Crispy Chicken Sandwiches (Buttermilk Marinade)

This is is marinated in seasoned buttermilk and deep-fried until it’s crispy and golden brown, topped with a homemade spicy mayo and piled onto a brioche bun. It’s amazing! If you don’t have a deep fryer, it will work just fine in a skillet or Dutch oven.

I hope you love this and it gets added to your dinner recipe rotation. Since it’s basically a giant chicken tender, you can serve it without the bun to your pickiest eaters.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

The standout ingredients in this recipe are the buttermilk and the homemade seasoning blend. If you don’t have buttermilk, I wouldn’t recommend any substitutes. It’s really important for the recipe.

If you have an electric deep fryer you won’t have to deal with splattering oil and temperature monitoring.

But if you don’t have one, you can deep fry your chicken breasts in a deep, heavy pot such as an enameled Dutch oven. You’ll also need a candy thermometer to keep an eye on how hot your oil is, and you’ll want to read about deep fryer safety.

This will make 6 sandwiches and the chicken is best eaten right away, although any extra patties will reheat well (just don’t assemble them into sandwiches) If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• Deep fryer or Dutch oven
• Baking Sheet
• Paper Towels
• Candy thermometer to monitor the temperature if you don’t use a deep fryer

Ingredients

For the seasoning blend

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• ½ tablespoon cayenne
• ½ tablespoon garlic powder

To make the chicken

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 6 chicken breast cutlets pounded thin
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon seasoning blend (the one you just made!)
• 2 quarts peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying

Sauce

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• remaining seasoning blend
• buttermilk to thin out optional

For assembling sandwiches

• pickle slices
• lettuce
• buns

How to Make a Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich

Honestly, this isn’t hard. Deep frying can be intimidating, but other than that, this recipe is easy-peasy.

Step One: Make the Seasoning Blend

Start by making your seasoning blend by combining the salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder in a small bowl.

Step Two: Prep Chicken

Pound your chicken thin with a meat mallet or rolling pin so that it cooks evenly and quickly.

Step Three: Marinate

Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the blend and mix it with two cups of the buttermilk. Place the chicken in the buttermilk and let it marinate. If you have the time, pop the bowl in the fridge for four hours. If you’re in a hurry, leave it on the counter for about thirty minutes.

Step Four: Bread

When it’s time for the next step, start heating up your oil to 360 degrees. (Be careful, and keep an eye on it!) Mix up the flour and a tablespoon of the seasoning blend. Take out the chicken, gently shake it off, and dredge in the flour mixture.

Step Five: Fry

And now we fry! The chicken will take about 8 minutes, and you’ll want to flip it halfway through. It will look quite dark because of the paprika, which can be deceptive, so check to make sure it’s done inside.

Step Six: Drain

Let it drain on paper-towel-lined plates.

Step Seven: Make Sauce and Serve

Mix up the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Then make your sandwiches. Spread the sauce on both sides of your bun and add your favorite toppings then the chicken. We love them with thinly sliced pickles and shredded lettuce.

Serving & Storing

Serve with some crispy fries, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and some lemonade.

Store any leftover chicken in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Don’t stack the pieces directly on top of each other or they’ll get soggy. Put some parchment paper between them. Reheat it in a 375°F oven for about 5-7 minutes to get that crispiness back. Or you can use an air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes.

Keep any leftover sauce covered in the fridge up to a week. You can also keep the marinated chicken in the fridge up to 2 days so you can fry fresh pieces when you need them.

Questions and Troubleshooting

More Deep Fried Recipes

• Crispy deep fried zucchini is the only way I will eat this vegetable.
• Southern buttermilk chicken tenders is also another family favorite way to eat fried chicken.
• Deep fried sweet potato fries are super addictive!

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