We have been trying to eat a bit healthier lately, and that makes a weekend splurge even tastier! I saw a picture of this sandwich on social media and really wanted to try it. It has Indian snack mix in it, and if you have not had Indian snack mix, you need to go on amazon now and buy some because it is SO yummy. There are a million varieties with subtle differences. We love the ones with curry leaves the best. Putting it on a sandwich seemed genius to me.
This sandwich has a bunch of interesting components besides the snack mix too. It starts with a tandoori spiced fried chicken breast. I used this tandoori seasoning, and I am definitely going to make some fried chicken tenders in the future with this powder because I love the spices with fried chicken. The seasoning is used in both the brine and the coating of the chicken.
Another component of the sandwich is curry mustard mayo, made by making fresh curry oil and mixing with mayo and sour cream. I would love to dip some french fries in this sauce, or just the chicken.
In addition to the snack mix, the sandwich has fried shallots. Making your own is best as they are most flavorful, but if you don’t have time you can use these. They are great on most sandwiches, salads and of course in Vietnamese food.
The final component of this sandwich, which I completely loved was a mixture of pickled cucumber, green apple, jalapeno and mint. I know it sounds a little strange, but it was utterly delicious and a perfect fresh bite to offset the richness of this sandwich.
I used my buttermilk sandwich bread for this, but any soft white bread will work. I really enjoyed this. It was not like anything else I had ever eaten and it was delicious!
Tandoori Fried Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp tandoori seasoning
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 inch piece fresh ginger peeled
- 1 jalapeno stemmed and seeded
- fresh black pepper
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the chicken:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp tandoori seasoning
- fresh black pepper
- oil for frying
For the curry mayo:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp whole grain mustard
For the pickles:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 granny smith apple peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch mint washed and leaves removed and chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
To serve:
- 8 slices thick white bread
- fried shallots
- Indian snack mix
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Mix the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno in a small blender jar with a few tbsp of water and blend until smooth. Add to the buttermilk along with the spices, salt and pepper.
- Lay each chicken breast long side towards you and cut in half vertically so you get one piece out of the thinner end and one thick piece from the thick end. Carefully cut the thick end horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Repeat with each breast. Using a meat tenderizer, pound each breast piece out to around 1/4 inch thick and place into the brine. Refrigerate overnight.
For the mayo:
- Mix the mayo, sour cream and salt in a bowl. In a small sauce pan heat the oil, then add the curry powder and mustard. Allow to cook for a few seconds until fragrant, then add to the mayo mixture and stir well. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
For the pickles:
- Heat the water, sugar, salt and vinegar to boiling and allow to cool. Add the mint, apples and cucumbers and refrigerate until ready to use.
To fry the chicken:
- Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt and tandoori seasoning and whisk well. Drizzle a bit of buttermilk from the chicken marinade into the flour while tossing with a fork to make some clumps. Heat oil to 350 and dip the chicken a few pieces at a time into the flour. Place into the oil and fry until browned and crisp and cooked through. Do a few pieces at a time so you don't overcrowd the pan and bring the oil down too much. Drain on paper towels.
To serve:
- Spread the mayo on both sides of the bread. Add chicken to one side and add the shallots, snack mix, and pickles to the other. Close the sandwich and cut in half. It is a messy one to eat. Dip in extra mayo while eating if you like.