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Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches

Spicy fried chicken served on a soft bun with coleslaw, pickles and drizzled with hot chili oil
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Prep Time 1 day 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 day 35 minutes
Course Main Course, Sandwich
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

For the hot chili oil:

  • 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried italian herbs
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • few grinds of black pepper

For the chicken:

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts split in half to separate the thin end from the thick and then thick end sliced horizontally into 2 pieces. You should get 3 pieces from each breast. Use a tenderizer to thin the pieces to about 1/4 inch thick.
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp italian herbs
  • 2 cup AP flour
  • extra salt, pepper, and any of the seasonings from the brine

To serve:

  • buns
  • coleslaw or shredded lettuce you can use coleslaw mix and add mayo/vinegar/salt/pepper to save time
  • dill pickle slices

Instructions
 

Brine the chicken:

  • Cut and pound out the chicken pieces as described. Mix all the brine ingredients together in a ziploc bag and place the chicken in to brine overnight.

Make the hot oil mix:

  • Mix all the spices, sugar and salt in a heat safe container. You will be adding 1 cup of hot oil from cooking the chicken to this so make sure it is really heat safe.

Cook the chicken:

  • Heat a large pot of oil to 350.
  • Mix the flour with about 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. You can also add a little of each of the seasonings from the brine here if you want very strongly flavored chicken. I usually do this. Drizzle a little buttermilk into the flour and toss with a fork as your pour to make some small clumps.
  • Dip the chicken into the flour until well covered and place a few pieces at a time into the hot oil, keeping the temp at 350.
  • Fry until deep golden brown and cooked through.
  • Ladle one cup of hot cooking oil into your chili oil mix. Be careful!
  • Serve on a bun with coleslaw and pickles, and the jar of chili oil on the side to drizzle on as you eat.
Keyword Chicken, Main Dish, Sandwich