a slice of cheese and BAM chic fil a on Sunday.
4 cups of canola is only 1 inch deep in a large Dutch oven.
I made this for my first meal after having to fast for 36 hours. And it was worth it! I'm always cautious about oversalting so I used 3/4 tablespoon of salt in the flour mixture. I added the thinly sliced red onion to the slaw and loved it. I also just toasted the buns in the toaster oven. We ate the remaining thighs with slaw and no bun!
I read all the notes, and stupidly followed the recommended salt amounts. WAY too salty. Ruined a great sandwich. Would halve for next time. Otherwise - delicious, and the mayo is amazing. I made my own mayo, and really added some depth of flavour.
Advertisement