Crispy Chicken Sandwich for All
During the Covid days, one of the things that emerged for most people was the creative ability to try new foods, follow recipes, and become a quarantine chef (hello bread making!). I was one of those individuals and it became a past time that I still enjoy to this day trying others’ recipes.
One of the meals I made was such a hit within our family that I feel compelled to share with you - ladies and gentleman…I introduce to you the crispy chicken sandwich with herb mayo - by the one, the only - Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten.
The list of ingredients may seem intimidating at first, but I promise you, once you get going, it’s actually pretty easy. Here are a list things to keep in mind:
1. Be forewarned - you will need to marinate the chicken the night or hours before, so plan ahead if you want to make this delicious sandwich.
2. To make things easy for you, here is the list of ingredients for each phase (per Barefoot Contessa):
3 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (6 ounces each) We personally like dark meat so I used chicken thighs instead and made sure to still use a rolling pin to get the meat thinner.
Marinade for Chicken
2 cups buttermilk, shaken
1 shallot, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced crosswise
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 jalapeño pepper (with seeds), halved lengthwise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
After hours of letting the chicken marinate, here is the ingredients for coating before frying:
3½ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2½ teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 (48-ounce) bottles canola oil - this is for frying.
Herb Mayo (this is incredibly tasty!)
1 cup good mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s
2 tablespoons buttermilk, shaken
1 teaspoon good white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
¹⁄8 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Again, I took this from Ina Garten and thought I would make it easy for you to bucket what the ingredients are used for as you go along - here is the whole recipe with instructions.
3. I did use potato buns (because it was softer for my niece and nephews as well), but I made sure to give it a bit of toasty texture by brushing melted butter on the cut sides. Then placed them faced down on a hot skillet or pan to just get a nice light brown color.
4. Dutch oven is great for the frying - if you have a Le Creuset (Ina calls for this oven), awesome - use it! Here is one I have at home (not Le Creuset and less costly) that I have used for many things - frying, soup, stews, roasts…the list goes on! Just make sure you don’t have the temperature too high for the chicken - it’ll burn quickly. You’ll want to keep your eye on the color and obviously, making sure it’s cooked all the way through before serving. I use Alexa and/or my phone as a timer quite often when it comes to frying.
5. I have used this marinade to make bite size chicken and waffles as appetizers by cutting the chicken smaller size before marinating. This too was a delicious option versus a sandwich!
If you ever need ideas or want to try something new, I would highly suggest looking into Ina Garten. I thought her recipes would be difficult or expensive to make but it has been quite opposite (at least with the recipes I’ve tried). As a mom, I need something that would be easy and can satisfy the mass. This was one of those meals that adults and kids enjoyed - hope yours will too!
What are your family go to meals? Let me know!
*Disclaimer: I earn a very small commission for through Amazon affiliates.
