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Made this tonight for dinner, and it was delicious. All the ingredients came together beautifully. My husband is a foodie and he said it was a keeper!!!
Not much to see here, guys.
Just THE BEST CHICKEN SANDWICH EVER. Should we keep talking?
You guys, these sandwiches are the stuff of legends. I mean, I cannot count the number of group texts that have gone back and forth dissecting every last crumb and flavor of this sandwich.
People have their opinions about chicken sandwiches, I know, and admittedly I don’t have Southern roots or anything so I … kind of don’t know what I’m doing. Except I do know what I think tastes good, and I think these are amazing.
I started with a brioche bun – just the right amount of fluffy lightness, and I spread them with butter and toasted them in the oven so they had a little structure to them. Then on went the fried chicken, the bacon, the Swiss cheese. I love the crunch and tang of slaw, so I piled it on high. The crown jewel was a few pickle slices (mine were spicy/sweet) and a heavy handed shmear of honey dijonnaise.
If you’re feeling like this is something you need to eat right now, then you’re understanding.
And if you’re feeling a little nervous about frying chicken, let me just calm you down. This is a VERY EASY fry. It isn’t a fancy picture, but this pretty much shows how to make these chicken sandwiches in a nutshell:
- buttermilk soak,
- dredge in dry mix,
- frying to golden brown juicy chicken perfection.
With a reasonable amount of common sense, you won’t burn anything and you won’t get oil splattering all over.
You’ll just do the 1-2-3 fried chicken dance (soak, dredge, fry) and people will rave about your chicken sandwiches for literally years.
See, that wasn’t so scary.
After you fry your chicken, you’re pretty much done, and the ball is in your court.
Things to consider for your fried chicken sandwiches:
- Slaw – yes/no? Mayo/no mayo? I believe in mayo slaws, so I vote that direction.
- Pickles? Dill/sweet? Pickled something? Jalapeños?
- Cheese? I like Swiss, but if you want to take a spicy angle, Pepperjack is also an excellent choice.
- Bacon? I don’t know, I guess it depends on how much you love yourself.
- Buns – going all-out with a biscuit? I like the lightness of brioche, but you do you.
- Sweet sauce? or spicy? Honey dijonnaise is what’s written into this recipe, but spicy mayo won’t disappoint.
This is your fried chicken sandwich masterpiece.
Make your magic, friends.
Watch How To Make Our Fried Chicken Sandwiches:
Summertime Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Tangy Slaw
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4–6 chicken sandwiches 1x
Description
SUPER YUMMY fried chicken sandwiches loaded with Swiss cheese, bacon, pickles, slaw, and honey dijonnaise. Yum!
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients for Chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (see notes!)
- 1 tablespoon seasoning mix (see notes!)
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar)
- 1 large egg
Dry Ingredients for Chicken:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon seasoning mix
- 4–5 cups peanut oil for frying
Tangy Slaw:
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Greek yogurt is a good sub)
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Sandwich Add-Ons:
- Brioche buns
- Swiss cheese
- Pickles, pickled jalapenos, etc.
- Bacon
- Honey dijonnaise (easy – see notes)
Instructions
- MARINATE: In a plastic bag or glass bowl, combine the chicken with all the wet ingredients. Marinate in the fridge for 4-6 hours.
- BATTER: In a shallow bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except the oil.
- SLAW: Toss all your ingredients together!
- FRY: Heat the peanut oil in a frying pan until a speck of water sizzles across the top. Using tongs, shake excess liquid off the chicken pieces. Coat each piece in the dry flour mix. Add to the hot oil. Fry for 5 minutes on one side, then 2-3 minutes on the other side until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a little more salt (to taste).
- ASSEMBLE: Build your ideal summertime fried chicken sandwich! I like bacon, Swiss cheese, honey dijonnaise, pickles, and slaw!
Notes
You can use small chicken pieces, large chicken breasts that have been pounded thin, or large chicken breasts that have just been cut in half lengthwise to make a thin piece of chicken. But I wouldn’t use them in at full thickness. I prefer smaller, thinner chicken pieces because they’re easier to cook and they fit better on a bun.
The seasoning mix can kinda be whatever you want. I used a generic all purpose chicken seasoning every time I made this, always with a different brand, and it was always great. I look for ingredients like paprika, pepper, garlic / onion powder, etc.
Toasting the brioche buns in the oven with a little butter to get them golden brown and a little crispy on the inside is a good idea.
Honey Dijonnaise: 1 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons dijon mustard. Season / adjust to taste.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: fried chicken sandwiches, chicken sandwiches
One last note – this was the most fun dinner club recipe ever, because we did a Southern theme with mac and cheese, and collards, and fried green tomatoes, and bourbon sweet tea, and crack pie, and it was just the best.
And I have this recipe from Bread Babe to thank for helping me learn how to do the fried chicken sandwich thing!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our easy summer dinners page. Check it out!
Although I’m certain the recipe as written is wonderful, it’s been really hot and frying chicken didn’t sound super appealing the day I had planned to make this recipe. I ended up doing a grilled version and it was AMAZING. I pounded out a couple chicken breasts, followed the marinade recipe except I omitted the egg, patted the chicken pieces dry after marinating, brushed the them lightly with oil and sprinkled some more chicken seasoning on them, then grilled them. I used the slaw recipe and the Dijon mayo recipe, toasted some buns and added pickle chips. Better than what you can get at a restaurant!
Hi! Can I sub chicken thighs for this recipe?
We haven’t tried chicken thighs specifically but I think it would work just fine!
It was delicious! Sweet and tangy. I would make this again.
Reeaaally tasty and also easy!!🤤 Added hot honey too🔥👌🏻
we tried it and it was fab so much I wont more 😋😋😋😋😋🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤😋😋😋😋
I give it a five star the only thing that could be in there is spice u know what i am saying
I tried these today…. and I was super disappointed. The oil seemed to get way to hot and the last few chicken breast were burnt on the outside but undercooked on the inside. They weren’t very thick breast. Any suggestions?
Sorry to hear that, Charli! Sounds like the oil was probably too hot. It may help to use a thermometer. The oil temp should be 325 degrees.
What seasoning do you use for summertime fried chicken sandwiches?
Hi Jennifer! Here’s Lindsay’s note: The seasoning mix can kinda be whatever you want. I used a generic all purpose chicken seasoning every time I made this, always with a different brand, and it was always great. I look for ingredients like paprika, pepper, garlic / onion powder, etc.
Soooo good! I cheated and did frozen chicken patties
Hi!
Do you think it is possible to fry the chicken in the air fryer?
Thanks!
Hi Colleen! We haven’t tested this fried chicken recipe in the air fryer. Since it was created specifically for traditional frying, I’m a little hesitant to say it’d work. This recipe for air fryer chicken might be a good one to try!
Have you tried fried chicken in an air fryer. Received one as a gift and would love ideas.
Thanks for all the great recipes.
We haven’t tried fried chicken in the air fryer yet!
I’m vegetarian, so I didn’t actually eat this. But I made it for my husband, and he LOVED it. I used old bay for the seasoning, and he said it was perfect. I don’t like frying things fully submerged in oil like this, but I conquered my fear and I did it (and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be!). Highly recommend this recipe, it was as hard as I thought it was going to be.
Nice work, Em! Frying is really intimidating! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Made these for Father’s Day and they were 10/10!!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I LOVED this chicken sandwich!! Will make again.
We used this recipe for fried chicken sandwich inspiration for valentine’s day last night! The chicken was GREAT and was easier than I expected…especially for the result we got.
We used thighs (6) instead of breast (highly recommend this!). We had lots of left over dry mixture, which isn’t a problem but thought I’d mention.
Toasting the buttered brioche buns was essential. SO GOOD.
Next time, I would probably put the chicken on a wire rack over a plate/baking sheet after frying as some bits got a little soggy on the paper towel.
Thank you!
Is there an oil substitute you would suggest for someone who cannot do peanut oil?
Sure! Vegetable or canola oil will work!
might be my favorite recipe from this websit e until now, and I have made tens of them!!
Glad to hear it, Daniel!
Hello! Great looking recipe! Do you think it would work in an air fryer??
Hi Lucy! We haven’t tested the recipe in the air fryer, so it’s hard to say. Since this recipe is specifically made to be traditionally fried, it’s probably best to use an air fryer-specific fried chicken recipe!
Made the fried chicken sandwiches tonight! First time frying anything! I had a couple questions:
How did you get yours so crispy? Ours were a little crispy but not nearly as much as your seem to be from pics.
Also, did you submerge your chicken in the oil or put it in a shallow skillet and then flip halfway through?
Any tips to take this from good to great would be appreciated!!!
Thanks:)
Hi Amy! Is it possible your chicken was still cold from being in the refrigerator when you fried it? The temp of the chicken can affect the crispiness. We completely submerged the chicken in the oil. Check out the video in the post for a closer look at how we cooked it!
Incredible! Thank you for the recipe.
These were a hit. I hate frying, but for a treat, these were worth it. Brioche, of course, rocks; but also the sauce and the crunch factor. Thanks!
🎉
Just made these! Sooooo good! Everyone said this was the best chicken sandwich they ever had!
🎉
Hi Lindsay!
Like you, I am a food lover and love to read and watch all kinds of recipes online and learn about different cultures and their foods and I also love to experiment with these recipes…. ha ha ha
Anyway, I heard about your blueberry muffin recipe from watching John Legend (singer) with his wife Chrissy doing a live cooking vid where he mentioned how yummy your Blueberry Muffin recipe is and to check it out at pinch of yum.
I immediately went to your page on YouTube to find this blueberry muffin video/recipe but ended up watching all other kinds of your videos including how to make your own buttermilk which I learned something new today 🙂
I also just signed up to get your new recipes and received your wonder recipe e-book which I can’t wait to try them all!
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your wonderful and beautiful recipes and your life stories! Keep shining and spreading your light!
Cheers!
-Wendy
Thanks for your kind words, Wendy! So glad you’re here!
I LOVE ALL of your recipes!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Looks so cool !! is there a more Kosher version of this recipe ? I’m so going to make this !!
I got wield and made it with everything !!
These chicken sandwiches are soooo good. I’ve made them a few times and every time I do I’m like dang I need to make these more! My one cheat is that I use store bought honey mustard instead of the dijonaise, but I make the slaw from scratch and add pickles, honey mustard, and swiss cheese. YUMMY!!!
So glad you’ve been enjoying these, Lexi!